author
William Henry Giles Kingston
1814–1880
A Victorian pioneer of boys’ adventure fiction, he turned a lifelong love of the sea and travel into vivid tales of courage, exploration, and discovery. His stories helped make nautical adventure a lasting favorite among young readers.
2 Audiobooks
Charley Laurel: A Story of Adventure by Sea and Land
by William Henry Giles Kingston
Blue Jackets : or, Chips of the old block
by William Henry Giles Kingston
About the author
Born in London on February 28, 1814, William Henry Giles Kingston spent much of his youth in Oporto, Portugal, where his father was a merchant. He later entered the family business, but his strong interest in writing soon led him to publish articles and travel sketches about Portugal. His writing even helped support the conclusion of a commercial treaty between Britain and Portugal in 1842, earning him a Portuguese order of knighthood and a pension.
Kingston published his first book, The Circassian Chief, in 1844, followed by The Prime Minister and Lusitanian Sketches. His breakthrough came with Peter the Whaler in 1851, his first major book for boys. Its success encouraged him to leave business and devote himself to adventure stories for young readers, many of them shaped by his affection for the sea. He died in Willesden, England, on August 5, 1880.