Kophetua the Thirteenth by Sir Julian Stafford Corbett

Description

Before he became the great historian of the Royal Navy, he wrote romances. Sir Julian Stafford Corbett (1854–1922) is remembered for his naval histories — but Kophetua the Thirteenth, first published in 1889, is his most enchanting early work: a historical romance taking its name from the legend of King Cophetua, who married a beggar maid.

Set in an imaginary African kingdom, the novel spins a tale of love, adventure, and intrigue — courtly intrigue, daring escapes, and a romance that crosses the boundaries of rank and custom. Corbett writes with a historian’s eye for detail and a novelist’s sense of pace, in the swashbuckling Victorian tradition.

Long out of print and now available in digital editions, Kophetua the Thirteenth is a delight for readers of classic adventure fiction. If you love Stevenson, Haggard, or the lost-world romances of the late nineteenth century, this forgotten gem deserves a place on your shelf.

Kophetua the Thirteenth by Sir Julian Stafford Corbett

Before Sir Julian Stafford Corbett (1854–1922) became the great historian of the Royal Navy, he wrote romances — and Kophetua the Thirteenth, first published in 1889, is his most enchanting. Taking its name from the legend of King Cophetua, who married a beggar maid, this historical romance spins a tale of love, adventure, and intrigue in an imaginary African kingdom.

An Adventure from a Master Storyteller

Corbett — already known for novels like The Fall of Asgard and For God and Gold — writes with a historian’s eye for detail and a novelist’s sense of pace. The result is a swashbuckling Victorian adventure, full of courtly intrigue, daring escapes, and a romance that crosses the boundaries of rank and custom.

Why Rediscover It

Long out of print and now available in digital editions such as Project Gutenberg’s, Kophetua the Thirteenth is a delight for readers of classic adventure fiction. If you love Stevenson, Haggard, or the lost-world romances of the late nineteenth century, this forgotten gem deserves a place on your shelf.