Edward Barry: South Sea Pearler (1900) is a novel by Australian writer Louis Becke.[1]
 Title page for Edward Barry: South Sea Pearler (1900) | |
| Author | Louis Becke |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | T. Fisher Unwin |
Publication date | 1900 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 246 pp. |
| Preceded by | Tom Wallis : A Tale of the South Seas |
| Followed by | Breachley, Black Sheep |
Synopsis
editPenniless in Sydney, Edward Barry ships on board the brig Mahina as Chief Mate, working his passage to Arrecifos Lagoon. But he soon discovers all is not well on the ship and he sets out to investigate the cause of death of his predecessor. At the lagoon he meets the late Mate's widow who informs him about what happened to her husband.
Critical reception
editA reviewer in The Advertiser (Adelaide) noted: "Edward Barry is a good specimen of the class of fiction of which Mr. Becke is so successful a cultivator, in which violent action and stirring incident are set in a framework of romantic scenery, and among people of a primitive type."[2]
A writer in the Sunday Times (Sydney) was not overly impressed with the work: "The story, so far as it describes the islands, natives, and the voyage, is interesting; but the love-making and the working out of the plot are somewhat crude and disappointing."[3]
Publication history
editAfter its original book publication in 1900 in England by publishers T. Fisher Unwin[4] the novel was later published as follows:
- L. C. Page, USA, 1924[5]
- Thomas Allen & Son Limited, Canada, 1929[6]
The books was serialised in The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) in 1900,[1] and later in several other newspapers.
The novel was also translated into Swedish (1922) and Finnish (1927).[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Austlit — Edward Barry: South Sea Pearler by Louis Becke". Austlit. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ ""Current Literature"". The Advertiser, 5 January 1901, p5. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ ""Recent Publications"". The Sunday Times, 3 February 1901, p12. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Edward Barry: South Sea Pearler by Louise Becke (T. Fisher Unwin)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Edward Barry: South Sea Pearler by Louise Becke (L. C. Page)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Edward Barry: South Sea Pearler by Louise Becke (Thomas Allen)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 24 August 2023.