Percival Keene »

Frederick Marryat (1792-1848) was a sailor and fighting captain in the Royal Navy. His other novels include Peter Simple and Mr. Midshipman Easy.

One of Marryat's most entertaining follows adventures, Percival Keene follows namesake character, a low-born seaman, on a mission to discover and claim his true parentage and identity. Young Keene ures battles both great and small, a stint on board a pirate ship, a stormy romance, and near-execution at the hands of Napoleon himself, all told with Marryat's trademark panache. A page-turning nautical yarn with brilliant historical re-creations of life and war at sea.

Library Journal

Another volume in Holt's ongoing "Heart of the Oak Sea Classics" series, this 1842 novel follows the title character through many adventures on the high seas. LJ reviewer Louis J. Parascandola edited this volume and wrote the introduction.