The Oxford Book of Sea Stories

by Tony Tanner

Overview

Malevolent, mysterious, vast, the ocean has always sparked our fascination and sense of adventure, giving rise to a remarkable vein of narrative deftly mined here by editor Tony Tanner. In the twenty-seven tales of The Oxford Book of the Sea, masters of the art tell of men on ships, grappling with themselves, their fellow sailors, and the trials of the sea: from hurricane winds to the frustrating calm, from swirling currents to rampaging whales.
Here is the work of Jack London, Rudyard Kipling, Stephen Crane, C.S. Forester, Ernest Hemingway, and of course Conrad. Along with the essential stories come unexpected gems by writers not known for their seafaring bent such as William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, E.M. Forster, and Edgar Allan Poe.
Some of the finest writers in the English language have been drawn to the subject of life at sea, with its dangers, loneliness, and triumphs. The Oxford Book of the Sea gathers together some of the best examples of the form, offering moving prose, fascinating insight into the human condition, and the simple pleasure of tales of high adventure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192803702
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/12/2002
Series:	Oxford Books of Prose
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 5.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Tony Tanner was Professor of English at Cambridge University and Fellow of King's College until his death in 1998. His books include The Reign of Wonder and Scenes of Nature, Signs of Men, and he edited Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, The Confidence-Man, and White-Jacket for the Oxford World's Classics series.

Table of Contents

1. Initiation, Joseph Conrad2. The Voyage, Washington Irving3. A Descent into the Maelstrom, Edgar Allan Poe4. I Have Been Drowned, Tom Hopkinson5. Mocha Dick, J. N. Reynolds6. The Chase, Herman Melville7. A Tragedy of Error, Henry James8. High-Water Mark, Francis Bret Harte9. The Open Boat, Stephen Crane10. Make Westing, Jack London11. A Matter of Fact, Rudyard Kipling12. In the Abyss, H. G. Wells13. The Cruise of the Willing Mind, A. E. W. Mason14. The Terror of the Sea Caves, Charles G. D. Roberts15. False Colours, W. W. Jacobs16. The Secret Sharer, Joseph Conrad17. The Ghost Ship, Richard Middleton18. Ambitious Jimmy Hicks, John Masefield19. The Boy Stood on the Burning Deck, C. S. Forester20. Poor Old man!, A. E. Dingle21. Easting Down, Shalimar22. The Story of the Siren, E. M. Forster23. The Rough Crossing, F. Scott Fitzgerald24. After the Storm, Earnest Hemingway25. The Bravest Boat, Malcolm Lowry26. Turnabout, William Falkner27. The Frontiers of the Sea, Peter Ustinov

Editorial Reviews

"Striking, and significant."—Studies in Short Fiction

"A most entertaining collection....Tony Tanner....has selected an enjoyable and nostalgic assortment of tales. He offers us a refreshing collection of authors....Tony Tanner has used the medium brilliantly. He has managed to tap a wide variety of resources in order to bring us the best in this kind of maritime writing."—Sir Edward Heath, Daily Mail

From the Publisher