Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor - Hardcover

Mervyn Peake

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1406319511 ISBN 13: 9781406319514

Publisher: Walker Childrens Hardbacks, 2009

Synopsis

This is a special anniversary edition to celebrate a swashbuckling fantasy that remains as contemporary today as it did 70 years ago. Captain Slaughterboard is the most ferocious and wicked pirate you could ever imagine. He likes nothing better than cutting people up with his cutlass or making them walk the plank. Then one day, on a remote island, he spies a strange Yellow Creature - and from that time on, he's a changed man. How he loves the Yellow Creature! They become the best of friends, always together, sailing the oceans. But will Captain Slaughterboard ever drop anchor for good? This book is from the cult novelist Mervyn Peake, with a new introduction by his son, Fabian.

About this title

Review

Back in the 1930s, a young man named Mervyn Peake fled the pressures of modern society for the Channel Islands in hopes of living a free, bohemian life with his wife and two sons. Each Sunday, he would draw pictures of pirates, comical animals, and shipboard scenarios for his family's amusement. Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor, first published in 1939, is a stunning collection of those marvelously detailed illustrations and a splendid, swashbuckling story to boot. As the salty sea captain's name might suggest, he is as bloodthirsty a pirate as they come. One day, blue-tattooed mate Charlie Choke spies a pink island on the horizon. "'Pink!' shouted the Captain, leaping to his feet. 'That's just the sort I like. Sail me there and hurry up or I'll chop you all up into mincemeat.'"

On the island, they capture the gentle Yellow Creature (much to its glee) and bring it back to their boat. The other island inhabitants, all purple, silently watch the Y.C. leave, except for the bottom-dwelling Plummet who "couldn't see that anything was happening, but he felt it was." Suffice it to say that this nonsensical Lewis Carrollific, Edward Learesque story is a pure delight. Peake's imaginative, R. Crumb-style illustrations of pirate life and fanciful creatures are rich with detail that children will love examining at length. To top it all off, he offers a story of unlikely friendship of a ferocious pirate who comes to wonder how he could have ever enjoyed battle so much and the Yellow Creature, who is an expert at lounging around and eating fruit. Eccentric, playful, and as utterly original as all of Mervyn Peake's work (The Ghormenghast trilogy), Captain Slaughterboard is a classic that well deserves this no-less-than-fantastic recasting. Yo-ho! (Ages 6 and older) --Karin Snelson

About the Author

Mervyn Peake (1911-1968) wrote poetry and plays, was a painter and illustrator and designed theatrical costumes. But he is best known for his Gormenghast trilogy, which includes the novels Titus Groan, Gormenghast and Titus Alone. Several of his works have since been adapted into television and radio plays. Mervyn Peake also illustrated memorable editions of such classics as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Hunting of the Snark, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Treasure Island.

Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Childrens Hardbacks
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1406319511
• ISBN 13: 9781406319514
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 48