Frank Thomas Bullen


Frank Thomas Bullen was a British marine novelist known for writing over 30 novels about his experiences on the sea.

Biography

Bullen was born of poor parents in Paddington, London on 5 April 1857. He was educated for a few years at a dame school and Westbourne school, Paddington. At the age of 9, his aunt, who was his guardian, died. He then left school and took up work as an errand boy. In 1869 he went to sea and travelled to all parts of the world in various capacities including that of second mate of the Harbinger and chief mate of the Day Dawn, under Capt. John R. H. Ward jun in 1879 when she was dismasted and disabled.
Having spent 15 years of his life at sea, since the age of 12, he later described the hardships of his early life thus:
A parallel may be drawn with Joseph Conrad's career at sea aboard Torrens 1891–1893. He was a clerk in the Meteorological Office from 1883 to 1889. His reputation was made over the publication of The Cruise of the "Cachalot" ; and he also wrote, amongst other books, Idylls of the Sea ; Sea Wrack ; The Call of the Deep and A Compleat Sea Cook, besides many articles and essays. He lectured extensively and was highly critical of Australasia's lack of defences against what he saw as imminent naval threats from Germany and Japan.

Death

Bullen died at Madeira on 1 March 1915 at the age of 57.
His obituary reads:

Novels

  • The Cruise of the Cachalot: Round the World After Sperm Whales, 1898
  • The Log of a Sea-Waif, 1899
  • Idylls of the Sea, 1899
  • The Way They Have In the Navy, 1899
  • With Christ At Sea, 1900
  • The Men of the Merchant Service, 1900
  • Deep Sea Plunderings, 1901
  • A Sack of Shakings, 1901
  • With Christ in sailor town; what the seamen's mission is doing, 1901
  • The Apostles of the South-East, 1901
  • A Whaleman's Wife, 1902
  • Sea Wrack, 1903
  • Denizens of the Deep, 1903-1904
  • Sea Puritans, 1904
  • Back to Sunny Seas, 1905
  • Frank Brown, Sea Apprentice, 1906
  • Sea Spray, 1906
  • Our Heritage, the Sea, 1906
  • The Call of the Deep, 1907
  • Advance, Australasia!, 1907
  • A Bounty Boy: Being Some Adventures of a Christian Barbarian on an unpremeditated Trip Round the World, 1907
  • The Confessions of a Tradesman, 1908
  • A Son of the Sea, 1908
  • The Seed of the Righteous, 1908
  • Creatures of the Sea, 1909
  • Beyond, 1909
  • The Bitter South 1909
  • Cut off from the world, 1909
  • The Salvage of a Sailor, 191-?
  • Told in the dog watches, 1910
  • Young Nemesis; or, The Pirate Hunter, 1910
  • Fighting the Icebergs, 1910
  • A Compleat Sea Cook, 1912
  • Songs of Sea Labour, 1914
  • Recollections: the reminiscences of the busy life of one who has played the varied parts of sailor, author & lecturer, 1915