This image is the cover for the book An Ocean Tragedy, Classics To Go

An Ocean Tragedy, Classics To Go

The pursuit of the schooner yacht Shark by the Bride, the yacht of the mad Sir Wilfred, is seagoing writing at its best. Russell's evocation of both calms and storms at sea, and the management of the yacht are educated and expert. Sir Wilfred's wife has run off with the dashing Colonel Hope-Kennedy, and Sir Wilfred means to get her back. This isn't going to be just a confrontation between cuckold and cuckolder, Sir Wilfred has armed the Bride with a long, brass, 18-pounder. The events are many, including the unfortunate death of a Portuguese seaman at the hands of the 18-pounder, the haunting of the Bride, the fortuitous capture of the two "lovers" in mid-ocean, the duel on the quarterdeck, the wreck of the Bride on the volcanic island that wasn't supposed to be there, and, best of all, the fossilized galleon on the crest of the island that can only be inhabited by the castaways after the water is drained out of her.

William Clark Russell

William Clark Russell (24 February 1844 – 8 November 1911) was an English writer best known for his nautical novels. At the age of 13 Russell joined the United Kingdom's Merchant Navy, serving for eight years. The hardships of life at sea damaged his health permanently, but provided him with material for a career as a writer. He wrote short stories, press articles, historical essays, biographies and a book of verse, but was known best for his novels, most of which were about life at sea. He maintained a simultaneous career as a journalist, principally as a columnist on nautical subjects for The Daily Telegraph. Russell campaigned for better conditions for merchant seamen, and his work influenced reforms approved by Parliament to prevent unscrupulous ship-owners from exploiting their crews. His influence in this respect was acknowledged by the future King George V. Among Russell's contemporary admirers were Herman Melville, Algernon Swinburne and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

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