William Gordon Stables facts for kids
William Gordon Stables (born May 21, 1840 – died May 10, 1910) was a Scottish doctor who worked in the Royal Navy. He was also a very busy writer of adventure fiction, mostly for boys.
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A Life of Adventure and Writing
William Gordon Stables was born in a place called Aberchirder in Scotland. He studied medicine at the University of Aberdeen. After becoming a doctor, he worked as a surgeon in the Royal Navy. This meant he traveled a lot on ships.
In 1875, he stopped working on ships. He then settled down in Twyford, a town in England. He wrote more than 130 books during his life. Most of these were adventure stories for young boys. These stories often took place at sea or in historical times.
Writing for Young Readers
Besides adventure, he also wrote books about health and fitness. He even wrote guides on how to care for cats and dogs. He was a regular writer for a famous magazine called the Boy's Own Paper. He wrote many articles and stories for them.
People thought Stables was one of the best English writers who copied the style of Jules Verne. Verne was famous for his exciting adventure stories. Stables wrote polar adventure novels like The Cruise of the Snowbird (1882) and From Pole to Pole (1886). His book The Cruise of the Crystal Boat (1891) was considered his most exciting novel.
The First Caravan Journey
Stables is also famous for something very unique. He was the first person to order a special "gentleman’s caravan" from a company called Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works. A caravan is like a small house on wheels. In 1885, he traveled all the way across Great Britain in this caravan. He even wrote a book about this amazing trip called The Gentleman Gypsy.
Family Life
William Gordon Stables married Theresa "Lizzie" McCormack on July 15, 1874. They had four sons and two daughters together. He passed away at his home in Twyford, Berkshire, on May 10, 1910. He died from a sickness called tuberculosis.
Books by William Gordon Stables
Here are some of the books William Gordon Stables wrote:
- Medical Life in the Navy (1868)
- The Domestic Cat (1876)
- Wild Adventures in Wild Places (1881)
- Aileen Aroon (1884)
- On Special Service: A Tale of the Sea (1886)
- Exiles of Fortune: A Tale of a Far North Land (1890)
- Two Sailor Lads (1892)
- The Dog: From Puppyhood to Age (1893)
- A Souvenir of the "Wanderer" Caravan (1895)
- To Greenland and the Pole (1895)
- For Life and Liberty (1896)
- Off to Klondyke (1898)
- 'Twixt School and College (1901)
- Every Inch a Sailor (1903)
- In the Great White Land: A Tale of the Antarctic Ocean (1903)
- Our Friend the Dog (1903)
- Westward with Columbus (1906)
- Young Peggy McQueen (1906)
- The Sauciest Boy in the Service: A Story of Pluck and Perseverance (1911)
