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The Riddle of the Sands
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
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Conrad's literary rigging is tight.
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The Mutiny of the Elsinore
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Just can't listen
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A Reflexion on Maturity
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Joshua Slocum was believed to be the first man to sail single-handed around the world. After a distinguished career, where he worked his way up from cabin boy to captain, Joshua Slocum wrecked his ship off the coast of Brazil. Turning this catastrophe to his advantage, he built a sailing canoe from the wreckage and sailed back to New York. Moreover, he wrote Voyage of the Liberdad, a chronicle of his trip, and earned some literary success.
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A REMARKABLE MAN
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Perfect for first timer
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Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates
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Performance
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Story
Merle Johnson has here gathered together in one volume all of the nineteenth-century author-artist's classic pirate stories that had been scattered through many magazines and books. Well researched and with richly drawn characters, Pyle's work will appeal to students of history and adventure lovers alike.
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Fascinating and wonderfully read
- By Fletch on 09-08-06
By: Howard Pyle, and others
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The Captain of the Pole Star
- By: Arthur Conan Doyle
- Narrated by: B. J. Harrison
- Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Word goes among the crew of the Pole Star that the captain is haunted by demons. And after the days turn into weeks in the frigid Arctic Ocean, stories begin to circulate of ghosts and midnight hauntings.
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Conan Doyle wrote more than Mr. Holmes.
- By Kristi R. on 11-14-11
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Mr Midshipman Hornblower
- By: C. S. Forester
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Shaking off this label, a shy and lonely 17-year-old, Horatio Hornblower, embarks on a memorable career in Nelson's navy on HMS Justinian. In action, adventure, and battle he is forged into one of the most formidable junior officers in the service.
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First rate historical fiction
- By Jason on 04-30-17
By: C. S. Forester
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Billy Budd
- By: Herman Melville
- Narrated by: Peter Joyce
- Length: 3 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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On one level...Melville’s tale is an historical adventure telling the story of life aboard ship shortly after the mutiny at Spithead in 1797. Billy is taken from a homeward bound merchantman to serve on the ‘Seventy Four’ HMS Indomitable. He falls foul of Claggart, the ‘Master at Arms’, and the final confrontation results in death. Billy becomes an unwilling martyr - what passes for justice must be implemented because of the rebellious climate of the time.
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Well done, a pleasure to listen to!
- By Kindle Customer on 10-17-18
By: Herman Melville
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Hell on Ice
- The Saga of the Jeannette
- By: Edward Ellsberg
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 1870s, newspaperman James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald drummed up excitement and publicity for his paper through highly publicized missions of exploration. In 1879, Bennett's idea for a voyage was his most audacious to date: the North Pole. To do this, he hired a team of naval veterans in addition to a smattering of civilians with specialized knowledge in meteorology, whaling, and naturalism. The men on board the Jeannette set off in September of 1879. This would be the last time anyone saw them for two years.
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Great story, and great way to approach the telling
- By Christopher on 08-22-14
By: Edward Ellsberg
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Captains Courageous
- By: Rudyard Kipling
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Captains Courageous is Rudyard Kipling’s classic fable of a boy’s initiation into the fellowship of men, played out on the high seas of the late 1800s. When he falls overboard from a luxury liner, Harvey Cheyne, the spoiled son of an American millionaire, is rescued by a small New England fishing schooner. To earn his keep, Harvey must prove his worth in the only way the skipper and his hardy crew will accept: through the grueling mastery of a fisherman’s skills.
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A MINOR sea story and a MINOR Kipling
- By Darwin8u on 06-24-13
By: Rudyard Kipling
What listeners say about The Riddle of the Sands
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- murf
- 12-30-20
Excellent writing but the story is lacking.
If you are a sailor and love excellent writing this book is for you. If you are not a sailor, the details about the seas, canals through estuaries and boating details become monotonous with little action to hold interest.
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- Allen
- 10-21-19
A very interesting book
A very interesting, well written and well-read book. The attention to detail was at the forefront of this genre of literature. Some of the elements of this book proved to foreshadow future military events.
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- Charles Dennehy
- 10-02-20
Well written but very detailed
You'll like if you are a student of western history or naval affairs. Very well written and performed.
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- Madeleine
- 03-16-23
Fantastic book!
This book is wonderful. It is a little technical but if you are used to nautical stories it is no boundary. Great writing and a gripping story.
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- ollie
- 04-16-15
A great perspective on the threat of war
Any additional comments?
This book is not for those looking for an action-packed spy novel. I enjoyed it and was fascinated by the setting and the historical perspective - the book was written in 1903 to warn of the potential threat of German invasion of Britain. There is a lot of detail about sailing and tides on the northern coast of Germany. This detail can be a bit tedious at times, particularly if you can't imagine the geography. The printed book had a series of maps that help considerably, and these can be found online in the Project Gutenberg version. As a spy novel, it isn't particularly thrilling by today's standards, but it is a valuable perspective on the time before the first world war. Simon Vance's narration is wonderful.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Anniebligh
- 12-30-17
One of the Best Reads
A very good read and sadly a disappointing listen.
Mostly 2 characters and the voices do need to be clearly distinguishable to work as an audio. Simon Vance usually is an excellent narrator and in this classic story of the sea, he misses the mark.
I appreciate the voices are not forced and accept it is a hard task.
Over a hundred years have passed since the writing of this classic British Espionage story, and there are some lovely allusions relating to the seas. The love of sailing and boating, curious minds, challenging the natural and man made forces by ordinary people and some good old fashioned adventures as the Riddle is solved. Even Riddles are a very British adventure, reflected in another more modern classic with .'.What have I got in my Pocket?.' (Bilbo Baggins)
If the act of reading is difficult, and you are ready to listen closely then this is a book well worth getting to know. Simon has a voice that is easy to listen to that does not jar on the ear drums, and, you will need to listen carefully.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Sandy
- 12-09-08
Only if you love sailing...
Sounded interesting, but a real snoozer if you do not love sailing with all your heart and soul. I don't. The plot was lost in the interminable descriptons of sailing and shifting sandbars. A tremendous disappointment.
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5 people found this helpful