A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1886 — all 16 pages of painted-cover fiction magazines that launched science fiction, horror, and hardboiled crime, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.

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A complete issue · 16 pages · 1886

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship"

1886 · Free to read

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 2 of 16 — 2 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 3 of 16 — 3 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 4 of 16 — 4 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 5 of 16 — 5 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 6 of 16 — 6 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 7 of 16 — 7 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 8 of 16 — 8 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 9 of 16 — 9 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 10 of 16 — 10 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 11 of 16 — 11 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 12 of 16 — 12 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 13 of 16 — 13 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 14 of 16 — 14 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 15 of 16 — 15 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 475: "The Black Ship" — page 16 of 16 — 16 / 16

About this issue

This serial story by John S. Warner, published in Beadle and Adams' weekly dime novel series (Vol. XIX, No. 475, August 31, 1886), begins with a dramatic maritime rescue. A merchant vessel founders in a violent Atlantic gale with passengers including Clara, a young woman traveling to America with her uncle Mr. Snowden and aunt Mrs. Bryce. The ship fires a distress cannon. Nearby, British naval Lieutenant Harold Merton commands a man-of-war; recognizing the signal, he maneuverers his vessel to assist despite the treacherous sea. His crew rescues the passengers but arrives too late to save the merchant ship's remaining crew—it sinks with catastrophic loss of life. During their time aboard the rescue vessel, Merton and Clara develop affection that culminates in their betrothal by summer. Chapter II shifts to coastal Georgia in May 1776, introducing a hidden harbor near rocky headlands, suggesting political intrigue or adventure during the American Revolutionary period.

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