6 h 13 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What is a rich boy worth on a fishing schooner where money means nothing and everyone must work?
Fifteen-year-old Harvey Cheyne falls from an ocean liner into the Atlantic. Manuel, a Portuguese fisherman, pulls him from the sea. Aboard the We're Here, on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, the spoiled son of a railroad millionaire finds that boasting wins him nothing.
Captain Disko Troop puts Harvey to work beside his son, Dan, a practical boy about Harvey's age. Among fish, tarred rope and plain-spoken men, Harvey faces tasks he has never learned to do. Rudyard Kipling makes this unfamiliar working life vivid, as Harvey begins to discover what earns trust at sea.
What you’ll discover
- A friendship built through work Watch Harvey and Dan move from sparring toward friendship through the daily demands of fishing.
- The skill behind survival Discover how fishermen catch cod from small boats and how Disko reads the weather.
- A crew worth knowing Meet gentle Manuel and good-humored Long Jack among men whose work depends on one another.
- Respect that money cannot buy Follow a boy learning that skill and courage matter more here than his father's fortune.
- The texture of sea life Step among boats, tools and fish, with crew talk drawn from distinct places and backgrounds.
Who will love it
For readers who love sea stories, coming-of-age tales and vivid accounts of physical work, friendship and life aboard a fishing schooner. It is also a good first Kipling for young readers.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A rich boy falls into the sea
- Nobody believes his boasting
- The Banks teach him a trade
- Friendship and the odd men of the crew
- What the story is really about
- How Kipling tells the tale
Who’s who
- Harvey CheyneA vain, rich fifteen-year-old who falls from a liner and must learn to work and to earn respect on a fishing schooner.
- Disko TroopThe skilled, firm captain of the We're Here, who knows the Banks and the weather and decides to teach the boy a trade.
- Dan TroopDisko's son, about Harvey's age, practical and funny, who teaches Harvey the work and becomes his closest friend.
- ManuelA quiet Portuguese fisherman who pulls Harvey out of the sea and keeps a gentle eye on him afterward.
- Long JackA big, good humored Irish hand on the crew, strong at the oars and ready with a song.
- PennA gentle, confused crewman who lost his family in the Johnstown flood and is looked after by the others.
- Harvey Cheyne seniorHarvey's father, a powerful western railroad millionaire who believes his son is lost and has hardly known him.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 6 h 13 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 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.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Capitaines courageux in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Capitaines courageux
by Rudyard Kipling · 1897
Rescued by Grand Banks fishermen, a spoiled rich boy faces a world where his money means nothing.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A rich boy falls into the sea
The story opens on a luxury liner crossing the Atlantic. Harvey Cheyne is the only child of Harvey Cheyne senior, a millionaire who made his fortune in railroads and mines out west. The boy has been given everything and taught nothing. His mother is anxious and indulgent, his father is always busy, and Harvey has grown vain, rude and sure that money settles every question.
On the ship he swaggers through the smoking room, boasts to older passengers and tries a cigar far stronger than he can handle. Sick and dizzy, he staggers out on deck. A wave knocks him over the rail and into the grey water. Nobody sees him go.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Capitaines courageux
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Captains Courageous about?
It tells of Harvey Cheyne, a spoiled rich boy who falls off an ocean liner and is rescued by a Gloucester fishing schooner. He spends a season on the Grand Banks, learning hard work and respect.
Is Captains Courageous based on a true story?
No, the story is invented, but Kipling based the details of fishing on research. He spoke with Gloucester fishermen and studied their work. It was published in 1897, first as a magazine serial.
Who is Disko Troop in Captains Courageous?
Disko Troop is the captain of the schooner We're Here. He is an experienced Grand Banks skipper, firm but fair, who gives Harvey a job and treats him as a working hand.
The author
Rudyard Kipling
1865–1936 · English novelist and poet
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) was an English writer and poet born in Bombay, India. He lived in India, England and the United States. He wrote The Jungle Book (1894), The Second Jungle Book (1895), Kim (1901) and Just So Stories (1902). He died in London in 1936.
More by Rudyard Kipling
All 12 books
Free
Free
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in adventure
See all
Free
Free
