Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

At the start of Captains Courageous, one of literature’s most beloved stories of the sea, a spoiled rich boy is literally swept away — dashed overboard from an ocean liner. Luckily, young Harvey Cheyne is rescued by a passing fishing vessel.

As it turns out, Harvey’s apparent misfortune in tumbling from a life of pampered luxury into the humble company of a fishing schooner becomes a blessing in disguise. Compelled by the captain to earn his keep, Harvey loses his affectations as he learns the rewards of an honest day’s labor amid the gruff and hearty companionship of the crewmen, who teach him to be worth his salt as they fish the waters off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.

Readers of all ages have delighted in Kipling’s engaging maritime yarn since its initial appearance in 1897. The author’s only novel to unfold in an American setting, this lively tale resounds with Kipling’s customary blend of adventure and humor. This attractive new edition, unabridged and inexpensive, offers an irresistible invitation to a master storyteller’s enduring tale of a boy’s initiation into adulthood.

Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) is best remembered for children’s tales such as The Jungle Book as well as his poetry and stories about British soldiers in India, which include “Gunga Din” and The Man Who Would Be King. Kipling was enormously popular at the turn of the 20th century but his reputation declined with the change in attitude toward British imperialism. In recent years Kipling’s works have found new acclaim as a vibrant source of literary and cultural history.