8 h 33 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 33 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In the northern hills, two rival sheepdogs stand at the heart of a feud between men.
Among the sheep farms and open moorland of northern England, shepherds depend on their dogs as partners. In Alfred Ollivant's Bob, Son of Battle, Owd Bob serves the Moore household with calm wisdom and loyalty. His master, James Moore, brings the same steadiness and fairness to life among his neighbours.
Against them stand Red Wull, a large, powerful dog, and his master, Adam M'Adam. The dog's fierce nature matches the temper of a man held apart by old grudges. Their rivalry gives this rural story its tension, while deeper questions press close: what does loyalty demand, and what does nursing hatred do to a person?
What you’ll discover
- A dog worth knowing Meet Owd Bob, whose quiet wisdom shapes his service to master and flock.
- Rivals on the moorland Follow two working dogs whose contrasting natures lie at the centre of the conflict.
- The weight of loyalty Consider what faithfulness costs when pride and resentment divide a farming community.
- A valley's daily work Enter a world where sheep, shepherds and dogs depend closely on one another.
- Voices of the hills Hear northern dialect and discover local customs in a story told with warmth and feeling.
Who will love it
Readers who love dog stories, stormy moorlands, sheepdog trials and bitter family rivalries will enjoy this novel. It also suits those drawn to loyalty under strain.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Bob carries the pride of Kenmuir
- David finds kindness away from home
- A small insult starts the feud
- Winter reveals courage in both enemies
- A chance for mercy slips away
- Suspicion is not proof of guilt
- Anger drives David into the night
- Justice needs sympathy as well
- Loyalty binds a divided world
Who’s who
- Owd BobThe calm gray sheepdog of Kenmuir, last of the Gray Dogs, who guards the Moores and wants only to do his work well.
- James MooreThe tall, grave Master of Kenmuir, honest and proud, who wants to protect his family, his dog and the boy next door.
- Adam M'AdamThe sharp-tongued little Scotsman of the Grange, bitter since his wife's death, who wants to win the Cup and be respected.
- Red WullM'Adam's huge tailless yellow dog, savage with everyone but his master, who wants to prove himself the best in the North.
- David M'AdamM'Adam's fair-haired son, big and cheeky, who finds a second home at Kenmuir and wants to marry Maggie.
- Maggie MooreThe Master's daughter, who runs Kenmuir after her mother's death and wants David safe and her family together.
- Tammas ThorntonThe old, quick-witted farmhand who tells endless stories of the Gray Dogs and wants to see the Cup stay at Kenmuir.
- Parson LeggyThe bluff old minister and sheepdog expert, who wants peace in his sprawling parish and tries to mend the feud.
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Bob, Son of Battle
by Alfred Ollivant · 1898
A gray sheepdog and a tailless yellow brute fight for one silver Cup beneath Muir Pike.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Can a dog be a gentleman? Old Tammas Thornton thinks so.
Bob, Son of Battle at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h4 h fast, 6 h slow
- Length
- 71,800 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1898by Alfred Ollivant
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A young gray dog begins his work
The story begins at Kenmuir, a low gray farmhouse beneath Muir Pike. Old Tammas Thornton has served the Moores for more than fifty years and cannot stop praising the Gray Dogs, the line of sheepdogs the family has bred for generations.
He has fresh proof in young Bob. That morning a loose bull marched into the yard and knocked over the milk pail. Bob, not yet a year old, dodged every charge, nipped the bull by the tail and drove it back to its stall.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1898
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 35 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Ollivant, Alfred. Bob, Son of Battle. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/bob-son-of-battle.
Ollivant, A. (2026). Bob, son of Battle. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bob-son-of-battle (Original work published 1898)
Ollivant, Alfred. Bob, Son of Battle. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bob-son-of-battle.
@book{ollivant2026bob,
author = {Ollivant, Alfred},
title = {Bob, Son of Battle},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bob-son-of-battle},
note = {First published 1898}
}
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What is Bob, Son of Battle about?
It follows two rival sheepdogs in the northern Dales. Owd Bob, a gentle gray dog, belongs to James Moore, while the fierce Red Wull belongs to the bitter Adam M'Adam. Their feud spreads to their owners, the Dale Cup, and a sheep killer.
Who is the Tailless Tyke?
The Tailless Tyke is the Dalesmen's name for Red Wull, M'Adam's huge tawny dog whose tail was docked when he was a puppy. Tyke means a rough dog, and the name fits his fighting reputation.
What is the Dale Cup, or Shepherds' Trophy?
It is the silver cup awarded at the Northern Sheepdog Trials in Silverdale. Winning it three times would let a shepherd keep it outright, so it becomes the focus of the rivalry between Kenmuir and the Grange.
The author
Alfred Ollivant
1874–1927 · British novelist
Alfred Ollivant (1874–1927) was a British novelist. He was born in Nuthurst, Sussex, and died in London. His novel Bob, Son of Battle was published in 1898. He also wrote The Gentleman: A Romance of the Sea and Two Men: A Romance of Sussex.
More by Alfred Ollivant
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