Yule Logs: Longmans' Christmas Annual for 1898

This 1898 Christmas annual captures the adventurous spirit of the late Victorian era in all its glory. The anthology opens with 'A Fighting Mermaid,' a rousing tale of technological innovation and personal courage: Professor Rivers has unveiled his revolutionary submarine, the Mermaid, promising to reshape naval warfare. His young assistants, Carlos Moranza and Carl Baldwin, celebrate its successful trial with dreams of glory, but Carlos carries a heavier burden, his father fights for Cuban independence against Spanish oppression. When word arrives of his father's capture, the stakes turn deeply personal, transforming a story of mechanical marvels into a tale of daring rescue and geopolitical conflict. The collection delivers what Victorians prized most during the holiday season: thrilling escapes, inventive heroics, and the warm glow of reading by lamplight while winter winds howl outside.