15 h 49 minAudiobook12 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 happens when a boy raised to believe rank is a fraud joins a navy where rank is everything?
Jack Easy is cheerful, stubborn and certain of his rights. His father, Mr. Nicodemus Easy, teaches him that all men are equal. Then Jack joins the Harpy as a midshipman. Below decks, among cramped quarters and bullying young officers, his fine theory meets people who have no patience for it.
Frederick Marryat sets this comic sea adventure in the Mediterranean during the Napoleonic wars. Quarrels, duels, chases and rescues put Jack's confidence to the test. His quick-witted friend Gascoigne teaches him the ship's unwritten rules, while Mesty, a proud, shrewd Black sailor, often saves him from his own rash plans.
What you’ll discover
- A stubborn young hero Follow Jack as his cheerful certainty collides with orders, bullies and the demands of life at sea.
- Life below decks Step into the cramped midshipmen's berth and discover a warship's rough rules.
- Friends with sharper judgment Meet Gascoigne and Mesty, whose wit and practical sense counter Jack's rash confidence.
- Adventure in the Mediterranean Sail with the Harpy through patrols, chases and raids against French and Spanish forces.
- Fine theories, rough lessons Enjoy pointed comedy about the gap between noble ideas and the world that tests them.
Who will love it
For readers who love brisk, humorous adventures with a clear moral spine, and anyone curious about the Royal Navy in the age of sail. Duels, rescues and friendships bring Jack's belief in equality face to face with life aboard a warship.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A father with a philosophy of equality
- Jack grows up sure of his rights
- Jack joins the Harpy and meets the bullies
- Duels, fists and a ship's rough justice
- Mesty, the servant who knows more than he says
- The Mediterranean war and small-boat adventures
- Prizes, ports and a new love in Sicily
- What the novel says about theory and experience
- How Marryat tells it: voice, humor and sea detail
Who’s who
- Jack EasyThe cheerful, stubborn hero, raised to believe all men are equal, who goes to sea as a midshipman and tests that belief against the navy.
- Mr. Nicodemus EasyJack's kindly, theory-loving father, a landowner who holds fast to the rights of man and brings up his son by that philosophy.
- MestyA shrewd, proud Black sailor, short for Mephistopheles, who becomes Jack's servant and friend and often rescues him from his own rash plans.
- GascoigneA quick-witted fellow midshipman who becomes Jack's friend and teaches him the unwritten rules of life in the midshipmen's berth.
- Mr. SawbridgeThe tough, capable first lieutenant of the Harpy, who runs the ship and finds Jack equally exasperating and promising.
- Captain WilsonThe fair and sensible captain of the Harpy, who sees the worth beneath Jack's foolish certainty and gives him room to learn.
- VigorsThe bullying midshipman who tries to cow newcomers and who is the first to meet Jack's unshakeable confidence.
- Dr. MiddletonThe family doctor and friend of Mr. Easy, a practical man who watches the philosophy of the house with dry amusement.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 15 h 49 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 12 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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Il guardiamarina Easy
by Frederick Marryat · 1836
Jack Easy takes his belief in equality aboard a Royal Navy warship, where rank is everything.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A father with a philosophy of equality
The story opens in the English countryside, on the estate of Mr. Nicodemus Easy. He is a kindly man of comfortable means, and he is also a man of theories. He has read about the rights of man, and he has decided that every person is born equal and that only the accident of birth gives anyone a higher place.
His wife is a good-natured woman who does not share his taste for argument. She has waited a long time for a child, and the whole household fusses over the coming birth. The local doctor, Dr. Middleton, is a close friend of the family. He is a practical man with a dry humor, and he watches the philosophy of his friend with patient amusement.
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What is Mr. Midshipman Easy about?
It follows Jack Easy, a young man raised to believe all people are equal, as he joins the Royal Navy as a midshipman. His theories clash with ship life, and he grows up through duels, raids and adventures in the Mediterranean.
Who is Mesty in Mr. Midshipman Easy?
Mesty, short for Mephistopheles, is a Black sailor who becomes Jack's servant and loyal friend. He is shrewd, brave and proud, and he often saves Jack from his own reckless plans.
When was Mr. Midshipman Easy written and is it a true story?
Frederick Marryat published it in 1836. It is fiction, but it draws on his own years in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars, so its ship life and sea detail feel real.
The author
Frederick Marryat
1792–1848 · English naval novelist
Frederick Marryat (1792–1848) was a British naval officer and novelist. He was born in London and served in the Royal Navy from 1806 to 1830. He wrote Mr. Midshipman Easy (1836) and The Phantom Ship (1839). He later lived at Langham in Norfolk, where he died.
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