The wreck of the Grosvenor (Great illustrated classics) [Hardcover]

William Clark Russell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1959 | Series: Great illustrated classics

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1899. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... to serve out a tot of grog apiece to them, more out of policy than pity, I think, as he would remember what was in their minds respecting their provisions, and how the ship's safety depended on their obedience. CHAPTER VII. All that night it blew terribly hard, and raised as wild and raging a sea as ever I remember hearing or seeing described. During my watch--that is, from midnight until four o'clock--the wind veered a couple of points, but had gone back again only to blow harder, just as though it had stepped out of its way a trifle to catch extra breath. I was quite worn out by the time my turn came to go below, and though the vessel was groaning like a live creature in its death-agonies, and the seas thumping against her with such shocks as kept me thinking that she was striking hard ground, I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow, and never moved until routed out by Duckling four hours afterward. All this time the gale had not bated a jot of its violence, and the ship labored so heavily that I had the utmost difficulty in getting out of the cuddy on to the poop. When I say that the decks fore and aft were streaming wet, I convey no notion of the truth; the main-deck was simply afloat, and every time the ship rolled, the water on her deck rushed in a wave against the bulwarks and shot high in the air, to mingle sometimes with fresh and heavy inroads of the sea, both falling back upon the deck with the boom of a gun. I had already ascertained from Duckling that the well had been sounded and the ship found dry; and therefore, since we were tight below, it mattered little what water was shipped above, as the hatches were securely battened down fore and aft, and the mast-coats unwrung. But still she labored under the serious disadvantage of being ove...

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"By the suffrages of seamen and landsmen alike, The Wreck of the Grosvenor entitles the author to the naval crown in current literature." -- Herman Melville

"His descriptions of storms at sea and atmospheric effects were brilliant pieces of word painting." -- Dictionary of National Biography, 20th Century

"The prose Homer of the ocean." -- Sir Edwin Arnold --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

W. Clark Russell was born in New York in 1844 to English parents. His experiences in the British Merchant Marine provided an authentic backdrop for his acclaimed sea novels. Russell is highly regarded for his realistic portrayal of maritime life, and his harrowing account of the sailors' plight in The Wreck of the Grosvenor was very influential in the passage of reform laws to improve the lot of British merchant seamen. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 349 pages
• Publisher: Dodd, Mead; REPRINT Edition edition (1959)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0007E2QA6
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,737,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An exciting sea yarn, July 16, 2003

By 

Ronald J. Bloch (Wallingford, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wreck of the Grosvenor (Classics of Naval Fiction) (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book about the British merchant service in the mid-nineteenth century. The book had an effect on public opinion of that time about the conditions sailors were expected to endure.

The writing is excellent but it was written over a century ago in a James F. Cooper / Herman Melville style which may not appeal to some readers. To me, it is much preferable to the comic book simplistic style you sometimes see in adventure/historical novels.

The story concerns an honorable young man who must deal with a cruel captain and then subsequently with the rogue, mutinous members of the crew. A subplot concerns a beautiful young woman who is rescued after a storm and there is the inevitable love story added in, which I could have done without, but it is typical of the time period. The storm scenes are excellent and the descriptions are vivid. Overall, a pleasurable read of an ill fated voyage that, of course, has a happy ending.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than The Sea Wolf, December 17, 2009

By 

C. Bryan (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wreck of the Grosvenor (Classics of Naval Fiction) (Kindle Edition)

Hate to say it, but once you've read The Sea Wolf you might think THAT was the most thrilling sea story ever. You'd be right until the above book came to your attention. Clark Russell just isn't as famous as Jack London - so The Wreck of the Grosvenor seldom comes onto the radar. Trust me, this is a fine and exciting page-turner with a plot you can't out-guess. It IS written in the old style, 140 years ago, and some of the words reflect the era (not so much as Sea Wolf, though). Mind you, Sea Wolf is quality stuff (they made a movie of it, don't you know?). But you won't be disappointed buying this book. It reads fast and keeps your attention. Russell was a sailor; be prepared to help bring a yard to the mast and outthink the crooks. Good luck on that.
My son, the critic, bet me he wouldn't find Wreck of the Grosvenor worth his time. That was two days ago. Tonight he said, "Don't say anything; I'm twenty pages into the thing and I don't want you to spoil it." Yeah, 20 pages - just the tip, just the beginning! Hold on to the weather rail!