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Audiobook edition · 13 h 3 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Far from home, a young Englishman faces a land at war with only courage and quick thinking to guide him.
In Brown of Moukden, Herbert Strang places Brown in Manchuria, in north-eastern China, during the Russo-Japanese War. Russian and Japanese armies fight around him. He is no general or statesman, but a young man caught in a conflict that demands nerve and leaves little room for hesitation.
The story moves from one risk to the next, with short chapters and action-filled scenes. Behind Brown’s adventure lies a struggle over influence in Manchuria and Korea, including Russia’s hold on railways and ports. The appeal is immediate: travel, danger, and a young hero who must think quickly far from home.
What you’ll discover
- A hero under pressure Follow Brown as courage and quick thinking become essential in a country at war.
- History behind the danger See how the Russo-Japanese War gives this fast adventure its setting and stakes.
- A pace that pulls Move through short chapters where action carries Brown from one risk to another.
- A world far away Enter Manchuria through an adventure rooted in travel, military conflict, and unfamiliar ground.
- A glimpse of its age Explore how early twentieth-century British adventure fiction pictures the Far East.
Who will love it
For readers who love fast adventure with clever escapes, disguises and chases, and who enjoy a war story told with humour, warm friendships and a young hero who lives by his wits.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A kindness begins a lasting bond
- Jack must search for his father
- Quick thinking keeps Jack moving
- Gabriele offers shelter and understanding
- Past kindness brings help in danger
- Courage earns a bandit chief's trust
- Disguise brings Jack close to war
- Honesty resists corruption and revenge
- Kindness supports the search through danger
Who’s who
- Jack BrownA quick-witted young Englishman who speaks Russian and Chinese and will do almost anything to find his father.
- Mr. BrownJack's father, an honest merchant in Moukden who refuses to pay bribes and is taken away by Russian soldiers.
- Anton SowinskiA Polish trader and Mr. Brown's rival who uses bribery and false charges to ruin his enemies.
- General BekovitchA smooth, corrupt Russian officer who bears a grudge against Mr. Brown and orders his arrest.
- Hi LoA clever, devoted Chinese boy who saves valuable papers and follows Jack through danger.
- Wang ShihA large, honest Chinese farmer who escapes punishment and joins Ah Lum's band.
- Ah LumA scholarly bandit chief who wears spectacles, quotes proverbs and wants his son taught English.
- Gabriele WalewskaA brave Polish girl who hides Jack from the Russians and longs to reach her exiled father.
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Brown of Moukden
by Herbert Strang · 1905
Soldiers seize his father, and Jack Brown of Moukden must vanish into disguise to find him in a war zone.
Medium level5–10 hours to read2 languages
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In short
What would you do if soldiers took your father and gave you twelve hours to leave town? That is the position of Jack Brown, a young Englishman in the Manchurian city of Moukden in the summer of 1904.
Brown of Moukden at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h 30 min6 h fast, 9 h slow
- Length
- 107,500 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1905by Herbert Strang
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
An Honest Farmer Is Punished for Honesty
The story opens on a hot midsummer evening in Moukden, a noisy city crowded with Chinese, Russians, Greeks and war correspondents. Jack Brown walks home from the station, where he has again failed to send a telegram for his father. The Russian army owns the wires.
On the road he finds a big Chinese farmer, Wang Shih, locked in the cangue, a heavy square wooden collar. Wang is honest, and Jack's father has done good business with him. The charge of fraud is false. A Polish rival of the Browns, Anton Sowinski, paid a neighbour to lie in court.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1905
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 8 h 25 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Strang, Herbert. Brown of Moukden. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/brown-of-moukden.
Strang, H. (2026). Brown of Moukden. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/brown-of-moukden (Original work published 1905)
Strang, Herbert. Brown of Moukden. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/brown-of-moukden.
@book{strang2026brown,
author = {Strang, Herbert},
title = {Brown of Moukden},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/brown-of-moukden},
note = {First published 1905}
}
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What is Brown of Moukden about?
It follows Jack Brown, a young Englishman in Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War, whose father is arrested by Russian officers on a false charge. Jack escapes banishment and travels in disguise to find him.
Who is Ah Lum in Brown of Moukden?
Ah Lum is a learned bandit chief of the Chunchuses, the red-bearded brigands of Manchuria. He wears spectacles, quotes sages and poets, fights the Russians, and becomes Jack's friend after Jack saves his son.
Is Brown of Moukden a true story?
No, the characters and Jack's adventures are invented. The setting is real, including the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 and 1905, the battles of Liao-yang and Moukden, and the Trans-Siberian railway.
The author
Herbert Strang
British adventure writers' shared pseudonym
Herbert Strang was the shared pen name of two English writers, George Herbert Ely (1866–1958) and Charles James L’Estrange (1867–1947). They worked for Oxford University Press and wrote adventure stories for boys in the early twentieth century. Their books included Brown of Moukden. Both lived in England.
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