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

· Sold by Algonquin Books
4.4
27 reviews
Ebook
304
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

 “Riveting.” —The New York Times Book Review Hundreds of miles from civilization, two ships wreck on opposite ends of the same deserted island in this true story of human nature at its best—and at its worst.

It is 1864, and Captain Thomas Musgrave’s schooner, the Grafton, has just wrecked on Auckland Island, a forbidding piece of land 285 miles south of New Zealand. Battered by year-round freezing rain and constant winds, it is one of the most inhospitable places on earth. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death.

Incredibly, at the same time on the opposite end of the island, another ship runs aground during a storm. Separated by only twenty miles and the island’s treacherous, impassable cliffs, the crews of the Grafton and the Invercauld face the same fate. And yet where the Invercauld’s crew turns inward on itself, fighting, starving, and even turning to cannibalism, Musgrave’s crew bands together to build a cabin and a forge—and eventually, to find a way to escape. 

Using the survivors’ journals and historical records, award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett brings to life this extraordinary untold story about leadership and the fine line between order and chaos.

Ratings and reviews

4.4
27 reviews
Paul Demetre
August 30, 2019
This is a fascinating book of two ships that wrecked on the same Island just months apart. One persevered with strong leadership (and some luck) while the other was a true disaster of humanity.
5 people found this review helpful
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B Nemanic
November 4, 2022
An actual ship wreck story well researched and written. For those seeking adventure in book form
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J Johnston
January 11, 2021
Very interesting read and great story of surviving the elements.
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About the author

Joan Druett is a maritime historian and the award-winning author of several books, including Petticoat WhalersShe Was a Sister SailorHen FrigatesTupaia, and The Discovery of Tahiti. Her interest in maritime history began in 1984, when she discovered the grave of a young American whaling wife while exploring the tropical island of Rarotonga; she subsequently received a Fulbright fellowship to study whaling wives in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California. Her ground-breaking work in the field of seafaring women was also recognized with a L. Byrne Waterman Award. She is married to Ron Druett, a maritime artist.

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