Other editions of book The Riddle of the Sands

Series Copy Offering some of the most influential literary myth-makers of the last 150 years, the Oxford Popular Fiction series introduces or reintroduces, bestselling works of American and British fiction that have helped define new styles and genres, and that continue to resonate in popular memory today. From crime and historical fiction to romance, adventure, and social comedy, these books are ideal for anyone interested in the prototypical, controversial, groundbreaking, and sometimes notorious fiction of which classics are made. Complete with critical introductions, the Oxford Popular Fiction series is a personal library that lies a the heart of American and British culture. One of the first great spy novels, The Riddle of the Sands is set during the long suspicious years leading up to the First World War. Bored with his life in London, a young man accepts an invitation to join a friend on a sailing holiday in the Baltic. A vivid exploration of the mysteries of seamanship, the story builds in excitement as these two young adventurers discover a German plot to invade England.

Excerpt: ... send you a warp.' It was impossible to refuse, but a sense of being personally conducted again oppressed me; and the last hope of a bed in the inn vanished. Davies was none too effusive either. A tug meant a pilot, and he had had enough of them. 'He objects to towage on principle,' I said. 'Just like him!' laughed the other. 'That's settled, then!' A dogcart was standing before the inn door in readiness for von Brüning. I was curious about Esens and his business there. Esens, he said, was the principal town of the district, four miles inland. 'I have to go there,' he volunteered, 'about a poaching case