As lots of you will know, I am a great enthusiast of the Merchant Navy, and the many and varied adventures that those associated with it either enjoyed or endured. The general feeling amongst the British Public, is that if it isn't the fighting navy, then it is not "romantic or interesting enough!" Speaking for myself, I find accounts of one sea battle pretty much like another. I do read the famous naval writers such as Alexander Kent/Douglas Reeman, CS Forrester, from time to time, and find them entertaining enough, although I find the Jack Aubrey books by O/Brien, boring in the extreme and have never managed to get into them (although I enjoyed the film Master & Commander!) Some time ago, I discovered the Gutenberg Project online, where large numbers of "out of copyright" books are scanned and made available Free of Charge!

Such a download is Sea Waif by Frank Bullen. It was published in 1899. It concerns the early years of Bullen's life in British sailing ships where he went through many and varied adventures. The quaility of the writing is superb. There is none of the bad language that seems prevelant in modern books and it is indeed, difficult to put down. It was the first e-book that I downloaded into my Nook e-reader, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In the unlikely event that any of you wish to read this download, here is the link: **LINK**

Bob