James MacDonald Oxley (1855-1907) was one of the best known Canadian authors of his time. Born and raised in Halifax, Oxley attended Dalhousie University and then Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the Bar of Nova Scotia in 1878 and practiced law in Halifax for about five years, before accepting an appointment as legal advisor in the Marine and Fisheries Department in Ottawa. In 1892 he became manager of the Sun Life Assurance Company at their head office in Montreal. He moved to Toronto around the turn of the century, and died of tuberculosis at the relatively young age of 52.
Many of his novels are not copyright in many countries and some are available as free eBooks.
AOS Naval Fiction |
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| Series: n/a | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| 1804 | Diamond Rock aka The Good Ship Gryphon |
Dick Holland is determined to follow in the steps of his captain father and joins the frigate Gryphon |
| 1862 | Terry's Trials and Triumphs | Terry runs away to sea during the American Civil War and finds himself aboard the USS Minnesota |
AOS Other Nautical Fiction |
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| Series: n/a | ||
| Year | Book | Comment |
| 1799 | The Wreckers of Sable Island | A voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in the year 1799 |
| In the Swing of the Sea | A whaling story set in the South Pacific | |
| Baffling The Blockade | A paddle steamer intends to break the Federal blockade | |