Dead Man's Isle: stirring tale of Pirates and Buried Treasure
Author
Hedley Scott
Date1933
Object number00027893
NameBook
MediumInk on paper
DimensionsOverall: 176 x 141 x 6 mm, 0.1 kg
Display Dimensions: 176 x 140 x 8 mm
Display Dimensions: 176 x 140 x 8 mm
ClassificationsBooks and journals
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis children's book is titled 'Dead Man's Isle; Stirring Tale of Pirates and Buried Treasure'. The name of the author, Hedley Scott, appears on the front cover under the title and the text `no371 The Boy's Friend Library 4d' is printed at the lower left corner.
The book's front cover features a colour illustration of a pirate fighting a young boy while the back cover contains advertisements and information on the printers. The publication consists of twenty eight chapters.HistoryThe Boys' Friend Library was published by the Amalgamated Press and founded in 1906 by W H Back. The publication lasted until wartime paper shortages affected production and the last issue was published in June 1940.
Many well-known authors contributed to the series, including Leslie Charteris, Jules Verne and WE Johns - the creator of 'Biggles'. The stories that appeared in the Boys' Friend Library series consisted mainly of school and sporting stories, tales of adventure and a mix of historical and science fiction.
The author of this issue, Hedley Scott (1899-1965) - real name Hedley Percival Angelo O'Mant - was a regular contributer to The Boys' Friend Library. 'Dead Man's Isle' is a story of pirates and buried treasure on an island in the South Pacific Ocean.SignificanceThis publication draws on the public fascination with pirates in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Series such as The Boys' Friend Library captured this fascination with stories of adventure, history and science fiction in the style of Jules Verne (a contributer) and R L Stevenson ('Treasure Island') for a young male audience.
