Mr Midshipman Easy

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Dodo Press, 2007 - Fiction - 400 pages
Captain Frederick Marryat (1792-1848) was an English novelist, a contemporary and acquaintance of Charles Dickens, noted today as an early pioneer of the sea story. He is now known particularly for the semi-autobiographical novel Mr Midshipman Easy (1836) and his children's novel The Children of the New Forest (1847). After trying to run away to sea several times, he was permitted to enter the Royal Navy in 1806, as a midshipman on board HMS Imperieuse. In 1829 he was commanding the frigate HMS Ariadne on a mission to search for shoals around the Madeira and Canary Islands. This was an uninspiring exercise, and between that and the recent publication of his first novel, The Naval Officer (1829) he decided to resign his commission and take up writing full time. Other works include The King's Own (1830), Newton Forster; or, The Merchant Service (1832), Peter Simple, and The Three Cutters (1834), Jacob Faithful (1834), The Pacha of Many Tales (1835), Japhet, in Search of a Father (1836), The Pirate (1836), The Phantom Ship (1839), Poor Jack (1840), Masterman Ready (1841), Percival Keene (1842), The Privateersman (1846) and The Mission; or, Scenes in Africa (1845).

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About the author (2007)

Frederick Marryat was born on July 10, 1792 in London, England. He entered the Royal Navy at the age of 14 and served with distinction in many parts of the world before retiring in 1830 with the rank of captain. From 1832 to 1835, he edited the Metropolitan Magazine. His first novel, The Naval Officer, was published in 1829. His other adult novels include Mr. Midshipman Easy, The Kings Own, Newton Forster, Peter Simple, Jacob Faithful, and The Phantom Ship. He also wrote a number of children's books including Masterman Ready, Settlers in Canada, The Mission, The Children of the New Forest, and The Little Savages. He travelled in Canada and the United States from 1837 to 1839. Afterward, he recorded his impressions in A Diary in America. He died on August 9, 1848.

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