6 h 13 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 13 minPaperback · 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
You will love this book if you enjoy sea adventures, tales of apprentices who grow into their strength, and vivid crews with sharp tongues and warm hearts.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Money cannot help Harvey at sea
- An apology opens a new beginning
- Belonging begins with shared work
- Experience teaches Harvey to respect others
- Stories help the crew face danger
- Practicing a role builds real character
- Community and danger share the sea
- Worth depends on deeds not wealth
- Change grows through small shared moments
Who’s who
- Harvey CheyneA spoiled fifteen-year-old millionaire's son who falls from a liner and must learn to work on a fishing schooner.
- Disko TroopThe calm, stubborn skipper of the We're Here, who reads the sea like a book and hates to be wrong in his judgments.
- Dan TroopDisko's cheerful, quick-witted son, who befriends Harvey and teaches him the ways of the boat while dreaming of a girl named Hattie.
- ManuelA gentle Portuguese fisherman who rescues Harvey from the sea and plays music in the forecastle.
- Long JackA big Galway man with a loud laugh, who teaches Harvey the ropes and tells ghost stories.
- Tom PlattA scarred former navy sailor who talks endlessly of the old ship Ohio and teaches the boys to use the lead line.
- Uncle SaltersDisko's grumbling brother, a farmer at heart who preaches clover and looks after the gentle Penn.
- Pennsylvania PrattA gentle, confused little man who plays checkers and has lost his memory, carrying a deep sorrow.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- 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.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
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, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 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
"Captains Courageous": A Story of the Grand Banks in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
"Captains Courageous": A Story of the Grand Banks
by Rudyard Kipling · 1897
A spoiled wealthy boy falls from an ocean liner and wakes in a fisherman's dory.
Medium level2–5 hours to read2 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
Picture a fifteen-year-old in a cherry-colored blazer, lighting a cigar he cannot handle, on a liner pushing through fog toward the Grand Banks. Within the hour he is overboard, and a Portuguese fisherman in a dory hauls him out among the cod.
"Captains Courageous": A Story of the Grand Banks at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 40 min2 h 55 min fast, 4 h 20 min slow
- Length
- 52,100 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1897by Rudyard Kipling
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 rich boy nobody likes falls overboard
The story opens in the smoking room of a big liner, where grown men talk about Harvey Cheyne as if he were bad weather. He is fifteen, loud and bored, and he carries a roll of bills that he likes to count in public. His mother lies sick in her stateroom, and his father is far away building railroads and mines.
Then a German hands Harvey a black cigar, and the men watch with quiet pleasure as he lights it. The cigar makes him wretchedly ill, but pride will not let him admit it. He creeps to a lonely deck at the stern, and a roll of the ship tips him over the rail.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
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
- 1897
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Kipling, Rudyard. "Captains Courageous": A Story of the Grand Banks. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/captains-courageous-a-story-of-the-grand-banks.
Kipling, R. (2026). "Captains courageous": A story of the Grand Banks. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/captains-courageous-a-story-of-the-grand-banks (Original work published 1897)
Kipling, Rudyard. "Captains Courageous": A Story of the Grand Banks. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/captains-courageous-a-story-of-the-grand-banks.
@book{kipling2026captains,
author = {Kipling, Rudyard},
title = {"Captains Courageous": A Story of the Grand Banks},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/captains-courageous-a-story-of-the-grand-banks},
note = {First published 1897}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about "Captains Courageous": A Story of the Grand Banks
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.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, 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 a liner and is rescued by Gloucester fishermen. He spends a season on the schooner We're Here, learning to work, and grows from a rude boy into a capable young man.
Who are the main characters in Captains Courageous?
Harvey Cheyne is the boy at the center. Disko Troop is the skipper, and his son Dan becomes Harvey's friend. The crew includes Manuel, Long Jack, Tom Platt, Uncle Salters, the gentle Penn, and a silent cook.
What does the Grand Banks mean in the book?
The Grand Banks are shallow waters off Newfoundland where cod gather in huge numbers. Fishing fleets from Gloucester and elsewhere work them each summer. The setting brings fog, ice, storms and a busy community of boats.
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
See all their booksMore like this
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
