Cradle of the Deep

Book excerpt: First published in 1929, Cradle of the Deep was the bestselling book that became a scandal! In 1923, Joan Lowell was an aspiring writer and rising silent film star in Hollywood. Young, beautiful, and talented, she was adored by all. Then she published her autobiography in 1929: a rip-roaring memoir of a young girl growing up on a schooner with her hearty sea captain father and a crew of salty sailors and the incredible and death-defying adventures she had traveling the world. Except…none of it was true! Born in 1902 in Berkeley, California as Helen Wagner to a middle-class family. Yes, her father was a Pacific Ocean merchant schooner captain. And yes, he took Joan—and her mother—on a 15-month sailing adventure when she was a girl. After knocking around odd jobs in San Francisco, young Helen moved to Los Angeles to take acting lessons and began her career. Her early notable roles were in pirate movies as either the intrepid heroine or damsel in distress. She published her “autobiography” which became a runaway best-seller in 1929. But a few months later, the truth was revealed. She had never left the shores of California! Amidst the scandal, Joan remained defiant, telling the Pittsburgh Press in 1930, "Eighty percent of it was true and the rest I colored up. I made some changes to protect people and the rest to make it better reading. That's an author's privilege.” This edition features archival photos and press clippings and a short biography of Joan Lowell and her infamous book.