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Richard Arthur Warren Hughes
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In Hazard (New York Review Books Classics) Kindle Edition

by Richard Hughes (Author), John Crowley (Introduction) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 46 ratings
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The Archimedes is a modern merchant steamship in tip-top condition, and in the summer of 1929 it has been picking up goods along the eastern seaboard of the United States before making a run to China. A little overloaded, perhaps—the oddly assorted cargo includes piles of old newspapers and heaps of tobacco—the ship departs for the Panama Canal from Norfolk, Virginia, on a beautiful autumn day. Before long, the weather turns unexpectedly rough—rougher in fact than even the most experienced members of the crew have ever encountered. The Archimedes, it turns out, has been swept up in the vortex of an immense hurricane, and for the next four days it will be battered and mauled by wind and waves as it is driven wildly off course. Caught in an unremitting struggle for survival, both the crew and the ship will be tested as never before.

Based on detailed research into an actual event, Richard Hughes’s tale of high suspense on the high seas is an extraordinary story of men under pressure and the unexpected ways they prove their mettle—or crack. Yet the originality, art, and greatness of In Hazard stem from something else: Hughes’s eerie fascination with the hurricane itself, the inhuman force around which this wrenching tale of humanity at its limits revolves. Hughes channels the furies of sea and sky into a piece of writing that is both apocalyptic and analytic. In Hazard is an unforgettable, defining work of modern adventure.
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  1. Print length
    267 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    NYRB Classics
  5. Publication date
    August 29, 2012
  6. File size
    417 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A tremendous piece of dramatic narrative description . . . magnificent. SUNDAY TIMES

To take the same subject as Conrad in TYPHOON would be foolhardy if it were not so triumphantly justified. GRAHAM GREEN -- From the Publisher

About the Author

Richard Hughes (1900—1976) attended Oxford and lived for most of his life in a castle in Wales. His books include The Fox in the Attic, The Wooden Shepherdess, and A High Wind in Jamaica. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and, in the United States, an honorary member of both the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1946.

John Crowley is the author of many critically acclaimed books, including Love & Sleep, Aegypt, and Little, Big. He lives in northern Massachusetts with his wife and twin daughters.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005UF5F7I
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ NYRB Classics (August 29, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 29, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 417 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 267 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 46 ratings

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Richard Arthur Warren Hughes

Richard Arthur Warren Hughes

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
46 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

L. Bensend
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2021
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this is the book for when a storm hits and you have a long evening to read.
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Rich
4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and multi-layered
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2014
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An unexpected hurricane disables a British steamer off of Cuba and the weary crew improvises in an attempt to extract itself from an increasingly desperate situation, as the storm never seems to leave of lighten. During the few days covered in this relatively brief book, we learn a lot about hurricanes, the engineering of steamers and, more important, the conduct of men under pressure. Hughes focuses much on the theme of man against nature, and he wrote the book to reflect the building tension within England as the imminence of World War II became evident. His depiction of varying forms of leadership, ingenuity and character -- and how an individual's world view and circumstances shape actions -- are fascinating. The prose is crystal clear, and the narrator's voice is wry, strangely funny and occasionally apologetic. Skip the intro until you finish the book- it reveals a key plot point, but be sure to read Hughes' afterward, in which he makes clear that pre-war England was very much on his mind as he penned this tale.
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peter e
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2018
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beautiful writing, good story, use a nautical dictionary!
One person found this helpful
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BirderBob
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a good read
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2013
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For a non sailor, I love reading about anything having to do with the oceans. This was a good book, not a great book, but a thoroughly enjoyable one.
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E.J. Kaye
3.0 out of 5 stars Starts strong as a hurricane but ends with a whimper
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2021
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Great description and intensity at the start, but the personal stories -- interesting at first -- seemed to take the place of how the crew handles the conditions. I was excited and plowed through the first half and grew bored by the end.
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Ben Strange
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most gripping storms in literature!
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 1998
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In Hazard is about the capacity of mankind to cope with overwhelming challenges and believe in its future against dreadful odds. It is a thrilling, sobering, and masterfully written book--but it is worth its price just for the account of the storm, whose winds will never quite die out in the mind of the reader.
6 people found this helpful
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Buckeye
4.0 out of 5 stars A fine tale - but beware the Intro
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2008
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This is a 'ripping yarn' type of book that tells the story of the crew of the tanker ship 'Archimedes' and their struggle to save themselves and their ship in the midst of a freakish hurricane. The writing and storytelling are quite good and it's an easy, enjoyable read. However, I would strongly suggest that you avoid reading the introduction - at least until you've finished reading the book - as the person who wrote it decided to reveal one of the more significant plot twists. I've come across this sort of woeful inconsideration of the reader more than once in an introductin and I do not get it. So let the reader beware!
18 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Experience a terrible sea storm without getting wet!
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2008
For years, I have been a big fan of Richard Hughes' book A High Wind in Jamaica. When I had a chance to read the newly republished In Hazard (1938) through Librarything's Early Reviewers program, I was thrilled. Unfortunately, I am not able to report on the new introduction by John Crowley, (author of Little, Big) since that was not included in the advance uncorrected proof.
Hughes has framed this compelling tale with a carefully researched account of a ship that was caught in, and dragged by, a hurricane over several days time, barely remaining afloat and soon without any power. Arranging the story by day over one week's time, we come to know how dependent parts of a ship's operating system are with all other parts and areas of the ship. The specific details of ship handling and construction were enthralling and horrifying. Into the frame, Hughes has inserted his characters, officers, engineers, Chinese stokers, a young seaman. Each of these becomes very real, and very individual, to the reader. The combination of the terrible storm, its effects on the ship and the men and the suspense of how, and if, the ship will survive make enthralling reading. Men act better, or worse, that you would expect under trials such as these. When you remember that the book came out just before World War II, it really makes you think about all the endangered men at sea in that conflict and what they had to undergo.
I recommend this book without reservation. The reader will gain a great deal of interesting information, and many things to ponder in the lives and interactions of human beings. The sudden event at the end was shocking to me, but I can see how it relates to the very beginning of the book, and makes the whole stronger.
15 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

John E
5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best description of a tropical storm at sea
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2020
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Although a dated book it is still a good read if you love the sea. Superb descriptions of a tropical storm and the havoc it can cause on a ship. Lots of accurate technical detail but still very readable even if you have a limited knowledge of ships and weather systems.
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R. J. Middleton
5.0 out of 5 stars Wind and waves
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2017
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This book is one of the best sea tales yet told. Ranks along with Joseph Conrad's "Typhoon" as an epic of the period. A deep insight into the behavior of seamen faced with the terrifying power of wind and wave. Technically brilliantly researched of the lives on board and human behavior under intense stress and fear together with a complex understanding of the mechanics of handling a vessel in such dire conditions.
One person found this helpful
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Speedpack
5.0 out of 5 stars Appreciate the frightening power of the sea
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 21, 2021
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An astounding description of the effect of a storm at sea on a ship and its crew .
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