Kindle
$0.00
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$19.49
Paperback
$7.49
Kindle Price: $0.00

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Frederick Marryat
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Peter Simple Kindle Edition

by Frederick Marryat (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 116 ratings
See all formats and editions
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    385 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    May 12, 2012
  5. File size
    1041 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
Next page
Hard Rock apparel
Outerwear, tees, and accessories. Discover the rock shop.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0082VPIBA
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 12, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1041 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 385 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 144441660X
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 116 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Frederick Marryat

Frederick Marryat

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
116 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Woodtick Rick
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable History
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
This was the first book I've read by the author. I've been a huge fan of C.S. Forester, Patrick O'Brian, and Dewey Lambdin.
What I never knew was that Frederick Marryat preceded them all. Peter Simple is a wonderful, self-contained novel about the British Navy over two hundred years ago. It encompasses young Mr. Simple from his first days on ship as a midshipman up through his stature as a British Lord. All in all an enjoyable read.
Helpful
 Report
M. Kei
4.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Sea Romp
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2010
Verified Purchase
Peter Simple is an early novel by Captain Frederick Marryat, he who actually served during the Napoleonic Wars and under the redoubtable Lord Cochrane to boot. As such, Marryat's sea novels are replete with details of life as actually experienced by the men and officers of the time. However, Marryat's a humorist, and his goal is to tell an entertaining tale, and with Peter Simple he succeeds admirably. Fans of Patrick O'Brian will discover source material in Marryat later adapted by POB in his Aubrey/Maturin novels.

The plot of Peter Simple is rather thin; it concerns the training of a young midshipman, Peter Simple, 'the greatest fool in his family,' and how he is cheated out of his inheritance, only to eventually regain it. Along the way he meets a cast of engaging characters who tell their own stories. The results is highly discursive, but the characters are so sympathetic and their tales are so amusing that you don't mind that these digressions are not actually forwarding the plot. Chief amongst them is master's mate O'Brien who befriends the foolish young midshipman and they become bosom friends who share many adventures. Case in point, at one point they are captured by the French, escape from a French prison, then disguised as a pair of stilt-walkers, stilt-walk across France to gain their freedom. Peter, being the younger and prettier of the two, is obliged to wear the female costume. In this guise he comes face to face with the French girl he adores much to his chagrin. Readers of Aubrey/Maturin will recollect their escape across France with Jack disguised as a dancing bear. Marryat is funnier.

The adventures in Peter Simple are not impossible, merely improbable, and that's all part of the fun. Marryat has a fertile imagination that can wed a nautical adventure tale with all sorts of comic and sentimental happenings -- and I mean 'sentimental' in a good way. Marryat believes in true love and honor and happily ever after; Peter Simple is a sort of nautical fairy tale. It was my good fortune to read it immediately after Voltaire's Candide, and there is much in common between the two. Both Candide and Peter Simple are fools: naive, kind, good, generous, and woefully taken advantage of by the unscrupulous people around him, but are helped by various colorful friends who undergo adventures of their own. Candide's Dr. Pangloss was hanged by the Spanish Inquisition; Peter's friend O'Brien was murdered by brigands and buried in the sand. Pangloss owes his survival to the assistance of the doctor that intended to perform an autopsy on him; O'Brien survives thanks to having his nose trod on by a pretty girl who then digs him out.

Although there is a great deal of improbability in Peter Simple, it all derives from elements that are entirely believable in themselves. For example, when the brand new Mr Midshipman Simple reports on board, the other middies take advantage of him by charging tarts to his account. When he discovers the bill, he pays it because he's such an honorable young man that he refuses to deprive the bumboat woman of her money. He never manages to collect from the other middies, but he learns a hard lesson -- never run into debt and don't buy on credit. This tale of the tarts actually has a great many more chapters to it, with a detour through pastry shops and cheating at church, resulting in the wayward middies wearing tarts on their heads while on the quarterdeck. You may wonder how it is even possible to cheat while attending worship, but let me assure you, our middies are clever enough to figure it out.

A rambling tale, it is not the well-organized bit of literature we dignify with the name of 'novel,' which is why I gave it only four stars, but it's well worth a few hours of your time. Reading Peter Simple is like drinking in a tavern with old salts who never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

~review by M. Kei, author of  The Sallee Rovers (Pirates of the Narrow Seas)
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Reviewerer
5.0 out of 5 stars Whimsical Story with Fantastic Characters
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2014
Verified Purchase
I love everything written by Marryat. Unlike O'Brien or Forester, Marryat's novels and short stories are largely character driven dramas that happen to be in nautical settings. But you won't miss any of the naval action. Marryat was actually there, so there is authenticity through and through. The best thing about Marryat's novels is his sense of humor. The books are laugh out loud funny, and sometimes just plain silly. It's a very refreshing change from Hornblower or Bolitho novels which are oh so serious. Mind you Marryat lived in a different era. Sometimes the prejudices and outright racism of the time creeps in which can leave a bad taste in your mouth. But in the next chapter, Marryat will show you the other side of human nature which in his case is often very charitable and kind. You really get an idea of who he was and the time he lived in, along with a great story. Peter Simple is probably the most read and the best of Marryat's work, but by no means the only one of his stories worth reading. Mr. Midshipman Easy, the Phantom Ship, and Snarleyyow should all be read. Then get into the short stories. Great great storytelling.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
somebabsguy
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to see the inspiration behind other novels
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
Well-written and captivating, especially towards the end. You can definitely see where future authors (especially C.S. Forester) got their ideas and inspiration. Battle scenes aren't as developed as they could be, but that's not he main point of the book anyway.
Helpful
 Report
Dennis M. Bash
5.0 out of 5 stars Peter Simple
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2013
Verified Purchase
MARRYAT develops a great story line that is applicable today as in the1830s. His treatment of battles makes you feel like you are there. A great read.
Helpful
 Report
bobby
4.0 out of 5 stars Sailing ships and intrigue. Entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
Tale of intrigue and the sea. From late 1700's to early 1800's. Lots of learning about sailing ships and British navy
Helpful
 Report
John Farrell
3.0 out of 5 stars This guy was the original. Having said that, ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
This guy was the original. Having said that, he wrote for the popular sensibilities of his time so it follows a formula which may seem stale to some modern day readers.
Helpful
 Report
Lady of the Dry Lake
5.0 out of 5 stars An Overlooked Comic Gem
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2014
Verified Purchase
Marryat is like the genius child of Charles Dickens and C.S. Forrester. He's witty, dramatic, hilarious and poignant He captures an accent better than any author I've read. Once you meet the character O'Brian, you won't forget him. The plot lines are predictable, again like Dickens, but the style makes it worth the effort.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Huge 1
5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of a boy brought up to be a man of note.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
What heartless creatures some men are. How things of insignificance can be so rewarding. The adventures of a seaman in His Majesty’s Navy.
Report
Ian
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
Reviewed in Australia on October 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
A remarkable story with some insights which still hold true today. I will have to read more of Mr Marryat's works.
Report
T. R. Mortimer
4.0 out of 5 stars The Old Ones are The Best !
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2015
Verified Purchase
An astonishingly entertaining book. I bought it simply because I found one of my favourite quotations came from it, using a Web-site that offered a sample. Also, it was cheap, which suits me. I note that this reply seems to require the American language. I am English, so perhaps it's why I like the book, much of which will be totally incomprehensible for American speakers. Nevertheless give it a try. The worst that can happen is you'll be bored a bit; go and watch ice-hockey - especially good is the part where a man [sorry, person] drives a tractor to sweep up ice and bodies. Take you Kindle, though, you'll be converted.
One person found this helpful
 Report
2738
3.0 out of 5 stars Inhalt top, Scan Flop
Reviewed in Germany on January 18, 2011
Verified Purchase
Zum Inhalt selbst: ein toller Abenteuerroman. Hatte das Buch in meiner Jugendzeit in deutsch gelesen und wollte es nun in der Originalsprache in meine Bibliothek stellen. Der Inhalt ist auch noch wie in meiner Erinnerung. Ein spannendes Buch über einen jungen Kadetten, Enkel eines Lords und "Fool of the family" und seine Abenteuer auf See. Beschreibungen von Seemanövern, Gefechten, Charakteren ... einfach alles sehr spannend. Aber der Reprint ist qualitätsmäßig ganz schlecht. Ich dachte an ein normales Buch, aber es ist der Ausdruck eines Scans! Buchstaben sind falsch, am Rand teilweise ganz weg und das Lesen ist wesentlich anstrengender. Und ob ichs in meine Bibliothek stellen möchte, weiß ich auch noch nicht. Das ist wirklich nicht schön. Bitte vorher einen Blick ins Buch werfen. Geht jetzt, vor ein paar Monaten leider noch nicht.
Report
Mr E Jenkinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story written in an easy and charming style
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
Peter gets sent to sea and we follow him as he recounts his salty story through to its dramatic and satisfying conclusion.
Endearing and evocative. I can read this book repeatedly. In fact I will.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report