Frank T. Bullen
Frank T. Bullen was a notable figure in maritime literature, recognized for his contributions as a writer and lecturer on nautical themes. He began his life in challenging circumstances as a street urchin in London, but at the age of twelve, he was introduced to the sea by his uncle, the captain of a ship named the Arabella. This early exposure led him to embark on a diverse range of nautical adventures, serving on various vessels worldwide. At eighteen, he joined the whaler Cachalot, an experience that would deeply influence his writing.
Bullen's most significant work, *The Cruise of the "Cachalot,"* provides a vivid portrayal of life aboard a whaling ship and has been praised by contemporaries, including Rudyard Kipling. Following its success, Bullen dedicated himself to a writing career, publishing approximately one book each year until his death in 1915. His expertise in maritime lore garnered him respect and demand as a lecturer across the British Isles. Bullen remains a respected member of the literary community focused on seafaring adventures.
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Frank T. Bullen
English travel writer
- Born: April 5, 1857
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: March 1, 1915
- Place of death: Madeira Island
Biography
Frank Thomas Bullen was a minor but respected member of the great fraternity of literary seafaring men. By the age of nine, he was a street urchin and errand boy about the docks of London. At twelve, he was rescued from this unpromising existence by his uncle, the master of the Arabella, who started him on those nautical adventures that eventually furnished him with the material for about fifteen books and many lectures. First as cabin boy, then as able-bodied seaman, he shipped aboard vessels from various ports of the world until, at the age of eighteen, he found himself in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he signed for a cruise on the whaler Cachalot.
When the expedition was over, he returned to London, where he became a clerk in the British government’s Meteorological Office and started work on his first and most important book, The Cruise of the “Cachalot,” a vivid and detailed account of life on a Yankee whaler. The book was highly praised—Rudyard Kipling termed it the finest report on the techniques of whaling that he had ever read—and with its success Bullen was able to devote all of his energies to writing. From this first achievement until his death on March 1, 1915, while on a trip to the island of Madeira, he wrote approximately one publication a year, and he gained enough prestige as a master of nautical lore to be in demand as a lecturer throughout the British Isles.
Bibliography
Bullen, Frank T. The Log of a Sea Waif: Being Recollections of the First Four Years of My Sea Life. London: Smith, Elder, 1899.
Bullen, Frank T. Recollections: The Reminiscences of the Busy Life of One Who Has Played the Varied Parts of Sailor, Author, and Lecturer. London: Seeley, Service, 1915.