MARRYAT, FREDERICK

born , July 10, 1792, London died Aug. 9, 1848, Langham, Norfolk, Eng. naval officer and the first important English novelist after Tobias Smollett to make full and amusing use of his varied experience at sea. Marryat entered the Royal Navy at the age of 14 and served with distinction in many parts of the world before retiring in 1830 with a captain's rank. He then began a series of adventure novels marked by a lucid, direct narrative style and an unfailing fund of incident and humour. These included The King's Own (1830), Peter Simple (1834), Mr. Midshipman Easy (1836), and Poor Jack (1840). He also wrote a number of children's books, among which The Children of the New Forest (1847), a story of the English Civil Wars, is a classic of children's literature. A Life and Letters was prepared by his daughter Florence (1872). Additional reading Oliver Warner, Captain Marryat: A Rediscovery (1953, reprinted 1979).