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I just finished reading In the Wake of Madness by Joan Druett.
From the back:
In 1841, in the South Pacific, madness took the helm of the Massachusetts waleship Sharon. Those who survived the ill-fated voyage never divulged what really happened. Now more than 150 years later, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett solves the mystery of the brutal murder of Captain Howes Norris -- one of the most ruthless and maniacle characters in nautical history.
This never-before-told true story about a deranged captain; his desperate, mutinous crew; and the man who -- in the wake of madness -- became a hero, is nautical writing at it's best.
I found this book to be wonderfully well written and certainly not at all dry, as some history books tend to be. The history probably should be taken with a touch of a grain of salt, however. She bases her information off of the ship's logs and journals of the crew, newspaper articles, court records, and the reports of other captains. This, however, does not provide enough information, so she completes the history with information gleaned from Herman Melville's letters as well as knowledge of the way whaleships operated.
In general, it was an entertaining read and it was a very informative jumping off point if you're interested in the American whaling industry in the late 1800s.
From the back:
In 1841, in the South Pacific, madness took the helm of the Massachusetts waleship Sharon. Those who survived the ill-fated voyage never divulged what really happened. Now more than 150 years later, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett solves the mystery of the brutal murder of Captain Howes Norris -- one of the most ruthless and maniacle characters in nautical history.
This never-before-told true story about a deranged captain; his desperate, mutinous crew; and the man who -- in the wake of madness -- became a hero, is nautical writing at it's best.
I found this book to be wonderfully well written and certainly not at all dry, as some history books tend to be. The history probably should be taken with a touch of a grain of salt, however. She bases her information off of the ship's logs and journals of the crew, newspaper articles, court records, and the reports of other captains. This, however, does not provide enough information, so she completes the history with information gleaned from Herman Melville's letters as well as knowledge of the way whaleships operated.
In general, it was an entertaining read and it was a very informative jumping off point if you're interested in the American whaling industry in the late 1800s.