author

M. H. (Matthew Henry) Barker

1790–1846

Drawn from years at sea, his stories brought the rough energy of naval life straight onto the page. Writing as “The Old Sailor,” he became known for lively tales that were widely enjoyed in his own time.

2 Audiobooks

Tough yarns, vol. 1 (of 2) : A series of naval tales and sketches to please all hands, from the swabs on the shoulders down to the swabs in the head

Tough yarns, vol. 1 (of 2) : A series of naval tales and sketches to please all hands, from the swabs on the shoulders down to the swabs in the head

by M. H. (Matthew Henry) Barker

Tough yarns, vol. 2 (of 2) : A series of naval tales and sketches to please all hands, from the swabs on the shoulders down to the swabs in the head

Tough yarns, vol. 2 (of 2) : A series of naval tales and sketches to please all hands, from the swabs on the shoulders down to the swabs in the head

by M. H. (Matthew Henry) Barker

About the author

Born in Deptford in 1790, Matthew Henry Barker went to sea young, first on an East Indiaman and then in the Royal Navy. His naval service and later work carrying dispatches during the Napoleonic era gave him firsthand experience of danger, routine, and shipboard life that would shape almost everything he wrote.

Barker became best known as a writer of nautical fiction and sketches, often publishing under the name “The Old Sailor.” His sea tales were popular with nineteenth-century readers, and he also worked as naval editor of the United Service Gazette while contributing to other periodicals.

He died in London on June 29, 1846. No suitable verified portrait image could be confirmed from the sources I checked, so this profile does not include one.