Douglas Frazar

Born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in 1836, Douglas Frazar lived a life that helps explain the energy in his books. Reliable reference sources describe him as an American soldier and author, and note that he died in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1896. Records connected to his family and Civil War service say he served with Union forces, later worked with the Freedmen’s Bureau, and was brevetted brigadier general.

Frazar is especially interesting because his writing seems to grow directly out of experience. Practical Boat-Sailing presents clear, usable advice on handling small boats and yachts, while Log of the Maryland turns seafaring into an adventurous narrative. He also wrote fiction such as Perseverance Island; Or, The Robinson Crusoe of the Nineteenth Century, showing a taste for survival stories and imaginative invention.

Readers coming to him today may enjoy that combination of know-how and storytelling. His books feel rooted in the nineteenth century, but they still carry the appeal of someone who had actually been to sea and knew how to make danger, motion, and discovery feel real.