A millionaire at sixteen: or, The cruise of the Guardian-Mother: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
A millionaire at sixteen: or, The cruise of the Guardian-Mother: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
A millionaire at sixteen: or, The cruise of the Guardian-Mother is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Optic, Oliver (1822–1897).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
“A millionaire at sixteen : or, The cruise of the Guardian-Mother” by Oliver Optic is a juvenile adventure novel written in the late 19th century. It follows Louis Belgrave, a level‑headed sixteen-year-old who has unexpectedly become a millionaire, as he embarks on sea-going adventures shaped by duty to his mother, guidance from a prudent trustee, and the lure of world travel. Expect nautical action, moral tests, and a globe‑trotting premise centered on yachting, with figures like the genial Uncle Moses, the seasoned Captain Ringgold, and a menacing former stepfather complicating the voyage. The opening of the story sets up Louis’s fortune, character, and intentions: after good‑natured sparring with his trustee about wealth and prudence, he plans to buy a modest schooner for quiet cruising with his mother. A suave stranger, “Mr. Frinks Fobbington,” offers a too‑good‑to‑be‑true yacht inspection at Southfield; Louis goes with his mother, Captain Ringgold, and his friend Felix. Once aboard, the schooner unexpectedly gets under way, and Louis discovers it is actually the Maud, commanded by his mother’s disreputable former husband, with “Fobbington” revealed as the mate. As a blow rises and the crew traps Ringgold and Felix below, Louis tends to his seasick mother, steels her resolve against the villain, then slips through a pantry passage, pries open the lower hatch, and frees his companions. The section closes with the group regrouping in the second cabin amid worsening weather, learning they are bound for England, and preparing to resist.
Book and edition facts
- Title: A millionaire at sixteen: or, The cruise of the Guardian-Mother
- Author credits: Optic, Oliver (1822–1897)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Adventure stories
- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction
- Mothers and sons -- Juvenile fiction
- Prisoners -- Juvenile fiction
- Sailing -- Juvenile fiction
- Shipwrecks -- Juvenile fiction
- Steamboats -- Juvenile fiction
- Stepfathers -- Juvenile fiction
- Trusts and trustees -- Juvenile fiction
- Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction
- Wealth -- Juvenile fiction
- Youth -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Adventure
- Category: American Literature
- Category: Children & Young Adult Reading
- Category: Novels
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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