The Riddle of the Sands (Modern Library Classics)

Book Description

While on a sailing trip in the Baltic Sea, two young adventurers-turned-spies uncover a secret German plot to invade England. Written by Childers—who served in the Royal Navy during World War I—as a wake-up call to the British government to attend to its North Sea defenses, The Riddle of the Sands accomplished that task and has been considered a classic of espionage literature ever since, praised as much for its nautical action as for its suspenseful spycraft.

Customer Reviews:

Sailing Around the Frisian Isles.......2007-04-16

This 1903 novel is a spy story that includes a factual account of small boat handling in the treacherous waters off the Frisian Islands. The `Preface' explains this book as a record of the adventures of "Carruthers". The British government was warned, but little was done. So Childers decided to publish this story to warn the public of a possible invasion of Britain. In Chapter 1 Carruthers gets an invitation to go yachting in the Baltic sea. He accepts out of boredom. The yacht is a converted life boat, thirty feet long and nine in the beam. Arthur Davies can sail this boat without help. Then Davies tells what happened before he invited Carruthers (Chapter 8). Carruthers decided to go along with the plan. Davies talks of the ambitions and rivalry of Germany (Chapter 10).

The chapters describe sailing in a small boat in the North Sea. Cold, fog, and tides that imperil a small yacht. There is the story about the mysterious German, his young daughter, and his business associates. There is a mystery about a salvage operation on an old shipwreck by Memmert Sand. Carruthers has been called back to London. But in Amsterdam he disguised himself and doubled back (Chapter 25). Carruthers' suspicions are confirmed by a boat at night towing a lighter. There is a surprise in the last chapter. The `Epilogue' discusses the plan to invade and conquer Great Britain by surprise.

A similar invasion was planned in 1940 until it was prevented by The Battle of Britain. The difficulties of an invasion from sea were solved in June 1944. While a blockade of shipping can damage Britain, its internal resources will help. Only a successful invasion will conquer Britain [as in 1066]. There is no mention of the Territorial Army here. Some have claimed this was the first spy novel. "The Prisoner of Zenda" was published years earlier (political intrigue into a dynastic succession).

Solid read, but only in context.......2006-11-10

I bought The Riddle of the Sands to use in an History essay for university where I was looking at how the spy was portrayed before World War I. As one of the more popular titles from that era of 'invasion literature,' Childer's work certainly fit the bill. It is the story of two men sailing around the Frisian Islands trying to uncover a German plot to invade the north of England. That's basically it in the way of plot. It was Childer's way of calling attention to what he believed where Britain's insufficient North Sea defenses, and the real possibility of a German naval invasion. He succeeded in that endeavour and the North Sea defenses were eventually strengthed, which you could view either as a testament to the power of this novel, or to the 'great underlying problems and increasing pessimism' felt throughout Europe (to quote Ruth Henig), in the lead up to World War I.

Whichever view you take, the novel has a depth of characterisation that is quite remarkable for a first attempt at fiction. Davies and Carruthers are representative of the two poles of English class/social structure at the time, with the inarticulate, yet perceptive everyman Davies teaming up with well-mannered and intellectually capable Carruthers, figurative of the way that all aspects of British society would need to come together to face the coming invasion. However, the fact that this was Childers' first and only novel begins to show in his pacing. This is hardly the 'cliff-hanger' that Milt Bearden claims it to be in his brief 5-page introduction. However, Childers' purpose was not to write a thrilling page turner, but a warning against German invasion. To really enjoy this novel, you have to read it in that context, otherwise you'll be thinking 'what's the big deal?' There is relevance to our contemporary situation, given the whole 'invasion' theme, but to understand that connection, you need to be aware of the reasons for Childers' decision to write this book, and, by extension, the motivation of his characters.

This Modern Library edition does offer some background in Bearden's introduction. Enough to give the casual reader some brief historical context, at least. It follows the Modern Library's tradition of having authors from relevant and related fields offering their thoughts, rather than the academic/scholarly approach that Penguin or Oxford take. The problem here though is that it is too brief to offer any real insights. There is also the standard Modern Library reading guide, offering questions that range between vaguely thought-provoking to superficial. I don't know why they bother with these reading guides, especially at the expense of a decent introduction. However, if you're just after the story without wading through the academia of the Oxford World's Classic release, then this is the version you're after. Plus, Modern Library's cover art is always so much nicer to look at!

fantastic novel!.......2006-10-16

this is an amazingly good novel. the publisher in taiwan asked me to translate it into chinese and as a translator and a reader, this book simply blew me away and i was totally fasinated by this wonderfully written book. erskine childers was a great writer, that i could vouch for with all my heart and soul. that translation working hours were one of my best times in my life, and i also considered that my translation was as close as the chinese version could be, because i've put a lot of love and loyalty into it.

Bubble gum reading with that is hard to chew........2006-08-23

I received nothing of sailing value beyon paying attention to the local tide tables, along with ebb & flood flows... The story was interesting on how two fellows of different social levels were able to enjoy time on a small boat. The ending left me empty and unsatisfied. If you are from or sailed the North Sea area of East Friesland (Germany), it will be most interesting, because of the detailed maps of the area. Looks simular as seen from GoogleEarth map.

A powerful flop!.......2006-04-22

The title of the Riddle of the Sands is exotic but beyond that - this is an unbelievably boring tale of two friends who come together at some godforsaken islands to reveal a British traitor. That's the gist of the novel. But what follows is a convoluted storyline full of slang, garbled nautical lingo rendered in half completed sentences that have no head or tail. Understanding such a text will require a supercomputer not to speak of a mere mortal. The writer seems to have written this book in some opium-induced hallucinatory trance. This is a heck of a one-way trip to self-congratulatory egotism, if I ever saw one

Dangerous Waters: The Life and Death of Erskine Childers

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Dangerous Waters: The Life and Death of Erskine Childers
Leonard Piper
Manufacturer: Hambledon & London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Riddle of the Sands (Modern Library Classics)

ASIN: 1852853921

Book Description

Erskine Childers fathered the modern genre of spy adventures. Unlike other spy novelists, however, Childers himself led a life involving spying, gun-running, and conspiracy, and a constant search for adventure and danger, which led in the end to his execution by firing squad in Ireland in 1923. Dangerous Waters: The Life and Death of Erskine Childers tells the extraordinary story of a brilliant and highly talented eccentric, whose fervent support of Irish nationalism, though foddor for his novels, also led to his untimely death.

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Riddle of the Sand (Classic Fiction)
Erskine Childers
Manufacturer: Naxos Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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The Riddle of the Sands (Modern Library Classics)

ASIN: 9626343850
Release Date: 2006-09-01

The Shadow in the Sands: Being an Account of the Cruise of the Yacht Gloria in the Frisian Islands in the April of 1903, and the Conclusion of the Events ... Erskine (Mariner's Library Fiction Classics)

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Big disappointment
The Long-Lost Secrets
Not to be confused with an EXCELLENT book by a great author
believeable heroics
Pre-World War I intrigue and adventure

The Shadow in the Sands: Being an Account of the Cruise of the Yacht Gloria in the Frisian Islands in the April of 1903, and the Conclusion of the Events ... Erskine (Mariner's Library Fiction Classics)
Sam Llewellyn , and Erskine Childers
Manufacturer: Sheridan House
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Binding: Paperback

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The Riddle of the Sands (Modern Library Classics)
The Celtic Ring

ASIN: 1574090895

Book Description

a continuation of the celebrated story of intrigue, treachery and adventure at sea begun in Erskine Childers' epoch-making thriller The Riddle of the Sands, this affectionate tribute to the world's first spy novel is a brilliantly original, utterly enthralling thriller in its own right.

Customer Reviews:

Big disappointment.......2007-06-05

Couldn't finish it, it was such a disappointment after Erskine Childers (the real thing).

It's awkwardly written, the narrative voice is contrived, the sense of adventure smothered under mannerisms.

Even Childers' opening is maybe a little off-putting, and certainly dated, but the glory of it is that, like his narrator, he leaves all that behind as soon as he gets aboard the little ship, and simply lives the magic of the sea and the adventure.

Llewellyn never gets over being an author, and never lets us forget it.

The Long-Lost Secrets.......2007-04-17

This 1998 novel is written as a sequel to "The Riddle of the Sands" and is dedicated to Erskine Childers. The warning of invasion may be metaphorically relevant today. The maps of this area are in the front for easy access, but there is no table of chapters. Llewellyn cannot imitate the style and prose of Childers. Some of the words seem obscure. Charlie Webb begins to tell about his life and times as a poor boy of Norfolk. Some of the words are nautical and not known by a general reader. The conversations seem anachronistic for that time (Chapter 4). In Chapter 5 Charlie Webb meets Carruthers. Webb agrees to work for the Duke of Leominster (Chapter 6). So the story unfolds in the succeeding chapters. Webb, the narrator, tells us what he sees and what he finds out about Eric Dacre and his sailing to the Frisian Islands circa 1903.

Llewellyn wrote a fast-paced interesting story. The anachronisms are jarring. The writing is not like Childers, or even the later E. Phillip Oppenheim ("Day of Wrath"). Its words would not be used in print before the 1960s. The book reminds us about life and culture from a century ago, about the then powerful aristocracy. Llewellyn could be more explicit where Childers had to be more discreet. Overall, Llewellyn wrote a more complex novel than Childers (the secret in Chapter 24). Webb's escape seems miraculous (Chapter 30). The adventures in this book are more from Ian Fleming than Erskine Childers. Of course there is a happy ending. The `Epilogue' ties up the loose ends. But no explanation of the death of Erica Dacre. This book is educational in telling how a mission might be designed for failure when it will better succeed that way!

Not to be confused with an EXCELLENT book by a great author.......2006-12-02

I started the book, and though I felt myself becoming sick pushed on through the entire first chapter.

Terrible.
I can see why the author wanted to link it to Erskine Childers' book "Riddle of the Sands", which was an EXCELLENT book (10 stars).

This author attempts to somehow capitalize on anothers work and fails completely.

Even to the point of starting the book in the middle of a race and then the "narrating character" decides to start from the beginning. I dont know much about the author except for this failure.

I would suggest you go read the Riddle Of The Sands again instead.

believeable heroics.......2000-06-29

somewhat slow but with a constant hint of exciting intrigue and believeable action. Vivid descriptions of the sea scape and the "art" of sailing coupled with excellent character development make this story a terrific adventure.

Pre-World War I intrigue and adventure.......1999-05-04

Sam Llewellyn's latest sailing mystery novel is a departure from others he has written. Set in the early 1900 in England - and off the coast of Germany- it is written as the memiors of a young man who captains the racing yachts for "gentleman." Charlie Webb, orphaned before his teens, starts out fishing for a living and can not understand people who "sail for pleasure" but, for extra money, he agrees to captain a gentleman's yacht. His talent for winning earns him a share of the prize money, and a nautical encounter with the Kaiser. A few years later, that encounter sets up an unwanted assignment by a mysterious Duke, a man Charlie hasn't trusted for a day. This voyage is full of twists and turns, literally and figuratively, right to the last. Witten in the first person, using the speech and slang of the early 1900's, the story is still fast-paced and full of sailing detail, but at times, difficult to follow. English readers will have less objection to the prose, and Llewellyn fans will find it worth the effort.

Common sense about the Arab world (The Common sense series)

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Common sense about the Arab world (The Common sense series)
Erskine B Childers
Manufacturer: MacMillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Riddle of the Sands
Erskine Childers
Manufacturer: IndyPublish.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1421933454

Calling the Shots: How Washington Dominates Today's UN (Voices & Visions - New Thinking for the New Century Series)

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A sad pean to an organization not worthy of survival.
The United States of Nations - Washington's hold on the UN
A compelling expose on Washington's control over the UN
Fascinating inside look at US domination of UN

Calling the Shots: How Washington Dominates Today's UN (Voices & Visions - New Thinking for the New Century Series)
Phyllis Bennis
Manufacturer: Interlink Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power

ASIN: 1566562066

Book Description

The United Nations remains a favorite scapegoat for U.S. and allied failures in places like Rwanda, Iraq, Kosovo, and East Timor. Few look beyond the headlines to the primary responsibility of the United States for what are all too often called "UN failures." Filled with tales of UN intrigue and diplomatic carrots and sticks, Calling the Shots exposes how U.S. financial and political bribes are backed by threats and punishments for recalcitrant nations who refuse to toe the U.S. line. The new edition examines U.S.-UN relations at the close of the 20th century: now $1.6 billion in debt to the UN, Washington increasingly undermines or even ignores the world organization, seeking to replace the UN's authority with that of favored military alliances such as NATO. Hopes rise for a new internationalism, as citizens organizations join with the UN to create the International Criminal Court, to ban anti-personnel land mines, to protect children from the ravages of war, but the U.S. stands aloof.

Customer Reviews:

A sad pean to an organization not worthy of survival........2004-04-01

Bennis paints a picture of the U.N. that recreates the classic "Victimization" paradigm. Reading her book one is to believe that the U.S. has "swayed" and "cajolled" the U.N. into its lax standards of rule and "fuzzy" moral concepts. Sorry, not when the U.N. has steadily allowed corrupt governments of every ilk to hold sway in its councils. Not when the very fabric of the charter of the U.N. is ignored to allow governments hostile to peaceful and democratic rule to be part of the decision making process. Bennis neglects the history of "anti-american" and anti-democratic activities that have taken roost in the vaunted halls of the U.N. since the 70's in favor of making this an all America's fault diatribe. Nevermind the fact that Americans pay more than any other nation to support the U.N. Nevermind the fact that the U.N. members live better in the U.S. than they might in their own homelands. Were supposed to believe that the U.S. controls the U.N. when nations like Syria are allowed on the security council? When Tiawan is illegally voted of the concil in favor of Communist China. Sorry. Ayn Rand was more visionary in regards to the U.N. than Bennis, and at a time of when the U.N. is about to be investigated for corruption under the food for oil program, little Miss Bennis needs to stop making excuses and really explore this bastion of international law she reveres. Once done she will see that Washington has very little to do with the politics of how the U.N. is run and how the Secretary General can either make or brake the power structure within. Answer this Miss Bennis. If the U.s. manipulates the U.N. so well then how is it that the agency never listens to the U.S.? Out of all the wars the U.N. has never stopped a single one and I doubt that is the U.S.' fault and I am happy the world is not ignoring the U.N.s' failures, we need to stop allowing this organization full of false alliances to speak for those truely dedicated to peace. Down with the "peacekeepers" who rape and steal from those they are to protect. Down with the support of terrorist nations within its councils for money. And to hell with the waste this organization dumps on civilized nations when it looses control of its unstable politics.

The United States of Nations - Washington's hold on the UN.......2000-11-30

Who call the shots at the UN? And how is it done? Phyllis Bennis has written a readable, gripping and masterful, if ultimately flawed account of the world body's domination by the US.

Carefully tracing how American power dressed as principle strategically hobbled the UN from its inception, she reveals concrete instances of how the US coerces or subdues countries into toeing its line, and how it quashes dissent.

Whether she is examining US manipulation of the UN Security Council to secure multilateral cover for conducting a unilateral campaign against Iraq, or its conscious policy of apathy in the Security Council in the face of the Rwanda genocide, Bennis is excellent at teasing out US double-standards and hypocrisy. However, her judgements are perhaps too broad and sweeping, failing to take into account the realities of power. No country operates on assumptions of altruism. Any freshman realist will tell you this is the way the world works, has worked, and will always work. Can any country afford to suspend its national interest for the sake of fuzzy moral principles, even if these principles lie at the heart of international law, the UN Charter? Bennis believes that the US has a moral duty to do so, and must provide responsible and enlightened leadership to revitalise the UN. In unveiling the contradictions, ambiguities and doublespeak in US policy at the UN, Bennis compels the reader to confront a hard question: can the US get away with mobilising the world's most important international organisation for its own interests? Is it answerable to no-one but itself?

Embedded in her book is a lesson in ethics - calling the shots entails responsibility and accountability. But any freshman ethical philosopher may tell you that. Some readers may expect such a lucid, well-written account of US domination at the UN to deliver more, instead of serving as a jeremiad on unbridled US power.

In concluding her book, what appears to pique Bennis most is what she terms the "self-righteous know it all ism" of US officials and politicians. Here one feels that Bennis has taken it all a bit too personally, and the book loses its punch. Arrogance and pride is a prerogative of unchallenged supremacy. Can we draw any hard lessons from such an attitude? Can we construct a programme for change from what Bennis herself admits has been the agenda of the US and its allies all along - strategically hobbling the UN to serve its interests? In the final analysis, realists may conclude that Bennis has paradoxically legitimated the crude prerogatives of raw power, while idealists may declare that by unveiling, naming and shaming, she has contributed some hard punches in a crucial international debate on reforming the US attitude towards the UN.

But can power be shamed or reconstructed by disclosure? Here Bennis harbours the hope of the investigative journalist, except her scoop is well-known and widely-accepted. It may have been better if Bennis had provided stronger arguments on how US hubris and hamartia leads to unfavourable outcomes, and how its tyranny of consensus at the UN could have unforeseen blowback for the world. That could have provided a more solid argument to convince the unenlightened majority of US public opinion that a strong UN can and will help protect US, and by extension, global interests. And that's why I give the book 4 stars and not 5, along with the fact that it contains too many glaring typos, which subtract from the hard effort and deep research that went into crafting its explosive content.

A compelling expose on Washington's control over the UN.......2000-11-27

Who call the shots at the UN? And how is it done? Phyllis Bennis has written a readable, gripping and masterful, if ultimately flawed account of the world body's domination by the US.

Fascinating inside look at US domination of UN.......2000-11-21

The Cold War ended more than a decade ago, crowning the US as the world's sole superpower. Nowhere is this raw reality more apparent than at the United Nations, dominated by a single country since the decline and fall of the Soviet Union. Who call the shots at the UN? And how is it done? Phyllis Bennis has written a readable, gripping and masterful, if ultimately flawed account of the world body's domination by the US. Carefully tracing how American power dressed as principle strategically hobbled the UN from its inception, she reveals concrete instances of how the US coerces or subdues countries into toeing its line, and how it quashes dissent. Whether she is examining US manipulation of the UN Security Council to secure multilateral cover for conducting a unilateral campaign against Iraq, or its conscious policy of apathy in the Security Council in the face of the Rwanda genocide, Bennis is excellent at teasing out US double-standards and hypocrisy. However, her judgements are perhaps too broad and sweeping, failing to take into account the realities of power. No country operates on assumptions of altruism. Any freshman realist will tell you this is the way the world works, has worked, and will always work. Can any country afford to suspend its national interest for the sake of fuzzy moral principles, even if these principles lie at the heart of international law, the UN Charter? Bennis believes that the US has a moral duty to do so, and must provide responsible and enlightened leadership to revitalise the UN. In unveiling the contradictions, ambiguities and doublespeak in US policy at the UN, Bennis compels the reader to confront a hard question: can the US get away with mobilising the world's most important international organisation for its own interests? Is it answerable to no-one but itself? Embedded in her book is a lesson in ethics - calling the shots entails responsibility and accountability. But any freshman ethical philosopher may tell you that. Some readers may expect such a lucid, well-written account of US domination at the UN to deliver more, instead of serving as a jeremiad on unbridled US power. And in concluding her book, what piques Bennis most is what she terms the "self-righteous know it all ism" of US officials and politicians. Here I felt that Bennis has taken it all a bit too personally, and the book loses its punch. Arrogance and pride is a prerogative of unchallenged supremacy. Can we draw any hard lessons from such an attitude? Can we construct a programme for change from what Bennis herself admits has been the agenda of the US and its allies all along - strategically hobbling the UN to serve its interests? In the final analysis, realists may conclude that Bennis has paradoxically legitimated the crude prerogatives of raw power, while idealists may declare that by unveiling, naming and shaming, she has contributed some hard punches in a crucial international debate on reforming the US attitude towards the UN. But can power be shamed or reconstructed by disclosure? Here Bennis harbours the hope of the investigative journalist, except her scoop is well-known and widely-accepted. It may have been better if Bennis had provided stronger arguments on how US hubris and hamartia leads to unfavourable outcomes, and how its tyranny of consensus at the UN could have unforeseen blowback for the world. That would provide a more solid argument to convince the unenlightened majority of US public opinion that a strong UN can and will help protect US, and by extension, global interests. And that's why I give the book 4 stars and not 5, along with the fact that it contains too many glaring typos, which subtract from the hard effort and deep research that must have gone into its explosive content.

Damned Englishman: A Study of Erskine Childers (1870-1922)

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Damned Englishman: A Study of Erskine Childers (1870-1922)
Thomas J. Cox
Manufacturer: Exposition Pr of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Common Sense About the Arab World
Erskine Childers
Manufacturer: The Macmillian Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CKLZK

Challenges to the United Nations: Building a Safer World

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Challenges to the United Nations: Building a Safer World

Manufacturer: Catholic Institute for International Relation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312125666

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