The Ship of Coral is a fascinating tropical romance full of adventure. Its charming characterization and thrilling storyline made this work a hit instantly. H. De Vere Stacpoole traveled extensively, taking up a profession as a ship's doctor. His time at sea most certainly inspired many stories and characters in his writing. This absorbing book frequently displayed detailed depictions of the natural life and civilizations he had become familiar with during his travels on those islands. Excerpt from The Ship of Coral: "The sea lay blue to the far horizon. Blue—Ah, blue is but a name till you have seen the sea that breaks around the Bahamas and gives anchorage to the tall ships at Port Royal; that great sheet of blue water stretching from Cape Catoche to the Windward Islands, and from Yucatan to beyond the Bahamas, studded with banks and keys and reefs, the old sea of the Buccaneers shot over with the doings of Kidd and Singleton and Horne."