Moonfleet

Moonfleet (1898) is an adventure novel by J. Meade Falkner. Largely forgotten by today’s readers, Falkner was more widely known in his lifetime for his nonfiction works on history and topography as well as his role as chairman of a major arms manufacturer. Far from the amateur musings of a bored millionaire, Falkner’s writing shows a mastery of genre fiction while benefitting from his extensive geographical knowledge. Moonfleet has been adapted several times for radio, television, and film, most notably for Fritz Lang’s 1955 feature of the same name. “When I was a child I thought that this place was called Moonfleet, because on a still night, whether in summer, or in winter frosts, the moon shone very brightly on the lagoon; but learned afterwards that 'twas but short for 'Mohune-fleet', from the Mohunes, a great family who were once lords of all these parts.” Growing up in Moonfleet, young John Trenchard couldn’t help but hear the legends of the powerful Mohune family, whose ancestor Colonel Blackbeard is said to have stolen a diamond from King Charles I. An orphan, he is raised by his aunt, Miss Arnold, who tries to protect him from the violence and crime perpetuated by local smugglers. At church one Sunday, John hears noises from the crypt below and endeavors to return. The next day, he encounters two of his friends beside the church wall, and suspects they are searching for the ghost of Blackbeard. As he steps into a sinkhole in the graveyard, he finds himself in a tunnel leading to the crypt, where the telltale signs of smuggling reveal a shocking secret.

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J. Meade Falkner (1858-1932) was an English businessman, novelist, and poet. Born in Wiltshire, he was raised in Dorchester and Weymouth. Falkner attended Marlborough College and Hertford College, Oxford, graduating in 1882 with a history degree. He worked as a teacher at Derby School before being hired as a tutor for Sir Andrew Noble, chairman of the arms manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth Co. In 1915, Falkner succeeded Noble as chairman, retiring six years later to travel the world. Moonfleet, an adventure novel set in 18th century England, draws on his extensive knowledge of the geography of Dorset and the Isle of Wight. In addition to poems, a book on Oxfordshire history, and several topographical guides, Falkner published two other novels in his lifetime.