Island of the Lost: An Extraordinary Story of Survival at the Edge of the World

by Druett, Joan
3.5 out of 5 Customer Rating
ISBN: 9781616209704
Availability:
$8.49
Used - Trade Paperback - 9781616209704

Available Offers

20% Off In Cart
See Details
Offer Details
Get 20% off on pre-owned items, available in store and online. Offer valid December 25- December 28, 2024. This offer cannot be combined with other discounts or coupons and does not apply to previous purchases. Offer cannot be used to buy gift cards or items labeled as 'New' on HPB.com. Sale prices will be reflected in your cart.

Overview

"A riveting study of the extremes of human nature and the effects of good (and bad) leadership." --The New York Times Book Review

Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death.

In 1864 Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Utterly alone in a dense coastal forest, plagued by stinging blowflies and relentless rain, Captain Musgrave--rather than succumb to this dismal fate--inspires his men to take action. With barely more than their bare hands, they build a cabin and, remarkably, a forge, where they manufacture their tools. Under Musgrave's leadership, they band together and remain civilized through even the darkest and most terrifying days.

Incredibly, at the same time on the opposite end of the island--twenty miles of impassable cliffs and chasms away--the Invercauld wrecks during a horrible storm. Nineteen men stagger ashore. Unlike Captain Musgrave, the captain of the Invercauld falls apart given the same dismal circumstances. His men fight and split up; some die of starvation, others turn to cannibalism. Only three survive. Musgrave and all of his men not only endure for nearly two years, they also plan their own astonishing escape, setting off on one of the most courageous sea voyages in history.

Using the survivors' journals and historical records, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett brings this extraordinary untold story to life, a story about leadership and the fine line between order and chaos.
  • Format: TradePaperback
  • Author: Druett, Joan
  • ISBN: 9781616209704
  • Condition: Used
  • Dimensions: 8.20 x 0.70
  • Number Of Pages: 304
  • Publication Year: 2019

Customer Reviews