Some Naval Yarns

Hall, MordauntProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 121K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Some Naval Yarns by Mordaunt HallAuthor: Hall, Mordaunt,Language: English, Class: D501: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: World War I (1914-1918), Release Date: Aug 29, 2008

Editor's review

This is a collection of naval yarns written in English by Mordaunt Hall, classed as First World War history and available as a free public-domain ebook from Project Gutenberg. Its value lies in preserving, in short-story form, fragments of naval life and oral tradition from the period; for readers familiar with naval warfare history or interested in British naval culture, it is an evocative supplement to the documentary record. The style is old-fashioned narrative, the pieces scattered in length, suited to fragmented reading rather than systematic study. As an anecdotal compilation it has limited depth, and is better as leisure reading or corroborative material for researchers. Bear in mind its period context and narrative standpoint.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in First World War naval history
Readers who enjoy short anecdotes and oral-history material
Beginners studying British naval culture or wartime narrative
Readers who want public-domain English books for spare moments

Not a good fit for

Military researchers needing systematic naval data and strategic analysis
Readers who prefer contemporary pacing and complete plots
Readers with limited English who need a Chinese translation

Reading tips

Read the contents first and pick pieces of interest rather than reading straight through.
Note period background and naval terms as you go to aid comprehension.
Read alongside an overview of First World War naval history for best effect.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a novel or true naval stories?

Judging by the title and classification, it is a compilation of naval yarns, leaning toward records of real experience and oral storytelling rather than fiction. The nature of individual pieces should be judged from the original text; note the narrator's tone and any source notes as you read.

Can I read this if my English is not good?

This is a public-domain English book with old-fashioned expression, so it demands some reading ability. Readers with weaker English might use a dictionary or a parallel translation, or try the shorter pieces first.

Is this suitable as research material on First World War naval history?

It can serve as a supplement of anecdote and atmosphere, but it lacks systematic data and strategic analysis and should not be a core research source. Researchers may treat it as corroboration or background, checked against formal historical sources.

Comments

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About the author

Hall, Mordaunt Author

Mordaunt Hall is an author about whom very little biographical information survives; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded in publicly available sources. The library currently holds only one work by him, Some Naval Yarns. Judging from the title and subject matter, the book is a collection of naval anecdotes and observations, likely centered on life at sea, experiences aboard ship, and stories of sailors, written in a narrative, anecdotal style that would appeal to readers interested in naval history and maritime culture. Because public information is limited, it is difficult to confirm Hall's other writings, his professional identity, or the period of his writing activity, and it is likewise impossible to assess the book's influence and circulation at the time. For researchers, he is best regarded as a writer of popular naval chronicles, whose value lies mainly in the period detail and oral-style material his work preserves rather than in his personal biography.