Masterman Ready; or, The Wreck of the Pacific was published by Longman in 1841 in three volumes (the third appearing in 1842). Marryat wrote it specifically because his children loved The Swiss Family Robinson and he was irritated by its nautical inaccuracies — the famous opening scene in which a Swiss pastor’s family remains aboard a wrecked ship in a storm, with all animals conveniently surviving, offended Marryat’s professional seamanship. His novel would show how a shipwreck actually works.
The Doricourt family — father, mother, and several children — is shipwrecked in the Pacific when their ship is abandoned by crew during a storm. The old seaman Masterman Ready, who stayed aboard, guides them to a desert island and teaches them the practical skills of survival: building shelter, finding water, growing food, defending against native attack. Ready himself is one of Marryat’s finest creations: an old man of vast experience, patient wisdom, and quiet heroism, who sacrifices himself for the family he has adopted.
The novel establishes the pattern for the more realistic strain of the Robinsonade: the desert island adventure grounded in practical knowledge rather than fantasy. Marryat’s influence is visible in Ballantyne’s Coral Island (1858), in Verne’s Mysterious Island (1875), and in every subsequent children’s adventure that takes survival skills seriously. The novel also inaugurates Marryat’s late career as a writer for children — a career that would produce The Children of the New Forest and establish him as one of the founders of children’s adventure fiction.
Collecting Masterman Ready
First edition (Longman, London, 1841–1842): Three volumes, cloth boards.
Market values:
- First edition (3 vols, complete): $400–$1000
- Victorian illustrated editions: $40–$100
- Early twentieth-century editions: $15–$40