Howard Pease (1) (1894–1974)

As a boy Howard Pease was one of my favorite authors. Most of his books are set on ships at sea. Mystery at Thunderbolt House is one of his few books with a land setting. The time is 1905 and 1906 and the place is San Francisco. The Allen family who live in Stockton CA have just inherited a mansion in San Francisco. Mysteries revolve around the questionable past of Mrs. Allen's uncle Edward Judson who left his house and contents to her. The protagonist Judson Allen, 17, inherits Uncle Edward's collection of valuable books. Why do books keep disappearing from the mansion's library and what was Uncle Edward's involvement with the Vigilantes.… (meer)

The sea stories of Howard Pease were among the favorites of my boyhood. A combination of adventure at sea with mysteries. I just reread The Tattooed Man. Tod Moran a seventeen year old from Stockton CA goes to sea to find his brother who has not been heard from for some time. He meets a huge tattooed ship's cook who guides him through many dangers. First published in 1926 this was one of my father's favorites as well as mine. Set at a time when ships still were run by steam with firemen shoveling coal below decks it is full of exotic high adventure. Pease's books may not be found in too many school libraries today. The language of the 1920s includes some terms considered racist now ; characters like Tony the Wop and Squarehead Swede Jorgensen would not be used today nor should they be. Other ethnic slurs are heard too,While Pease's characters make racist statements he never portrayed nonwhites are evil or villains. The bad guys of all of his stories were white.

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