The Riddle of the Sands A Record of Secret Service (Oxford World's Classics)

A most remarkable tale of derring-do that has inspired a film (York, MacCorkindale, Agutter) and countless emulators in its role as the first decent spy-thriller. One of the inspirations for my own book, with its tale of the German Frisian Islands and the channels there, and the encouragement to research Childers's own and ultimately tragic life. First rate writing, with the characters of Carruthers and the frustrated Davies revealed gradually as they survey the area and interact with other characters. A favourite of my grandfather, father, uncle and now myself. The only fly in the ointment is the lack in this Kindle version of the Maps and Charts referred to in the text and which illumine the original book. I recommend it to all and sundry as a thundering good yarn - and grieve for the circumstances that destroyed Robert Erskine Childers when he should have survived.

Imbued with some predictable attitudes of its age (1902), and somewhat over-written, this keeps its 4th star for the mesmerizing portrayal of an actual seascape-cum-landscape of a kind I never imagined existing. It's a pity the maps are omitted from the Kindle edition, but it's worth following the goings-on using Google Maps, where almost every detail can be verified.

Phew! Still a good yarn. A boyhood's favourite that sixty years on still has the power to enthrall and give pleasure and sustain interest. I would recommend this story (in which Treasure Island meets James Bond) to anyone, of any age above twelve, who wants to get lost in a rollicking read. Be patient with the opening chapters (I still get impatient with its slow beginning! ) and you will soon be off on an adventure that will stay with you for life. The maps and historical context in which the story is told adds materially to the enjoyment.

Interesting example of Edwardian era writing.

Beautifully written, almost poignantly naive about what a war might really be like. To be fair, no one else knew either, before it all went south in autumn 1914. Superior to John Buchan and less jingoistic than Kipling. A must-read, and a gripping one.

A classic that I had never got around to reading. My advice to anyone in a similar position is - Read it! Very well written with twists and turns all the way. It is a product of its time - written around 1903 or so, therefore the writing and some of the ideas expressed are very old fashioned today. But that is part of its charm, it provides an education as well as a thrill. My only disappointment was that my copy came in a relatively modern cover rather than the classic Penguin cover that was illustrated. Trivial I know.

Rather disappointing. If you are a sailor and interested in the area the novel is set in and in nautical navigation I expect you will get more out of this than I did. I found it very hard going. Having read something of the background I realise what Childers was trying to do. However, as a novel I found it rather turgid and repetitive. It might be the classic forerunner of the spy novel but it took a lot of determination to read it through to the end.

A book all British people should be conversant with. A naval landmark. Quite hard work ploughing through a maze of navigational cryptology and sailing know-how, but worth the effort. A great adventure.But will someone tell me who the unnamed ally on the tug boat is.

Riddle of the Sands is rightly on many lists of great books and, in particular, great classic spy novels. However, it is also rightly described as “one of the all-time great yachting novels” and one commentator says “I know of no novel more cartographic than The Riddle of the Sands.” It is because of these two key characteristics of the novel, its detailed immersion in yachting and its extensive use of maps and charts, that the “Illustrated” Kindle version of this book is so disappointing.In spite of the fact that the text refers the reader again and again to the six-odd maps, charts and diagrams which accompanied the original text, modern editors apparently have decided to simply leave them out – and thereby make the novel almost unintelligible without extensive reference to Google Maps or other independent resources. The carelessness of such a decision is mind-boggling.A second, though less serious, editorial failure is to illustrate this great yachting novel with pictures of the wrong sort of boat. The yacht Dulcibella of the novel was a yawl or ketch, with a second mast near the stern, whereas the boat illustrated is a single-masted sloop. This may be explained by the editors’ use of photos from a 1984 German TV version of the novel, but such a choice merely illustrates the editors’ failure to read or understand the book in the first place.I recommend this book highly, but I suggest you seek out a version with all the original maps and perhaps even yacht-illustrations which indicate that the editors care about the book they want to sell you.

This was a great discovery for me, though the novel is hardly a secret to scholars of espionage novels. The continually unfolding dramatic relationship between the two main characters is told in magnificent prose that brings out all the subtleties of personal interaction between two complex personalities. As a spy novel, it will pass the high bar set by lovers of John Le Carre. The shifting, treacherous sands of the shallow German coastline, through which the heroes navigate their small sailboat, is a profound metaphor not only for the mystery they wish to solve and subterfuge they encounter, but also for the continual trickery which the human character imposes upon itself and others in its attempt to see reality clearly, and beneath which lurks the ever-present danger of war--which the two heroes seek to prevent, or at least prepare for. If this novel may appear dated to some, it can only be because English prose no longer rises to the excellence demonstrated here.

Soll der erste Spionageroman sein, ist egal, eshandelt vom Segeln an der Deutschen Küste. Tolle Revierbeschreibung. Ideal für Traditionskleinsegler. Interessanter Roman, z.T. mit realen Zusammenhängen. Erskine Childers hat auch gesegelt, wie Jule Verne, die Strecke war z.T. identisch.

ok

Like the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, this 100+ year old book stands up very well. If you happen to be into sailing small sailboats, this book is a must as it gives a very detailed account of how two guys sail around in the Northern European seas trying to solve a mystery which seems to imply a possible German invasion of England. And they are doing this under very difficult conditions of weather, extreme tides, and powerful snake like currents with none of the navigation equipment that we take for granted today. How they did it back then is amazing. And, if you're a history buff, the description of the geo political scene in Europe prior to the 1st World War is also extremely interesting. Of course, the fact that the German Kaiser is a close relative of Queen Victoria also complicates things. This book is a real gem, an old gem to be sure, but it still shines.