“Q” Boat Adventures

The Exploits of the Famous Mystery Ships

by a “Q” Boat Commander


by

Lt.-Commander

Harold Auten

V.C., R.N.R.

This is the 1919 First Edition, in worn condition and with severely bowed covers


 

Front cover and spine

Further images of this book are shown below

 
 
Publisher and place of publication   Dimensions in inches (to the nearest quarter-inch)
London: Herbert Jenkins Limited   4¾ inches wide x 7¾ inches tall
     
Edition   Length
1919   289 pages + Publisher’s advertisement
     
Condition of covers    Internal condition
Original red cloth blocked in black. The covers have bowed outwards significantly and are heavily rubbed and quite faded, particularly around the edges where there is significant loss of colour. There is a shallow crease across part of the front cover with a few small indentations in the crease. The spine has faded severely, with complete loss of original colour, while the spine gutters are very heavily rubbed and beginning to fray in places. There is a tear at the head of the rear spine gutter which has been strengthened by some fabric on the inside. There is damage to the head and tail of the spine, with fraying and small tears in the cloth. The corners are bumped and slightly frayed.   The inner hinges are cracked, leaving the text block somewhat loose. The extent of the cracking to the front hinge can be seen in the final image, which also shows the old Prize Label on the front pastedown. This states that the book was awarded to T. Neill, Boy Writer, Captain of Dockyard Department in Rosyth by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in March 1922, and is signed by the Admiral Superintendent. The end-papers are very browned and discoloured. The text is clean throughout on noticeably tanned paper. The illustrations have acquired a yellowish tinge.
     
Dust-jacket present?   Other comments
No   This is a fairly worn example of the 1919 Edition, though collated and complete, and with the added interest of the Admiralty Prize Label. Like many Herbert Jenkins volumes of this period, the text block is working loose of the binding. The other main issues are the damage to the head and tail of the spine and significantly bowed covers.
     
Illustrations, maps, etc   Contents
Please see below for details   Please see below for details
     
Post & shipping information   Payment options
The packed weight is approximately 600 grams.


Full shipping/postage information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing.

   Payment options :
  • UK buyers: cheque (in GBP), debit card, credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal
  • International buyers: credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal

Full payment information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing. 




“Q” Boat Adventures

Contents

 

I. THE COMING OF THE " Q " BOAT
II. A SURPRISING APPOINTMENT
III. MY FIRST "Q" BOAT
IV. THE END OF THE " ZYL.PHA "
V. EXPLOITS OF CAPTAIN GORDON CAMPBELL, V.C., D.S.O.
VI. UFE ON BOARD A " Q" BOAT
VII. AN EPIC ENCOUNTER
VIII. THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN
IX. H.M.S. " HEATHER " RETURNS TO PORT
X. MY FIRST COMMAND
XI. SOME " Q " BOAT ANECDOTES
XII. THE MYSTERY OF THE " PRIZE "
XIII. THE TRAGEDY OF THE " STONECROP "
XIV. THE CONVERSION OF THE " STOCK FORCE"
XV. ON SECRET SERVICE
XVI. A FIGHT TO A FINISH
XVII. THE " SUFFOLK COAST " ON TOUR
XVIII. CONCLUSIO  [sic]

 


ILLUSTRATIONS


"STAND BY ! " "LET GO !" A " Q " BOAT GUN UNMASKED. A HIT WITH THE FIRST SHOT Frontispiece
" THE SUFFOLK COAST." A TYPICAL " Q " BOAT OF THE COLLIER-TRAMP CLASS
THE CREW OF THE " SUFFOLK COAST " DRESSED AS MERCHANT SEAMEN
THE SAME CREW IN THE KING'S UNIFORM
THE " PANIC PARTY " PREPARING TO LEAVE THE SHIP
This was done to convince the Hun that the "Q" boat had been abandoned, whereas two-thirds of her crew were still on board, waiting for the moment to sink the U " boat
THE HATCH CLOSED OVER A TWELVE-POUNDER GUN
THE SAME HATCH OPEN, SHOWING THE TWELVE-POUNDER GUN READY FOR ACTION
LIEUT.-COMMANDER AUTEN CAMOUFLAGED AS A TRAMP SKIPPER
SIGHTING THE HUN
The officer of the watch on the bridge sees a periscope. He presses the rattler-push and so gives the alarm to all hands
THE MIDSHIP FOUR-INCH GUN OF A " Q " BOAT WITH ITS DISGUISE DROPPED AS IN ACTION
THE BOARD OF LIES
Every member of the crew of a " Q " boat had to commit to memory the particulars of this board, so that the Huns might hear the same story from al
THE VENGEANCE OF H.M.S. " PRIZE "
THE PERISCOPE HIDDEN IN A BOGEY FUNNEL ON THE FORECASTLE HEAD :
A GROUP OF "Q" BOAT OFFICERS
A GERMAN " U " BOAT
These craft learned to be very cautious in the way they approached even the most harmless looking craft
THE "Q 7-" H.M.S. "'PENSHURST " CRUISING AT SEA ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR "U" BOATS. THE COLLAPSIBLE BOAT MASKS A GUN
 



Please note: to avoid opening the book out, with the risk of damaging the spine, some of the pages were slightly raised on the inner edge when being scanned, which has resulted in some blurring to the text and a shadow on the inside edge of the final images. Colour reproduction is shown as accurately as possible but please be aware that some colours are difficult to scan and may result in a slight variation from the colour shown below to the actual colour.

In line with eBay guidelines on picture sizes, some of the illustrations may be shown enlarged for greater detail and clarity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The inner hinges are cracked, leaving the text block somewhat loose. The extent of the cracking to the front hinge can be seen in the final image, which also shows the old Prize Label on the front pastedown. This states that the book was awarded to T. Neill, Boy Writer, Captain of Dockyard Department in Rosyth by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in March 1922, and is signed by the Admiral Superintendent. The end-papers are very browned and discoloured.



U.K. buyers:

To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the postage figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from postage and packaging. Postage can be combined for multiple purchases.

 

Packed weight of this item : approximately 600 grams

 

Postage and payment options to U.K. addresses:

  • Details of the various postage options can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above).

  • Payment can be made by: debit card, credit card (Visa or MasterCard, but not Amex), cheque (payable to "G Miller", please), or PayPal.

  • Please contact me with name, address and payment details within seven days of the end of the listing; otherwise I reserve the right to cancel the sale and re-list the item.

  • Finally, this should be an enjoyable experience for both the buyer and seller and I hope you will find me very easy to deal with. If you have a question or query about any aspect (postage, payment, delivery options and so on), please do not hesitate to contact me.



International buyers:

To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the shipping figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from shipping and handling.

Shipping can usually be combined for multiple purchases (to a maximum of 5 kilograms in any one parcel with the exception of Canada, where the limit is 2 kilograms).

 

Packed weight of this item : approximately 600 grams

 

International Shipping options:

Details of the postage options to various countries (via Air Mail) can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above) and then selecting your country of residence from the drop-down list. For destinations not shown or other requirements, please contact me before buying.

 

Due to the extreme length of time now taken for deliveries, surface mail is no longer a viable option and I am unable to offer it even in the case of heavy items. I am afraid that I cannot make any exceptions to this rule.

Payment options for international buyers:

  • Payment can be made by: credit card (Visa or MasterCard, but not Amex) or PayPal. I can also accept a cheque in GBP [British Pounds Sterling] but only if drawn on a major British bank.

  • Regretfully, due to extremely high conversion charges, I CANNOT accept foreign currency : all payments must be made in GBP [British Pounds Sterling]. This can be accomplished easily using a credit card, which I am able to accept as I have a separate, well-established business, or PayPal.

  • Please contact me with your name and address and payment details within seven days of the end of the listing; otherwise I reserve the right to cancel the sale and re-list the item.

  • Finally, this should be an enjoyable experience for both the buyer and seller and I hope you will find me very easy to deal with. If you have a question or query about any aspect (shipping, payment, delivery options and so on), please do not hesitate to contact me.

Prospective international buyers should ensure that they are able to provide credit card details or pay by PayPal within 7 days from the end of the listing (or inform me that they will be sending a cheque in GBP drawn on a major British bank). Thank you.



(please note that the book shown is for illustrative purposes only and forms no part of this listing)

Book dimensions are given in inches, to the nearest quarter-inch, in the format width x height.

Please note that, to differentiate them from soft-covers and paperbacks, modern hardbacks are still invariably described as being ‘cloth’ when they are, in fact, predominantly bound in paper-covered boards pressed to resemble cloth.




Fine Books for Fine Minds


I value your custom (and my feedback rating) but I am also a bibliophile : I want books to arrive in the same condition in which they were dispatched. For this reason, all books are securely wrapped in tissue and a protective covering and are then posted in a cardboard container. If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund. Unless the size of the book precludes this, hardback books with a dust-jacket are usually provided with a clear film protective cover, while hardback books without a dust-jacket are usually provided with a rigid clear cover.

The Royal Mail, in my experience, offers an excellent service, but things can occasionally go wrong. However, I believe it is my responsibility to guarantee delivery. If any book is lost or damaged in transit, I will offer a full refund.

 Thank you for looking.



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