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
What separates an act of plunder from an act of duty when a government licence permits both?
In The Privateer's-Man, One Hundred Years Ago, Frederick Marryat takes you into the eighteenth-century world of sailing ships and privateers. Britain is often at war with France and Spain. Private vessels hold licences to attack enemy shipping, turning the sea into a place where trade, danger and profit meet.
Aboard these ships, keeping a crew fed and a vessel trimmed matters as much as the promise of gain. Marryat brings a naval officer's eye to captains, crews and hard bargains. Beneath the lively adventure lies an uneasy question: what does honor mean when taking another man's property is lawful?
What you’ll discover
- Ships under sail Feel the demands of handling a vessel where practical skill shapes life aboard.
- Crews driven by gain Meet men whose hopes of profit test a captain's ability to keep order.
- The trouble with plunder Explore the uneasy ground between lawful seizure, loyalty to country and personal honor.
- A sailor's sharp eye Discover the daily details of food, ship handling and discipline that anchor the adventure.
- Humor among hard bargains Enjoy a direct, lively voice and sharp sketches of the people a sailor meets.
Who will love it
Readers who love sea battles, daring escapes, captivity in distant lands, and heroes testing their honor will enjoy this novel, as will admirers of Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Victory brings grief instead of pride
- Violence returns to the victors
- Whyna offers kindness during captivity
- Cunning need not end in cruelty
- Facing death changes his direction
- Principle costs him work and comfort
- Faith travels through loss and danger
- Honor means keeping your word
- Conscience becomes worth more than profit
Who’s who
- Alexander ElringtonThe narrator, a young privateer's man who longs for a life he can defend, and for the woman he loves.
- Captain WeatherallThe brave, generous commander of the Revenge, who will never lower his flag.
- Captain LeveeA stylish, openhanded privateer captain and loyal friend who spends his money as fast as he makes it.
- Mr. TrevannionA wealthy Liverpool shipowner who loves his daughter and profit, and must learn what his trade costs.
- Amy TrevannionThe shipowner's daughter, clear-eyed and firm, who wants her father to give up privateering and is drawn to the narrator.
- WhynaThe young favorite wife of an African king, who protects the narrator as her slave and companion.
- PhilipThe narrator's younger brother, a cheerful, hot-tempered young sailor who longs for fighting and glory.
- Captain TopliftA soft-hearted pirate captain who hates cold-blooded murder and wishes he were out of the trade.
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 Privateer's-Man, One Hundred Years Ago 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 Privateer's-Man, One Hundred Years Ago
by Frederick Marryat · 1846
After killing a French gentleman, a privateer's man faces years of captivity as his conscience and faith develop.
Medium level5–10 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
“Frederick Marryat, one of the most brilliant, and the least fairly recognized, of English novelists, was born in Westminster, on the 10th July, 1792, some seven months before the outbreak of the Great War.”
In short
What does a young sailor feel when his pistol shot kills a man in front of the man's wife? Early in this book, aboard the privateer Revenge, he finds out.
The Privateer's-Man, One Hundred Years Ago at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h 40 min6 h 5 min fast, 9 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 109,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1846by Frederick Marryat
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 bloody victory leaves the narrator ashamed
The book opens with the Revenge, a privateer of fourteen guns under Captain Weatherall, hunting off Hispaniola. She catches a big French ship that carries a planter, his wife and his young son home to France. The planter fights at the head of his crew.
The last stand takes place at the cabin door. The narrator fires his pistol to save his lieutenant, and the bullet kills the planter. His wife throws herself at the English weapons, then faints on her husband's body.
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
- 1846
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 8 h 50 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Marryat, Frederick. The Privateer's-Man, One Hundred Years Ago. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-privateers-man-one-hundred-years-ago.
Marryat, F. (2026). The privateer's-man, one hundred years ago. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-privateers-man-one-hundred-years-ago (Original work published 1846)
Marryat, Frederick. The Privateer's-Man, One Hundred Years Ago. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-privateers-man-one-hundred-years-ago.
@book{marryat2026privateersman,
author = {Marryat, Frederick},
title = {The Privateer's-Man, One Hundred Years Ago},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-privateers-man-one-hundred-years-ago},
note = {First published 1846}
}
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 Privateer's-Man, One Hundred Years Ago
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 Privateer's-Man about?
It follows a young Englishman who serves on privateers, is captured in Africa, imprisoned in the Tower, and enslaved in Brazil, while coming to doubt the morality of plundering at sea and falling in love with a shipowner's daughter.
Who is Whyna in the story?
Whyna is the youngest and favorite wife of an African king. She takes the narrator as her slave during his captivity, treats him as a friend, and learns about writing from him, and he never forgets her kindness.
Is The Privateer's-Man a true story?
No, it is a novel by Frederick Marryat. He presents it as extracts from a journal, but it is fiction, drawing on real wars with France and the historical struggle over the Hanoverian succession.
The author
Frederick Marryat
1792–1848 · English naval novelist
Frederick Marryat (1792–1848) was a British naval officer and novelist. He was born in London and served in the Royal Navy from 1806 to 1830. He wrote Mr. Midshipman Easy (1836) and The Phantom Ship (1839). He later lived at Langham in Norfolk, where he died.
“We have done too much already.”
More by Frederick Marryat
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 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
