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.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like sea stories, coming-of-age tales and vivid accounts of hard physical work. It is also a good first Kipling for young readers. If you want a complicated plot or deep psychology, you may find it simple.
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.
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- 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
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- 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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"Captains Courageous": A Story of the Grand Banks
by Rudyard Kipling· 1897
A wealthy boy learns to work aboard a fishing schooner.
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Language: English
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.
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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.
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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.
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