by Erskine Childers
It is a great sea story and considered by some to be the first espionage novel ever written.
It is set, and was written, right around the beginning of the twentieth century, with the idea of trying to get England to change its Naval policy! The author was a fascinating individual himself, a real soldier-of-fortune type, who was executed for his activities in the Irish Troubles. You guys might particularly like it because it occurs on a small sailboat in coastal waters. Highly recommended.
The book was turned into a terrific 1979 film staring Michael York and Jenny Agutter.
The film is available on disc and the novel can be read online at
http://robroy.dyndns.info/books/rec/rs.html
HC
Cool... Thanks for the link. Something to read across a long Minnesota winter.
Quote from: HenryC on October 03, 2009, 12:07:44 PM
by Erskine Childers
It is a great sea story and considered by some to be the first espionage novel ever written.
It is set, and was written, right around the beginning of the twentieth century, with the idea of trying to get England to change its Naval policy! The author was a fascinating individual himself, a real soldier-of-fortune type, who was executed for his activities in the Irish Troubles. You guys might particularly like it because it occurs on a small sailboat in coastal waters. Highly recommended.
The book was turned into a terrific 1979 film staring Michael York and Jenny Agutter.
The film is available on disc and the novel can be read online at
http://robroy.dyndns.info/books/rec/rs.html
HC
HenryC
I have the book and the film on VHS - but couldn't find it in DVD. I play it only occasionally because I want the tape to last. Any chance you may have a lead on where I can obtain it on DVD?
You are so right - it is an excellent story and film.
Thanks,
Ron
Actually, I said "Disc" without thinking. I saw the film on tape . Sorry, I can't help.
I searched Netflix for it, just out of curiosity. Not there... probably means that it hasn't yet been converted to DVD. That surprised me, they have the most extensive collection I've seen.
STEVE, SINCE I HAVE TROUBLE READING ON LINE ,I CALLED THE BOOKSTORE AND ORDERED IT.OF COURSE ITS OUT OF PRINT IN PAPERBACK($8.95), HARDBOUND($19.95) .TWENTY BUCKS IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR A GOOD WINTER READ........PHIL
Twenty dollars? Ouch... I guess I was a little slow with this info, sorry. Maybe you can call the book store and cancel your order? It is available on Amazon: ((Eleven copies available starting at $2.97 for a new copy... plus about $4.00 for shipping.))
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/184022178X/ref=sr_1_olp_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254602233&sr=1-2
I've never tried to read a book on line... I'll give it a whirl but may end up with hard copy as well.
Quote from: nies on October 03, 2009, 04:58:28 PM
STEVE, SINCE I HAVE TROUBLE READING ON LINE ,I CALLED THE BOOKSTORE AND ORDERED IT.OF COURSE ITS OUT OF PRINT IN PAPERBACK($8.95), HARDBOUND($19.95) .TWENTY BUCKS IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR A GOOD WINTER READ........PHIL
STEVE, WE ARE NOT SUPPOSE TO SWEAR ON THE FORUM, THE BOOKSTORE IN OUR SMALLTOWN CAN USE THE BUSINESS BUT I THINKS I GOT THE BUSINESS. THANKS FOR THE TIP, I WILL SEE WHAT I CAN DO ABOUT CANCELING............
Another alternative is to download "Riddle" as an audio version, ipod, or CD, so you can listen to a professional reader read it to you while you commute or lie at anchor! Check out the goodoldboat magazine website or
http://www.audioseastories.com/
I got my copy from a web site that specialises in an expansive inventory - the name was something like "Reel to Reel".
I first saw it on Beta from a local video store, so somewhere someone is hiding out with a Beta machine and a rare copy of the film.
Ron
Very cool... Something to listen to on the commute. Thanks Henry
Quote from: HenryC on October 04, 2009, 07:51:16 AM
Another alternative is to download "Riddle" as an audio version, ipod, or CD, so you can listen to a professional reader read it to you while you commute or lie at anchor! Check out the goodoldboat magazine website or
http://www.audioseastories.com/
STEVE, WAS NOT ABLE TO CANCEL THE BOOK. BUT MY BOOKSTORE SURPRISED ME WITH A SOFT COVER FOR $9.50. "EVEN A BLIND SOW CAN FIND A ACORN ONCE IN AWHILE"...OLD HOG BUYER ADAGE.........PHIL
Good enough. Enjoy the book, give us a review.
Quote from: nies on October 07, 2009, 04:56:52 PM
STEVE, WAS NOT ABLE TO CANCEL THE BOOK. BUT MY BOOKSTORE SURPRISED ME WITH A SOFT COVER FOR $9.50. "EVEN A BLIND SOW CAN FIND A ACORN ONCE IN AWHILE"...OLD HOG BUYER ADAGE.........PHIL
JUST FINISHED THE BOOK, THE SAILING WAS GOOD, BUT FOR ME THE REST WAS A DRAG, MAYBE I AM GETTING OLD AND HAVE TROUBLE WADING THROUGH A BOOK THAT WAS NOT A VERY BIG" RIDDLE.".....BETTER THAN T.V., BUT THATS NOT SAYING MUCH.....ONE MANS OPINION......NIES
I also enjoyed the book but found it to be written in a very awkward style. Keeping in mind that it was written by a Brit (not a bad thing) in 1903.
Bob23
bob23, I HAVE ON MY MOTHERS SIDE SOME BRITS AND ITS NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD THING, LOL.....NIES
Well, Nies, the fact that they drink warm beer should be our first clue,eh? Although C.S. Lewis who is my favorite author, was British. And they gave us the Aston Martin and who can forget Mrs. Peale from the old British cult spy TV series "The Avengers". Man, I can just picture her in that tight black leather outift now. Oh...sorry, I forgot this was a family show.
Bob23
BOB, I SHOULD CLARIFY THAT THE BRITS IN OUR FAMILY ARE INLAWS AND NOT BLOOD KIN FOLK. IF ANYONE HAS NOT SEEN THE 1981 FILM "DAS BOOT" , YOU HAVE MISSED ONE OF THE GREATEST SEA STORIES/FILM OF ALL TIME, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION.......NIES
I loved DAS BOOT in German...with English sub titles. In fact I own the DVD. One of the few times I felt sorry for the Germans, but never the Nazis.
Saw that movie at the Biograph on Lincoln Ave in Chicago, the same theater where the 'Untouchables' gunned down John Dillinger in the alley, given up by the women in red.
My mom as a little girl was there for the movie show on that very night with her sister, my aunt.
I liked Mr. Martin Dibner's sea fairing books. Dibner was a British Naval Officer on a WWII Frigate in battle against the Germans. Good books. Best line..."Down the hatch and up the snatch".
skip.
Have no idea if any copies are still available, but the film I have is on VHS and was distributed by: VidAmerica 235 E. 55th St. N.Y., N.Y. 10022, it is their number 7018.
Another fun watch I viewed recently on NetFlix instant play was The Secret of Purple Reef with Peter Falk as a young man - some nice scenes of sailing in the Bahamas, and a different look for Falk. Just love the awkward innocence of those old films.
For you Northerners that are squirrelling away your nautical nuts for the winter, a few years back Time Life published a series of 10 volumes titled "The Seafarers". A really interesting read and historical maritime education. I had read a number of these books borrowed from a friend, and was delighted recently upon finding the complete collection in a local nautical consignment shop.
Ron
Lets not forget Horatio Hornblower, as 'he' became a public TV series...it was good honest.
skip.
Got this on my Nook for $3.99 from Barnes and Noble
I have my second hard copy of Riddle of the Sands, an excellent read. I read it every winter. Also, The Magic of the Swatchways, by Maurice Griffiths, is an excellent compendium of Griffiths sailing adventures in the area where KTL Winters is now sailing.
Norm K
A sequel to "The Riddle of the Sands" .
I posted this here before, but here it is again for the convenience of posters in this thread.
The Shadow in the Sands
by Sam Llewellyn
I almost forgot! "The Riddle of the Sands" (Childers) has a modern sequel, "The Shadow in the Sands" by contemporary nautical writer Sam Llewellyn. I read it a few years ago (it was in the public library) and I found it quite entertaining. In my opinion, it is almost as good as "Riddle". Lots of good sailing adventure, with a dose of espionage and intrigue. I love the way it builds up on Childer's work, and if you read one after the other, the two will seamlessly fit together. But each book is independent of the other, and they can still be read separately, or in any order.
The story picks up where "Riddle" leaves off, but continues with many of the same characters and story lines, set in the same coastline, the German North Sea Coast and the Frisian Islands. The link below will give you some reviews and a place to order. Here is one of them:
"Sam Llewellyn's latest sailing mystery novel is a departure from others he has written. Set in the early 1900 in England - and off the coast of Germany- it is written as the memiors of a young man who captains the racing yachts for "gentleman." Charlie Webb, orphaned before his teens, starts out fishing for a living and can not understand people who "sail for pleasure" but, for extra money, he agrees to captain a gentleman's yacht. His talent for winning earns him a share of the prize money, and a nautical encounter with the Kaiser. A few years later, that encounter sets up an unwanted assignment by a mysterious Duke, a man Charlie hasn't trusted for a day. This voyage is full of twists and turns, literally and figuratively, right to the last. Witten in the first person, using the speech and slang of the early 1900's, the story is still fast-paced and full of sailing detail, but at times, difficult to follow. English readers will have less objection to the prose, and Llewellyn fans will find it worth the effort. "
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/0747260052/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1