author

Arthur H. Clark

1841–1922

Best known as a sailor, ship captain, and maritime historian, he spent decades turning firsthand experience at sea into vivid books about clipper ships and ocean trade. His writing helped preserve the world of nineteenth-century American and British sailing vessels for later readers.

1 Audiobook

The clipper ship era

The clipper ship era

by Arthur H. Clark

About the author

Born in 1841 and dying in 1922, he built an unusually varied life around the sea. Records from the Phillips Library describe his papers as including material from his years as a ship master and captain, including service on private yachts and steamships in the China trade, alongside his later research work.

He is remembered especially for writing about maritime history from the perspective of someone who had lived it. His best-known work is The Clipper Ship Era, a detailed account of famous American and British clipper ships, their builders, owners, commanders, and crews.

Although easy to confuse with the publisher Arthur H. Clark Company, this Arthur H. Clark was a seafaring author and researcher whose legacy lies in preserving the stories of ships, trade routes, and life under sail.