12 h 53 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 12 h 53 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if an act of mercy costs you your freedom—and the only way back lies aboard a pirate ship?
Peter Blood wants a quiet life as a doctor in Somerset. But when he tends a wounded rebel, the king's officers treat his kindness as treason. In Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood, a man who wants no part in politics faces a merciless court and slavery on Barbados.
Escape opens the sea, but it does not clear his name. Blood becomes a buccaneer by necessity, relying on wit, courage and a stubborn code of honor. Colonel Bishop hunts him, loyal shipmaster Jeremy Pitt stands beside him, and spirited Arabella Bishop judges him by his deeds. Freedom means little if he must surrender the man he wants to be.
What you’ll discover
- A reluctant pirate Follow a physician forced outside the law who still insists on living with honor.
- Wit against the guns Sail into sea battles where Blood's clever tricks matter as much as firepower.
- Mercy put on trial Face the bitter irony of a lawful state that punishes kindness and creates criminals.
- Loyalty in dangerous waters Meet trusted companions and an uneasy French ally whose word offers little comfort.
- Romance with moral stakes Discover Arabella Bishop, whose pity for Blood at auction grows into judgment through deeds.
Who will love it
For readers who love swashbuckling sea stories, clever heroes and romance with a moral spine. It is also good for readers new to classic adventure.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A doctor who wants no war
- Mercy is judged as treason
- A slave on the island of Barbados
- The Spaniards come and a ship is taken
- A pirate by necessity, not by choice
- Spanish gold and a dangerous French ally
- Arabella, Bishop and the old life returns
- Injustice, honor and the chance to redeem
- How Sabatini tells it
Who’s who
- Peter BloodAn Irish physician turned buccaneer, wronged by the law, who wants to clear his name and live with honor.
- Arabella BishopThe spirited niece of a planter, who pities Blood at the auction and judges him by his deeds.
- Colonel BishopA cruel Barbados planter and officer who hates Blood and hunts him for the shame of his escape.
- Jeremy PittA young shipmaster transported with Blood, loyal and able, who serves as his trusted lieutenant at sea.
- WolverstoneA hard old sailor among the escaped convicts who stands beside Blood and helps keep the crew in order.
- LevasseurA rough French buccaneer of Tortuga, greedy and quick to break his word, who is an uneasy ally.
- Lord Julian WadeAn honest young English nobleman whose path crosses Blood's and who shows how the English world sees him.
- Governor SteedThe gouty governor of Barbados, whom Blood treats as a doctor and who becomes his protector.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 12 h 53 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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El capitán Blood
by Rafael Sabatini · 1922
An Irish doctor's act of mercy is called treason, sending Peter Blood into a fight for freedom and honor.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Captain Blood is an adventure novel by Rafael Sabatini, published in 1922 and subtitled His Odyssey. It tells of Peter Blood, an Irish doctor in the west of England who wants nothing to do with politics and is ruined by them anyway.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A doctor who wants no war
The story opens in 1685 in the town of Bridgwater, in Somerset. Peter Blood is a physician, past middle youth, and he has lived a good deal before settling down. He has been a soldier in the Dutch service and a sailor, and he has seen the inside of a foreign prison. Now he keeps a quiet practice, a pipe and a garden, and he wants only peace.
The country is stirring. The Duke of Monmouth, a son of the late king, has landed in the west to challenge his uncle King James for the crown. The people of Somerset rally to him in large numbers, and the town is full of talk of battle. Blood watches this with a shrug. He is Irish, he has no love for any English faction, and he believes that men who fight for crowns are fools who make work for doctors.
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What is Captain Blood about?
It tells of Peter Blood, an Irish doctor in 1685 England who is condemned for treating a rebel, sold as a slave in Barbados, and escapes to become a pirate captain in the Caribbean.
Is Captain Blood based on a true story?
Blood is fictional, but the setting is real. Sabatini used the Monmouth Rebellion, Judge Jeffreys and the buccaneers of the Caribbean, and borrowed from real figures such as a transported surgeon. It was published in 1922.
Who is Arabella Bishop in Captain Blood?
Arabella is the niece of Colonel Bishop, a Barbados planter. She pities Blood at the auction, and the ship he later commands carries her name. She is the book's main love interest and Blood's moral compass.
The author
Rafael Sabatini
1875–1950 · Italian-English historical novelist
Rafael Sabatini (1875–1950) was an Italian-born writer who wrote in English. He was born in Jesi, Italy, and settled in England in 1892. His novels include The Sea-Hawk (1915), Scaramouche (1921), and Captain Blood (1922). He also wrote biographies and short stories. He died in Adelboden, Switzerland.
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