The Riddle of the Sands

Erskine Childers, 1903

Adventure Irish writers

An invitation to sail draws a dissatisfied Englishman into an uncertain coastal adventure.

Read the book Contents

Length: 29 chapters
Reading time: About 7 hr 31 min
Words: 107,247

About the book

Carruthers is spending an unpromising season in London when a letter offers an escape by sea. Joining Davies aboard the Dulcibella takes him away from social comforts and towards the practical demands of sailing in unfamiliar waters.

The narrative gives geography and the handling of a boat an active place in its developing mystery. Carruthers's self-conscious account also allows humour at his own expense. Readers share the work of adjusting to a new environment, where knowledge depends on watching carefully and where an apparently inconvenient detail may deserve further attention.

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Adventure Irish writers

This edition

Text from Standard Ebooks, who proofread and typeset it and dedicate their edition to the public domain. Erskine Childers died more than 70 years ago, so the work is out of copyright in the UK. Includes the original preface, note.