Since his death in 1833, Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, has been the subject of three biographies and numerous character studies, both contemporary and modern, which have shaped the perception of the man, his reputation and his legacy. While Pellew's reputation as a gifted sea officer and the foremost frigate commander of his era is beyond dispute, the picture of the man that emerges from his biographies is both complex and contradictory. N. A. M. Rodger's brief but balanced assessment of Pellew as ‘tough, brave, skilful, lucky and unscrupulous’ illustrates the ambiguous nature of his character. From his earliest days as a midshipman, Pellew's courage, activity and zeal were recognised and rewarded, but he was also criticised for being volatile, intemperate and antagonistic. At a time when naval captains were celebrated for their ability to earn enormous fortunes in prize money, Pellew was feted for his success in capturing prizes but gained a reputation for avarice and cupidity. In a system that favoured interest and patronage, Pellew was a generous and steadfast patron who nurtured the careers of many young officers and men, but at the same time he was criticised for taking nepotism to extreme lengths by over-promoting his own sons. Pellew was celebrated by the press and public for rising through the ranks on his own merits, but there were persistent sneers from some of his contemporaries that his eager pursuit of honours was undignified at best. Many of these contradictory attitudes towards Pellew arose from the social and political mores of the period, while others have resulted from the vagaries of Pellew's biographers.

Pellew's first biography, The Life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth, was written in 1835, immediately after his death, by Edward Osler. While Osler's work was sanctioned by Pellew's eldest brother Samuel, the rest of the family vehemently objected to its publication and refused to allow Osler access to Pellew's archive. Osler's primary aim in writing the biography was clearly to glorify Pellew's reputation and that of his family; however, much of what he wrote is ambiguous or just plain wrong, particularly with regard to the details of Pellew's naval service. This is perhaps unsurprising as his primary source was Samuel who, although he had served briefly as a naval surgeon, spent most of his life ashore as a customs official and had little experience of life at sea.