Doctor Syn on the High Seas is the second in the series of Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike. Published in 1935, it is the first in terms of the sequence of Syn's life. It is followed by Doctor Syn Returns .
Doctor Syn on the High Seas is the second in the series of Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike. Published in 1935, it is the first in terms of the sequence of Syn's life. It is followed by Doctor Syn Returns .
Set in 1754. A young clergyman, Christopher Syn, loses his wife to a seducer. He embarks on a quest of vengeance, taking on the identity of the pirate Captain Clegg to hunt them down over the course of many years.
The book ends with Syn returning to his home of Dymchurch in 1775, resuming his life as a vicar.
The novel was anticipated by Thorndike's fans, according to The Liverpool Echo, which praised it as a "salt breath of Channel air". "Stirring stuff," said the Evening Express critic, who described the character as overstuffed but popular. The Kentish Express found it enjoyable but improbable. [1] [2] [3]
Originally published by Rich & Cowan in 1935, it has been reprinted many times in both hardcover and paperback editions, including by Cherry Tree Books (1938), Arrow Books (1959), Panther (1964), Jarrolds (1966), Ballantine Books (1973) and other more recent small presses.
In 2006, an abridged version of the novel was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Comprising half of a ten-part series titled Doctor Syn, it was read by Rufus Sewell. [4]
Peter Cushing, in preparation for his role in the 1962 film Captain Clegg , read several Thorndike novels, including Doctor Syn on the High Seas. The novel's description of Syn's hair turning white inspired Cushing's on-screen appearance. [5]
Cecil Louis Troughton Smith, known by his pen name Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester, was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare, such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series depicting a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn is the smuggler hero of a series of novels by Russell Thorndike. The first book, Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh was published in 1915. The story idea came from legendary coastal smuggling in the 18th century around well-known Romney Marsh, where brandy and tobacco were brought in at night by boat from France to avoid the tax. Minor battles were fought, sometimes at night, between gangs of smugglers, such as the Hawkhurst Gang, and His Majesty's Customs and Excise / Revenue, supported by the British Army, Royal Navy and local militias in the counties of the South Kent and Sussex.
Peter Wilton Cushing was a British actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition for his leading performances in the Hammer Productions horror films from the 1950s to 1970s, and as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars (1977).
Frank Herbert Muir was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wrote BBC Radio's Take It from Here for over 10 years, and then appeared on BBC radio quizzes My Word! and My Music for another 35. Muir became Assistant Head of Light Entertainment at the BBC in the 1960s, and was then London Weekend Television's founding Head of Entertainment. His many writing credits include editorship of The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose, as well as the What-a-Mess books that were later turned into an animated TV series.
Captain Pugwash is a fictional pirate who appears in a series of British children’s comic strips, books and television shows created by John Ryan.
The Further Adventures of Doctor Syn is the fourth in the series of Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike. Published in 1936, it follows the events of Doctor Syn Returns and is followed by Amazing Quest of Doctor Syn.
Doctor Syn Returns is the third in the series of Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike. Published in 1935, it follows Doctor Syn on the High Seas and is followed by Further Adventures of Doctor Syn. It tells the story of Syn, who has tired of piracy, trying to settle down as the vicar of the little town of Dymchurch in Kent, England.
The Courageous Exploits of Doctor Syn is the sixth in the series of Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike. Published in 1939, it follows the events of Amazing Quest of Doctor Syn and is followed by Shadow of Doctor Syn.
Amazing Quest of Doctor Syn is the fifth in the series of Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike. Published in 1938, it follows the events of Further Adventures of Doctor Syn and is followed by Courageous Exploits of Doctor Syn. It was dedicated to actor George Arliss, who had starred in a feature film adaptation of the first novel a year prior.
Shadow of Doctor Syn is the seventh and last in the series of Doctor Syn novels by Russell Thorndike. Published in 1944, it follows the events of Amazing Quest of Doctor Syn. Though it is the last book written in the series it acts as a prequel for the first novel.
Dymchurch is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe district of Kent, England. The village is located on the coast five miles (8 km) south-west of Hythe, and on the Romney Marsh.
James (Joseph) Hanley was a British novelist, short story writer, and playwright from Kirkdale, Liverpool, Lancashire, of Irish descent. Hanley came from a seafaring family and spent two years at sea himself, during World War I. He published his first novel Drift in 1930. In the 1930s and 1940s his novels and short stories focussed on seamen and their families, and included Boy (1931), the subject of an obscenity trial. After World War II there was less emphasis on the sea in his works. While frequently praised by critics, Hanley's novels did not sell well. In the late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s he wrote plays, mainly for the BBC, for radio and then for television, and also for the theatre. He returned to the novel in the 1970s. His last novel, A Kingdom, was published in 1978, when he was eighty. His brother Gerald was also a novelist.
Arthur Russell Thorndike was a British actor and novelist, best known for the Doctor Syn of Romney Marsh novels. Less well-known than his sister Sybil but equally versatile, Russell Thorndike's first love was writing and, after serving in World War I, he devoted himself to it.
Captain Clegg is a 1962 British adventure horror film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring Peter Cushing, Yvonne Romain, Patrick Allen, and Oliver Reed. It produced by John Temple-Smith for Hammer Film Productions. It is loosely based on the Doctor Syn character created by Russell Thorndike.
James Goss is an English writer and producer, known both for his work in cult TV spin-off media, including tie-in novels and audio stories for Doctor Who and Torchwood, and for his fictional works beyond established universes.
Ronald Alfred Shiner was a British stand-up comedian and comedy actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall.
Doctor Syn is a 1937 British black-and-white historical dramatic adventure film, directed by Roy William Neill for Gainsborough Pictures. It stars George Arliss, Margaret Lockwood, Graham Moffatt, and Ronald Shiner. The film is based on the Doctor Syn novels of Russell Thorndike, set in 18th-century Kent. The character of Syn and the events at the film's climax were both softened considerably in comparison to Thorndike's original storyline.
John Michael Drinkrow Hardwick, known as Michael Hardwick, was an English author who was best known for writing books and radio plays which featured Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation Sherlock Holmes. He adapted most of the episodes of the Sherlock Holmes BBC radio series 1952–1969.
Hazel Iris Addis, née Wilson, was a British writer of over 20 novels from 1935 to 1953, under the pseudonyms Hazel Adair and A. J. Heritage. Under her real name, H. I. Addis, she also published works relating to Cub Scouts.
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