Moonfleet is a tale of smuggling by the English novelist J. Meade Falkner, first published in 1898. The book was extremely popular among children worldwide up until the 1970s, mostly for its themes of adventure and gripping storyline. It remains a popular story widely read and is still sometimes studied in schools. The novel is set in a fishing village in Dorset during the mid 18th century. The story concerns a 15 year old orphan boy, John Trenchard, who becomes friends with an older man who turns out to be the leader of a gang of smugglers. John Meade Falkner was born in Wiltshire and spent much of his childhood in Dorchester and Weymouth. He was a student at Hertford College, Oxford and graduated with a degree in history in 1882. Falkner because a teacher before going into business and became chairman of Armstrong Whitworth Co., one of the largest arms manufacturers in the world. After his retirement in 1921 he became Honorary Reader in Paleography at Durham University, as well as Honorary Librarian to the Dean and Chapter Library of Durham Cathedral. He lived in Divinity House, Durham, in front of the cathedral, until his death in 1902.