author
Arthur E. Knights
A sea captain’s memoir brings readers close to the dangers, odd turns, and hard-earned wisdom of life under sail. Written from firsthand experience, these stories carry the vivid detail of someone who truly knew the work and the world behind it.
1 Audiobook
Notes By the Way in a Sailor's Life
by Arthur E. Knights
About the author
Little reliable biographical information about this author appears to survive online, but available sources do confirm that Arthur E. Knights wrote as Captain Arthur E. Knights and published Notes by the Way in a Sailor's Life.
In the book’s introduction, he explains that in 1898 he was in Hong Kong on business when the editor of the China Mail, Murray Bain, encouraged him to begin sending recollections from his seafaring life. That origin helps explain the book’s easy, anecdotal style: it reads less like a formal history and more like a seasoned sailor sharing memorable episodes from long experience at sea.
His work is valued today for its firsthand view of maritime travel and shipboard life, especially the risks, routines, and human stories that came with ocean voyages. Because so little else is firmly documented, the book itself remains the clearest window into his life and voice.