This early work by William Wymark Jacobs was originally published in
1911 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory
biography. 'The Skipper's Wooing and The Brown Man's Servant' is one of
the author's few full length novels. Jacobs worked as a clerk in the
civil service before turning to writing in his late twenties, publishing
his first short story in 1895. Most of Jacobs' work appeared before the
onset of World War I, and although the majority of his output was
humorous in tone, he is best-remembered now for his macabre tales,
particularly those contained in his 1902 collection The Lady of the
Barge, such as 'The Monkey's Paw' and 'The Toll House'.