14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A masked highwayman takes the wheel, and England’s roads become a hunting ground.
In The Motor Pirate, G. Sidney Paternoster puts an old menace behind a new machine. A robber preys on travellers, but this highwayman has the speed of a motor car at his command. As the hunt begins, his hidden identity turns the chase into a mystery: who is the man behind the mask?
The setting is Edwardian England, where cars are expensive, noisy and still frightening to many people. Wealth and freedom come with new risks on the open road. For the criminal, the same machine that promises progress offers an edge over the law. Catching him means confronting a danger that moves with the times.
What you’ll discover
- A highwayman on wheels Meet an old kind of outlaw whose motor car gives highway robbery a new threat.
- The mystery behind the mask Follow a pursuit driven by the need to uncover the robber’s hidden identity.
- Roads full of risk Enter a world where a journey by car carries both excitement and unease.
- The early motoring age Discover an England adjusting to machines that signal wealth and promise freedom.
- Speed against the law Feel the tension as new technology gives a daring criminal an advantage over his pursuers.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you love fast cars, early motoring, masked outlaws and Edwardian romance, told by a narrator in the thick of it.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An unlikely report starts the chase
- Pride keeps the robbery secret
- A false arrest creates an alliance
- The pursuit turns deadly
- The Pirate stays ahead
- Danger draws Sutgrove and Evie closer
- The search moves closer to home
- Courage grows beyond wounded pride
- A hidden criminal drives the chase
Who’s who
- James SutgroveA young Norfolk landowner and new motorist who tells the story. He wants to catch the Pirate and win the hand of Evie Maitland.
- Evie MaitlandThe Colonel's lively, spirited daughter. She admires daring, loves Sutgrove, and struggles with an unexplained fear of one of her acquaintances.
- Colonel MaitlandEvie's father, a retired officer and celebrated judge of food and wine. He loves a good dinner, a good joke and his daughter.
- Fred WinterSutgrove's friend and teacher, the keenest motorist in England. He is proud of his Daimler and hates to be passed.
- Inspector ForrestA Scotland Yard detective who is cool, well read and quietly stubborn. He wants to capture the Pirate and save his reputation.
- Randolph ManneringA travelled, handsome neighbour and inventor. He rivals Sutgrove for Evie and works in secret on a motor of the future.
- The Motor PirateA masked highwayman in a silent, boat-shaped car. He robs motorists with mocking politeness and escapes at astonishing speed.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 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 opens 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 and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook 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 and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
The Motor Pirate 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.
The Motor Pirate
by G. Sidney Paternoster · 1903
A masked driver in a silent, boat-shaped car robs motorists by moonlight, and James Sutgrove vows to catch him.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 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 anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“Of course everyone has heard of the Motor Pirate.”
In short
Picture a quiet country road at night. Moonlight lies on the white dust, and a thin, high hum rises behind you.
The Motor Pirate at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 5 min3 h 15 min fast, 4 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 58,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1903by G. Sidney Paternoster
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 newspaper paragraph nobody believes
The story begins on the last evening of March in a small Soho restaurant. James Sutgrove has invited two neighbours to dinner, Colonel Maitland and the keen motorist Fred Winter. Sutgrove wants to please the Colonel, because the Colonel has a daughter.
While he waits, Sutgrove reads the evening papers. They tell of a strange robber in a low, nearly silent car. He has stopped motorists near Plymouth and near Salisbury, and one driver's car was smashed. The car is shaped like a boat, sits barely eighteen inches off the ground, and seems not to run on petrol.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1903
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Paternoster, G. Sidney. The Motor Pirate. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-motor-pirate.
Paternoster, G. S. (2026). The motor pirate. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-motor-pirate (Original work published 1903)
Paternoster, G. Sidney. The Motor Pirate. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-motor-pirate.
@book{paternoster2026motor,
author = {Paternoster, G. Sidney},
title = {The Motor Pirate},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-motor-pirate},
note = {First published 1903}
}
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 eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead 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 The Motor Pirate
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 The Motor Pirate about?
It is an Edwardian thriller about a masked highwayman who robs motorists from a silent, boat-shaped car. The narrator, James Sutgrove, joins Inspector Forrest to hunt him while courting Evie Maitland.
Who is the Motor Pirate?
The Pirate is a masked, educated man whose face stays hidden for most of the book. Clues are scattered through the chapters, and the narrator admits he missed many of them.
When was The Motor Pirate written?
G. Sidney Paternoster wrote it in the early years of motoring, in the Edwardian period. It is fiction, but the roads, towns, motor clubs and newspapers it describes belong to that real time.
The author
G. Sidney Paternoster
1866–1925 · British novelist and journalist
G. Sidney Paternoster, also known as George Sidney Paternoster, was a British author and journalist. He was born in 1866 and died in 1925. He wrote fiction, including the novel The Motor Pirate, which was published in 1903.
“Of course everyone has heard of the Motor Pirate.”
More 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 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
