Books with author R. M. Ballantyne

This eBook edition of "The Golden Dream (A Western Classic)" has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices.Ned is a young Englishman who is bitten by the bug of Californian gold rush. He always dreams about going to California and working in the gold fields in spite of stern warnings from his uncle Mr Shirley. But everything is not as easy it seems, especially, the harsh conditions of the gold miners and the difficulties they face in their tasks at hand. But will Ned survive the hardships or will he fail miserably and return to England empty handed?R M Ballantyne was a famous children's author and a renowned artist.

"The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean" relates the adventures of three boys marooned on a South Pacific island. The story is told from the perspective of 15-year-old Ralph Rover, one of three boys shipwrecked on the coral reef of a large but uninhabited Polynesian island. Ralph and his two companions – 18-year-old Jack Martin and 13-year-old Peterkin Gay – are the sole survivors of the shipwreck. At first, boys have to manage how to feed themselves, what to drink, and how the resolve clothing and shelter, coping with having to rely on their own resources. As the boys adopt to the situation, they start dealing with new difficulties, such as conflicting with pirates, fighting with native Polynesians, and dealing with Christian missionaries and their conversion efforts."The Gorilla Hunters: A Tale of the Wilds of Africa" is a sequel to The Coral Island set in "darkest Africa", and it follows the further adventures of Ralph Rover, Peterkin Gay and Jack Martin. After their adventures in the South Sea Islands, Jack, Ralph, and Peterkin go their separate ways. Six years later, Ralph, living on his father's inheritance on England's west coast and occupying himself as a naturalist, is visited by Peterkin, whose "weather-beaten though ruddy countenance" he does not recognise. Peterkin, who has stayed in touch with Jack, has hunted and killed every animal on Earth except for the gorilla and now comes to Ralph to entice him on a new adventure. After Peterkin writes him a letter, Jack joins the two, and they leave for Africa.

Excerpt: "On a certain summer morning, about the middle of the present century, a big bluff man, of seafaring aspect, found himself sauntering in a certain street near London Bridge. He was a man of above fifty, but looked under forty in consequence of the healthful vigour of his frame, the freshness of his saltwater face, and the blackness of his shaggy hair."

On a small island in the heart of the Pacific, a colony of settlers receives a visit from a mysterious man known as the Sandal Wood trader. Some say he’s a pirate while others believe he is exactly what he claims—a harmless trader. Join Henry, Bumpus, Reverend Mason, and a host of other memorable characters as they unravel the mystery of who this trader really is. Are the settlers about to be robbed and destroyed? Or, is this man’s assistance necessary for the survival of the colony? (Goodreads)

Excerpt: "This tale, reader—if you read it through—will give you some insight into the condition, value, and vicissitudes of the light-vessels, or floating lighthouses, which guard the shores of this kingdom, and mark the dangerous shoals lying off some of our harbours and roadsteads. It will also convey to you—if you don’t skip—a general idea of the life and adventures of some of the men who have manned these interesting and curious craft in time past, as well as give you some account of the sayings and doings of several other personages more or less connected with our coasts. May you read it with pleasure and profit, and—“may your shadow never be less."

One night, soon after we entered the tropics, an awful storm burst upon our ship. The first squall of wind carried away two of our masts, and left only the foremast standing. There was no room for me upon the lifeboat; but being left behind saved my life -- and the lives of Peterkin and Jack Martin, my two companions. "Come, boys," said Jack Martin in a grave tone as we stood on the quarterdeck awaiting our fate -- "You see it is impossible that the little boat can reach the shore, crowded with men." He had us take hold of a loose oar, and guided us to shelter on a deserted coral isle. . . . . . . and that is the beginning of my harrowing tale. The novel was still considered a classic for English primary school children in the early 20th century. In the United States it was long a staple of suggested reading lists for high-school students; such a list, discussed in a 1915 article in The English Journal, recommends the novel in the category "Stories for Boys in Easy Style".

Living in the Wild West wasn't always a dream job. There were often skirmishes with the rival groups and an on-going tussle with the Native Americans, who wanted to preserve their own space. But can a group of "mountain men” survive in these environments or will they succumb to the pressure?R.M. Ballantyne was a famous children's author and a renowned artist.

Probably R.M. Ballantyne's most popular and thrilling tale, The Coral Island is a breathtaking account of narrow escapes, harrowing trials while stranded in the south Pacific, the very real need of the cannibalistic savages for the light of the Gospel, and the courage of three young adventurers. Follow the journey of three boys---Ralph Rover, Jack Martin, and Peterkin Gay---as they survive on their own by the providence of God for months on end, encountering one exciting experience after another. When their ship is wrecked, the boys find themselves marooned on a coral island in the Pacific where they must make the most of what they have. Necessity becomes their best teacher, and they quickly learn how to make weapons, hunt wild pigs, drink coconut lemonade, and battle both cutthroat pirates and savage cannibals, braving all sorts of dangers in true manly fashion.

Well do I remember the first time I stumbled upon the Indian village in which he lived. I had set out from Montreal with two trappers to pay a visit to the Labrador coast; we had travelled most of the way in a small Indian canoe, coasting along the northern shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and reconnoitering in the woods for portages to avoid rounding long capes and points of land, and sometimes in search of game; for we depended almost entirely upon our guns for food.(Illustrated)