''Poor Jack'' is a novel by the English author Frederick Marryat, published in 1840. It tells the story of Thomas Saunders, a sailor's son and neglected street urchin struggling to survive in

Greenwich, London Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

in the early 19th century. ("Poor Jack" was the title given by the waterfront boys, or

mudlark A mudlark is someone who scavenges in river mud for items of value, a term used especially to describe those who scavenged this way in London during the late 18th and 19th centuries. The practice of searching the banks of rivers for items cont ...

s, to their chief.) In a rags-to-riches story Saunders eventually rises by his own efforts to become a pilot on the Thames, makes his fortune and retires to the life of a wealthy squire. The novel has interesting descriptions of domestic life among the naval lower ranks and contains many anecdotes of seafaring life.

External links

*
Poor Jack
' at

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1840 British novels English novels 1840s children's books Jack tales Novels set during the Napoleonic Wars Novels by Frederick Marryat Novels set in London {{war-novel-stub