Strange Tales of the Sea

Jack's Strange Tales #4

by Jack Strange

What lurks beneath the waves, and onboard the most mysterious of ships?

Get ready to experience the lore and lure of the sea with these myths, legends and true stories. Centuries-old folklore and tales of haunted vessels. Sea monsters and ghosts. Cannibalism at sea, and mysterious disappearances.

Included are also tales of sailors ashore, and the prostitutes and crimps that preyed on them. Find out what happened to stowaways, how they were treated, and about the myth that women were not welcome on ships.

Welcome to Strange Tales of the Sea.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

119 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2013

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange is as Strange does, apparently. But who doesn't like a good seafaring tale? And this slim volume has many. Some are stranger than others, some are more interesting than others, but all quite entertaining. The book might have done with some minor editing and maybe some photos, but the author's enthusiasm sort of makes up for that and for a Kindle freebie this was lovely. Perfectly diverting way to spend an evening, particularly for armchair adventurers. Recommended.

[StarryEyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

I love adventure stories this made me laugh and capture
my interest at the same time.
Thank you I enjoyed my time reading your book.

[stephanie suh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sea is a mystery to wonder; one never knows what the placid sea will turn into a tempest of mad waves with gale force wind. The sea also brings with its spectral vessels manned by phantom crew and her uncanny creatures, all of which still exist in folktales, legends, and even some nautical documents. This book by Jack Strange consists of these tales of the sea he has gleaned from exhaustive research on such wondrous topics that are all the more entertaining and stimulating.

As someone who is very keen on the tales of haunted ships and their spectral crew, I was immediately drawn to the haunted ghosts and the ill-fated vessels that had been cursed to sail on until the end of the world. Take the case of the American Joshua Slocum, the first man who sailed around the world by himself on Spray in the 19th century. While he was struggling to fight with all his might against the furious tempest and high waves on Spray, he was helped by a spectral crew who introduced himself as a member of Pinta, one of the ships commanded by Christopher Columbus in expedition to the New World. After Spray got back on the track, then the benevolent ghost vanished into the air with a smile.

Ghost vessels always pique people's curiosity, such as Griffon & Edmund Fitzgerald haunting the Great Lakes between Canada and the U.S, not to mention the infamous "Flying Dutchman" and "Lady Lovibond ," born of the death of jilted lovers. One might say that all these phantom ships are result of optical illusion, which is a reasonable speculation. However, the case of U-65, the Imperial German Navy submarine of the First World War is based on official naval documents in which a ghost of German officer on the deck of the submarine standing with his arms folded was frequently recorded both by the British and the U.S. naval forces during the war. I wonder if it was this optical illusion that made all of those soldiers, including the officers of high intellectual capacities and excellent health spot the ghost German office.

The book also has a whole chapter devoted to "The Crimp," a kind of boarding house where unscrupulous masters or mistresses supplied seamen to ships without their pay. Also, there are chapters about mermaids and various sea monsters reported by seamen. Mr. Strange also lets us know that in Scotland, Thursdays were regarded as a luck day for launching a new ship.

This book by Mr. Strange will perk up readers' imaginations further to the realm of terra incognita on uncharted seas where mermaids are swimming merrily and the Octavious, the ghost ship with her frozen icy crew is adrift off the Western coast of Greenland. It bestows pleasure of being familiar with the peculiarities of the sea without scaring the reader with mind-boggling horrors or preposterous hyperboles of the absurdities. This book results from Mr. Strange's extensive research made possible by his passion for all things unique and strange -as it is by his name and nature.

[Kenna McKinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Strange is a pseudonym and this book is aptly named. Well researched and succinctly told, the author takes us through many superstitions, myths, and legend mixed with facts, history, and interesting but little known anecdotes of the seafaring life and even life on shore. He writes with intelligence and style reminiscent of Hemingway -- minces no words but manages to convey the essence of the sea and those ships, men, and women who have sailed it. I learned smatterings of real history and nomenclature. He correctly identifies the Inuit of the north and refers to classical Greeks and Romans, who were seafarers, as well as more modern Europeans. I found it interesting the Phoenicians weren't mentioned, but the book is very wide ranging in its topics and the entire scale of the sea and sailors is so vast that every tale can't be told. The history of lighthouses was especially intriguing to me. The stories of the women who accompanied or married the sailors was a nicely inclusive portion of the book that delighted me. Minor editing errors appear and there is a strange lack of punctuation that may be particularly British, but I believe the research and writing to be excellent and factual. I might add at this point that I read the book in one sitting as I couldn't put it down until two o'clock in the morning! Am looking forward to reading more books by this author, who also has a wry sense of humor that shines through the sometimes macabre stories. I felt like I was being treated to a fireside chat amongst friends, of ghost stories and strange tales, over perhaps a glass of single malt whisky, hosted by a very amusing and friendly historian. Shiver me timbers.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sea is a mesmerizing thing, serving for many as a beacon of adventure and an opportunity for riches, but the stories about the ships, crew, and the creatures they encountered along the way might seem a little odd in Jack Strange’s Strange Tales of the Sea.

To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.

Delving into some of the mysteries that lurk beneath the surface of the mighty sea, this collection offers some insight to the various seafaring superstitions, legends, and true stories, some of which are familiar and others of which will likely be fairly novel. Covering a variety of topics, including beliefs about having women on board a ship, the monsters awaiting beneath the water’s surface, mysterious disappearances of ships and crew, and an eerie tale of cannibalism, this collection of tales contains evident research behind it as it both informs and intrigues readers about the superstitions, legends, history, and facts of the sea and those who traversed it. While there is interesting information provided in each chapter, there’s not a lot of depth demonstrated from how it was presented. Each chapter introduces a topic, provides some contextual and relevant history, and offers a few details about some related stories but doesn’t explore these themes too extensively; as it stands it’s rather cursory and a touch disjointed but it serves as a decent outline from which further elaboration and more smoothly connected pieces a more comprehensive text could arise.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange Tales of the Sea (Jack's Strange Tales Book 4) by Jack Strange is an informative book filled with seventeen chapters of enticing titles such as Ships with Ghosts, Ships that Disappeared, Creatures of the Deep, Eating the Ship’s Boy and Religion at Sea.

This is first book in the Strange Tales series I have read and the first book I have read by this author and I was not disappointed. The book made for interesting reading , which you can tell from the first page to the last was thoroughly researched by the author.

Some of my favourite chapters included , ghost ships, mermaids and sailors' superstitions my least favourite chapter was definitely Eating the Ship’s Boy, I won't go into details of why I will leave that to to the reader to find out for themselves.

I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author and would highly recommend this to these of you enjoy stories related to the history of the sea and sailing or mythology.

[Brian Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real voyage of discovery

What a great read! If you, like me, have an interest in all things nautical, you are sure to enjoy this gem of a book. With everything from disappearing ships, to reports of sea monsters and the impact of lighthouses on safety at sea, there is something for everyone here. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the impact of women at sea, much of it new to me. The sea can be a hard taskmaster and an unforgiving mistress, both aspects of life under sail perfectly illustrated here by Jack Strange in a well-researched and entertaining volume, well worth a 5 star rating.

[Diana Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ineffective presentation of fascinating material

The book present many interesting factors or legends. The author has made little effort to present these as stories, so it doesn't have the mesmerizing quality it could have to draw fiction readers. There is also no effort to source, research or verify any of the information, so it doesn't have the investigatory feel that would engage nonfiction readers. The author is clearly attached to the subject matter, but does not offer the reader a way to join him in that.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange and Unusual Tales of the Sea

This book was a very well researched and fascinating collection of unusual tales of the sea relating to many different facets like women on ships, hauntings, pirates, sea serpents and much, much more. Interesting details are included, as are introductions to many unsung heroes and villains. It gives the facts, many of which are not well known. A fascinating and informative read and a must for lovers of strange occurrences.

[Leah Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it.

If you ever wondered why some sailors were called limeys this book explains that and so much more. The tales about the cutty Sark and the Madagascar will shock, surprise, and amaze you. I could go on and on. This book is very well written and researched. I absolutely loved it. Whether it be fair winds or foul, sailors soul had to have written such a wonderful book.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a bit of history and theory

Don't get me wrong. The content that is in the book is good. However there could be more work of the tales themselves. Each individual chapter could be a section introducing the history and theory of the strange tales while including a couple full stories related to each subject. The way it is, the book seems a little more disjointed with the general theory and history while referencing multiple stories.

[A.J. Griffiths-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disappearing lighthouse keepers, sightings of mermaids, mutiny on board ships & a cure for scurvy are just some of the fascinating topics explained in this wonderful book. The author writes with clarity & has an upbeat style that compels you to read & read. I can’t get enough of Jack Strange’s work & sincerely hope that he ventures off overseas to continue this fabulous series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Book

Interesting and engaging stories. Had an excellent way of story telling without being a "dry" boring history book. That is always what i enjoy as I love history. Definitely recommended if u like entertaining history about the sea!

[James Michael Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Short vignettes of various sea stories. Fast reading and varied tales, mostly of sailing ships and associated personalities. Short chapters address various events and mysteries of life at sea.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small book is full of the weird and wonderful. Mysteries, ghosts, monsters and vanishing ships: the sea is a scary place!
The cover has altered though!

[Pat Ison Saylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

The author drifting sometimes off his subject. But all in all it was interesting. A lot of research went into this book.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange book

As a avid reader of sailing ships, swashbuckling adventures several of the stories were similar to one I have read before.

[TAMARA WIDLAKE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ship ahoy

Some of the stories were interesting others not so much. Read this book looking for something different.It was ok not great.

[Russell G Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who could ever imagine all the wonders of the seas?

A look at some of what travelers of the seas have spotted during their travels and how they classified what they saw.

[Sara Coley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining

I gave this 4/5 stars because it was very surface level information given the several subjects, but I still enjoyed it and it kept me interested.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw the bad reviews but went for it

There is some mess ups but honestly I really enjoyed it! Would definitely recommend for just some really interesting tales.

[Randy Grossman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wiki Like

An informative book...read very much like Wikipedia. Stories of sea monsters, ghost ships, mermaids and sailors' superstitions filled the book. Most of the stories are pre 1900-2000 before satellites and radar. Decent read...if given opportunity I could read more from Mr Strange.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Good short book for a stormy night with the rain coming down. Scary without all the gore :)

[Riley Amos Westbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful narration of life at sea

A series of fun entertaining short stories that I would recommend to anyone . This book contains numerous nautical technical terms that I enjoyed reading as most books of this type tend to be peppered with few.

[B. Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ocean is its own universe. The minute a ship leaves port it enters a world like no other. With the sky above and the sea below, a ship and its crew exist in an environment that has its own rules, rewards and retributions. It’s a grueling existence, this seafaring life, especially in centuries past where there are no hygienic conditions let alone luxuries. But there are stories and superstitions, legends, anecdotes, history and factoids, all with their own mysterious appeal. It’s a life where imagination takes hold, where myth becomes reality, where ghosts become traveling companions, and fellow sailors become a family, many times a dysfunctional one.
In “Strange Tales of the Sea,” Jack Strange demonstrates in intimate detail his exacting knowledge of the subject. Not a storybook in the traditional sense but a book that brims with exciting and fascinating details that only an impassioned historian can construct. With 17 chapters and enticing titles such as Ships with Ghosts and Ships with Luck, Ships that Disappeared, Creatures of the Deep, Eating the Ship’s Boy, Religion at Sea, etc., you know this is not going to be a dry and dull thesis. If you are a history or mythology buff, looking to research material for your own treatise on the sea, or are just fascinated by the subject, Jack’s book is a must have.