Masterpieces of Adventure

Stories of the Sea and Sky

By: Nella Braddy - editor

Narrated by: Jack de Golia

Nella Braddy (1894-1973), a pioneer among female editors, compiled this seven-story collection and published Masterpieces of Adventure: Tales of the Sea and Sky in 1921. It features seven authors: Frank Norris, W. Clark Russell, Major General E.D. Swinton, Donn Byrne, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Guy de Maupassant, and Edgar Allan Poe.

A century since publication, we can perhaps have a new appreciation for tales of the sea (on ships both wrecked and abandoned, in lighthouses and with ferocious currents) and the sky (with warfare in dirigibles and using balloons). Tales are told with the descriptive language used in ways modern audiences may not be used to. But remember, readers a century ago still moved at a pace much slower and even more contemplative than our modern hectic, digital overloaded life allows us. Still, these stories have an impact and a succinct style of the short story.

Braddy went on to write and edit more articles and books, including a total of four in the Masterpieces of Adventure series; one focused on Helen Keller's break-through teacher, Anna Sullivan Macy; and a biography of Rudyard Kipling.

Public Domain (P)2022 Jack de Golia