Public-domain ebook
by Oliver Optic
Language: en5,470 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Children & Young Adult Reading·Adventure·Novels
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #25466.
Little Bobtail is the inaugural entry in Oliver Optic’s Yacht Club Series, a collection of self‑contained juvenile adventures that each introduce a new hero and a fresh set of nautical escapades. The opening pages frame the story as a moral tale of “Truth and Duty,” promising a protagonist who, despite a youthful flirtation with smuggling, ultimately embodies respectable conduct. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Penobscot Bay, the narrative weaves together themes of ship‑captain life, yacht racing, and a dramatic shipwreck, all hinted at in the chapter headings that guide the reader from a sixteen‑year‑old’s family feud to the titular disaster of the Penobscot.
The prose reflects the straightforward, didactic style of late‑19th‑century American boys’ literature, with brisk dialogue and a clear moral compass. Optic’s voice is earnest yet lively, offering vivid descriptions of New England’s islands and seafaring culture without the ornate flourishes of later Victorian works. Readers who enjoy brisk, plot‑driven tales of youthful bravery, nautical settings, and a touch of historical politics will find this novel a satisfying glimpse into the era’s moral adventure stories.
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(Others in preparation.)
PREFACE.
"LITTLE BOBTAIL" is the first volume of the YACHT CLUB SERIES, each book of which will contain an entirely independent story, with a hero of its own, and having no necessary connection with any other story. The author hopes that this plan will commend itself to those who do not care to follow a young gentleman through half a dozen volumes in order to know the issue of his adventures, or to learn whether or not he is faithful to himself, to God, and his fellow-beings to the end. God's truth is always the same, and good characters must be very much alike. Little Bobtail is not very different from any other hero, devoted to Truth and Duty, though the incidents of his life are various enough to satisfy any young person's craving for novelty.
The story was suggested by some actual incidents, which occurred during the brief summer residence of the writer at the locality of the principal events described. Though there was a "Little Bobtail" there, he was hardly the character who is the hero of this work. Penobscot Bay, its multitude of picturesque islands, and its beautiful shores, are the same in fact as in this fiction, and as for two seasons the author has lived upon the land and sailed upon the water, amid its beautiful scenery, he feels quite at home in the localities mentioned.
If Little Bobtail was loose in his ideas of "smuggling" at first, he was clear in all his other views of duty; and having corrected his wrong impressions, his example is worthy to be followed. The writer hopes that, while his stirring experience will be enjoyed by the reader, his excellent character will be appreciated and valued even more than the worldly fortune he obtains.
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