The Cradle of the Deep

Book excerpt: The Cradle of the Deep is an action-filled tale featuring a shipwreck, survival in a small boat at sea, and life on a small uninhabited island in the South Pacific. Although first published in 1912, the book is written in a surprisingly modern style and holds the reader’s interest as the four survivors’ struggle to reach land after the sinking of their ship enroute from San Francisco to Manila, and then to survive on their small island for over one year before a strange twist of fate enters their lives. Included are numerous realistic details of their life on the tropical island, adding to the authenticity of the novel, and a growing romance between Eleanor Channing and John Starbuck. Jacob Fisher was a pseudonym for Sabine W. Wood (1875-1932), who published a number of novels and short stories.