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Boy Fortune Hunters #1
SAM STEELE'S ADVENTURES On Land and Sea (with illustrated) Classic Book: By CAPT. HUGH FITZGERALD (with illustrated) Classic Book Original Version
Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea is a juvenile adventure novel written by L. Frank Baum, and published in 1906 under the pseudonym "Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald." The book was reprinted two years later, in 1908, with the alternative title The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska. Sam Steele, sixteen years old, is the son of a sea captain. His father is reported killed in a shipwreck, and Sam is quickly cheated of his inheritance. Now an orphan, Sam meets his maternal uncle, Naboth Perkins, another sea captain and ship-owner; together, the two set sail in the Pacific trade. From San Francisco, Sam and his uncle embark on Naboth's ship the Flipper, carrying provisions north to the miners of the Alaska gold rush. A storm casts them onto a remote island, occupied by stranded and desperate miners who have struck a rich goldfield. The traders work out a co-operative deal with the miners, supplying needed transport and labor for a share in the gold. The crew of the Flipper have to cope with thieves and the hazards of nature before they can return with ample rewards for their trouble. At home again, Sam and Naboth discover that Sam's father Captain Steele has survived shipwreck (with the loss of a leg). Re-united with his father, Sam regains his lost patrimony.
198 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1906
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 3, 2024
eponymous-ey sentence:
p14: "...One thing's certain, Sam Steele; you can't stay here an' live off'n a poor lone woman that's lost four hundred dollars by you already...."
This is a good start for a series--riches established at the onset. I hope I can acquire the rest.
p14: "...One thing's certain, Sam Steele; you can't stay here an' live off'n a poor lone woman that's lost four hundred dollars by you already...."
This is a good start for a series--riches established at the onset. I hope I can acquire the rest.
October 1, 2019
EDITION NOTE: The version I read is the one from Oz-story Volume 1.
This particular tale was originally published under the pseudonym of Captain Hugh Fitzgerald, and it introduced the character of Sam, who would appear in the Boy Fortune Hunters series, Baum's series of adventure stories geared toward boys, released under the pseudonym Floyd Akers. It was later republished as The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska, despite the fact that, as David Maxine pointed out, there's only one boy fortune hunter and he never gets to Alaska. Sam is boarding with an old woman while his father is out at sea, and when a visitor reports that Captain Steele has died, she claims he'd left his son with nothing but debt. Sam runs into his uncle Naboth Perkins, who owns part interest in a ship, and he offers to go into business with his nephew, bringing provisions to sell to prospectors in Alaska. They instead find themselves at an island covered in gold dust, and while the people living there are initially distrustful, they allow the newcomers to work in exchange for a share of the gold, and to sell them food. Sam soon comes upon a plot by some of the people staying on the island to betray the others and steal all the gold, and has to do what he can to thwart it. While I haven't read Treasure Island, I can tell that there's a fair amount of it in this story. There's also a portrayal of South Sea Islanders (specifically from the Sulu Archipelago) that likely wouldn't fly in a book written today, what with their stereotypical dialect. The N-word is used a few times to refer to them, although, as far as I can remember, not from their fellow crew members. And they're also heroic characters without whom Sam wouldn't have been able to expose the traitors, so it's not like it's a totally negative portrayal. Anyway, Captain Fitzgerald turns out to be alive after all, and father and son get back their money from the nasty widow and plan to have further adventures. It's a very different style than Baum's fantasies, although since I know it's by him, I can see some similarities.
This particular tale was originally published under the pseudonym of Captain Hugh Fitzgerald, and it introduced the character of Sam, who would appear in the Boy Fortune Hunters series, Baum's series of adventure stories geared toward boys, released under the pseudonym Floyd Akers. It was later republished as The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska, despite the fact that, as David Maxine pointed out, there's only one boy fortune hunter and he never gets to Alaska. Sam is boarding with an old woman while his father is out at sea, and when a visitor reports that Captain Steele has died, she claims he'd left his son with nothing but debt. Sam runs into his uncle Naboth Perkins, who owns part interest in a ship, and he offers to go into business with his nephew, bringing provisions to sell to prospectors in Alaska. They instead find themselves at an island covered in gold dust, and while the people living there are initially distrustful, they allow the newcomers to work in exchange for a share of the gold, and to sell them food. Sam soon comes upon a plot by some of the people staying on the island to betray the others and steal all the gold, and has to do what he can to thwart it. While I haven't read Treasure Island, I can tell that there's a fair amount of it in this story. There's also a portrayal of South Sea Islanders (specifically from the Sulu Archipelago) that likely wouldn't fly in a book written today, what with their stereotypical dialect. The N-word is used a few times to refer to them, although, as far as I can remember, not from their fellow crew members. And they're also heroic characters without whom Sam wouldn't have been able to expose the traitors, so it's not like it's a totally negative portrayal. Anyway, Captain Fitzgerald turns out to be alive after all, and father and son get back their money from the nasty widow and plan to have further adventures. It's a very different style than Baum's fantasies, although since I know it's by him, I can see some similarities.
November 7, 2019
Though best known for being the author of The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum was a very prolific writer. In addition to the fourteen Oz books, he wrote adolescent/juvenile books for boys, for girls and even fairy tale books for little kids. Many of his works were written under the six pseudonyms he used. There were dozens of short stories as well as twenty-six Oz books written by others after he died.
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska by Floyd Aker (a.k.a. L. Frank Baum) is the first in the Sam Steele series. This suspensefully told adventure features a shipwreck, a long-lost uncle, a voyage on a trading ship, a terrible storm, capture by a band of desperados, a chase after the gold thieves and a tragic ending.
I was just kidding about the ending. It was predictably happy. After all, Sam has to go off on his next adventures including Egypt, Panama, China and the South Seas.
What fun! Any of Baum’s books would be perfect for reading to your children or grandchildren. Grab a book and load up your lap!
The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska by Floyd Aker (a.k.a. L. Frank Baum) is the first in the Sam Steele series. This suspensefully told adventure features a shipwreck, a long-lost uncle, a voyage on a trading ship, a terrible storm, capture by a band of desperados, a chase after the gold thieves and a tragic ending.
I was just kidding about the ending. It was predictably happy. After all, Sam has to go off on his next adventures including Egypt, Panama, China and the South Seas.
What fun! Any of Baum’s books would be perfect for reading to your children or grandchildren. Grab a book and load up your lap!
September 23, 2018
The book is pretty much standard boys series reading, with some of the author's (L. Frank Baum) own reminisces written into the story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews