Showing results by author "George Alfred Henty" in All Categories

Out on the Pampas was the exciting story overheard by a friend who encouraged Mr. Henty to have it published, launching his amazing career as "The Boys' Own Historian." In the mid-1800s, the Hardy family relocates to Argentina, joining other British settlers trying to start a better life for themselves in a new land. They face many obstacles and perils in this rugged lifestyle: surveying, building, planting, raising animals, and fighting off attacks from the natives.

Few wars have been fought by each side with greater intensity of conviction in the rightness of its cause or with more abundant personal heroism than the War Between the States. The story begins with a great responsibility falling on Vincent Wingfield, the teenage son of a widowed Virginia plantation owner. Vincent must decide what course of action he should take when a problem arises on the plantation.

It's the time of the English Civil War in 1642. Harry Furness is a Cavalier fighting for the king; his friend, Herbert Rippinghall, sides with the Roundheads in opposition. Oliver Cromwell leads the rebels aligned against the king and his admittedly tyrannical rule, but ends up imposing his own! Most of the story follows Harry Furness and the campaigns which take him all over the British Isles and the high seas, right through his capture at Drogheda and enslavement in Bermuda.

The Young Carthaginian chronicles the struggle of the Second Punic War (218-203 BC) and the attempt of Hannibal to conquer Rome. At first, the struggle of Carthage against Rome was a struggle for empire, but it became a struggle for existence. Hannibal presses on despite formidable geographical barriers and the corrupt leadership in Carthage which time and again undermined all his efforts.

Australia in the 1830s was a wild place. Reuben Whitney, escaping an inaccurate perception of him in England, enjoys an adventurous passage aboard the Paramatta, and sails "down under." Joining the police force, he makes his mark in conflicts with the Aborigines and Bushrangers. Finally, he saves the life of a squire's daughter who has emigrated to Australia following her father's financial ruin. This story is filled with adventure, close calls, and historical information about the early days of Australia!

Frank Norris, accused of theft and unable to prove his innocence, leaves for excitement and adventure in the California gold fields of 1850s America. He sails the Atlantic, braves a storm while working as a barge man on the Mississippi, survives an Indian attack while crossing the plains with a caravan, strikes it rich in the California gold mines, and is finally able to clear his name and return to England to claim his rightful inheritance.

In 1380, Venice is a world power. She is mistress of the sea, had checked the rising power of the Turks, conquered Constantinople, and successfully defied all the attacks of her jealous rivals. But now her strength and splendor are put to the severest test by the combined powers of Hungary, Padua, and Genoa. In an atmosphere of intrigue, crime and treachery, Francis Hammond displays a fine sense and manliness that carry him safely through the storm in the watery splendor of Venice.

The story is laid in Yorkshire in 1812, when the introduction of machinery and high price of food induced by the Napoleonic Wars, drove the working classes to desperation, and caused them to band themselves in that widespread organization known as the Luddite Society. There is an abundance of adventure in the tale, but its chief interest lies in the character of the hero, and the manner in which he is put on trial for his life, but at last comes victorious “through the fray.”

In this, the Henty novel covering the oldest time period of any, listeners will learn much about the domestic life, customs, religion, and military system of ancient Egypt. Amuba, a prince of the Rebu nation on the shores of the Caspian Sea, with his charioteer Jethro, is carried into slavery after losing a battle with the Egyptians. They become servants of the house of Ameres, an Egyptian high priest, and are quite happy there until the priest's son accidentally kills the sacred cat of Bubastes.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, the Declaration of Independence, Washington crossing the Delaware, Saratoga, and the final surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown - these are the scenes that stir the soul of many an American. But to an Englishman, they do no such thing. This Henty novel retells these stirring tales, but from a different perspective, helping listeners learn how the other side viewed this miraculous triumph of freedom that inspires millions throughout the world still today.

Mr. Henty tells an exciting story from the record of Josephus. The troubles in the district of Tiberias, the march of the legions, the sieges of Jotapata, of Gamala, and of Jerusalem all come to life. In this impressive and carefully studied historic setting, you will follow a lad, John of Gamala, who passes from the vineyard to the service of Josephus.

The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, ushered in the French Revolution. Within four years, the king was executed and a revolutionary tribunal was established to judge "enemies of the people." The property of nobles was seized and "enemies" tried and sent to the guillotine. Harry Sandwith, a companion of a French family, wins their confidence and becomes the protector of the three daughters. After the girls are condemned to death in the coffin-ships, Harry saves the girls and the gets them safely to England.

On August 24, 1572, more than 2,000 French Huguenots - men, women, and children - were massacred for their faith. In St. Bartholomew's Eve, Henty vividly depicts Admiral Coligny's unflinching bravery, Queen Elizabeth's vacillating foreign policy, Catherine de Medici's vindictive scheming, and the queen of Navarre's inner strength as he recounts the adventures of Phillip Fletcher.

The story begins during the War of the Roses in England, but our hero, Gervaise Tresham, soon joins the Knights of St. John in Rhodes. Dedicated to God's service and pious in his personal life, Gervaise uncovers a plot, saves the coast of Italy from the Muslim corsairs, and is knighted by the Grand Prior. After being captured by and escaping from the enemy, the young English knight draws his sword in the defense of Rhodes.

In 1381, Wat, the Tyler, and the peasants he represented urged of the king of England that serfdom should be abolished, the right of all to market their goods publicly should be allowed, the price of good land should not be over four pennies an acre, and that all past offenses should be pardoned. Instead of presenting their requests in a respectful manner, they took to the streets of East Anglia, Kent, and London. Although their demands were certainly reasonable, their methods were not.

In the Heart of the Rockies is packed with adventure! In 1860, 16-year-old Tom Wade leaves England for the American Far West to find his uncle and to improve his family fortunes. Arriving at the small western outpost of Denver to mine for gold, he soon encounters Native American warriors, takes part in big-game hunts, and learns how to survive a frigid mountain winter with nothing but resourcefulness and perseverance.

Beric, a boy chief of a British tribe, takes a prominent part in the insurrection against Rome under Queen Boadicea. These efforts are useless against the mighty Roman army. For a short time, Beric and his companions continue the fight but are ultimately defeated and taken as prisoners to Rome. Through the eyes of Beric, the listener learns of life in AD 61 Rome, the gladiatorial schools, the great fire, and life in Nero's court.

Shortly before the US Revolutionary war against England, most inhabitants were her loyal subjects. France had control of much of southern Canada and the “western” lands of the current states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. Skirmishes abounded for years between English settlers pushing west and French settlers and their Indian accomplices. This story includes depictions of the battles of Forts Duquesne and Necessity in Pennsylvania, and Forts Ticonderoga and William Henry in New York, and Quebec in Canada.

The Saxons and Vikings fought many fierce battles in Britain in the eighth and ninth centuries. During the struggle, 23-year-old Alfred ascended the throne and temporarily beat back the pagan hordes and concluded a peace treaty. Following another war in 878, peace was again achieved; the Danish King Guthrum accepted Christianity and withdrew to East Anglia, and Alfred the Great fortified cities, built a navy, codified laws, and revived learning among the Saxons until his death in AD 900. The hero is a Saxon thane named Edmund who joins the forces of King Alfred.

When Harold Godwinson is crowned king of England in 1066, William of Normandy contests his right to be king because of an oath Harold had earlier sworn to support William's own acquisition of the throne. Henty's treatment of this critical time in history of the English people is even-handed, and his portrayal of Harold Godwinson - a king much neglected in our day - is a sympathetic one. Wulf of Steyning, a young Saxon thane in the service of Earl Harold, accompanies him on his fateful trip to Normandy.