Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World - Island of the Lost

I enjoyed this Book as it seemed a realistic depiction of life and conditions on the Auckland Island ,and highlighted the survival skills / leadership / and determination needed to overcome enormous barriers

If you like shipwreck tales or overcoming-adversity-true-survial tales, buy this book, It is well researched from multiple written accounts from survivors and details two parties who unknowingly are swept ashore on the same island group with totally different outcomes. The group that flourished (a relative term for sure in the environment) is an excellent study in the importance organization and attitude (augmented with one of the most creative indiviuals I have encountered, a man who found practical solutions in impossible situaions). The other group has such a dismal experience that the book is in some ways, reads like a perverted psychological experiment in a giant lab. I could nto put it down. I read the Kindle version a ndt would have benefited from illustrations of the dwelling(s) and the escape boat. Otherwise, it is really well written.

Joan Druett tells and exciting story of survival under the harshest conditions. This one is hard to put down. Interestingly, by covering two shipwrecks that happened close both in time and place, she is able to show the elements that in one case that made for a successful survival, and the absence of which resulted in tragedy for most of the sailors in the other. Readers interested in such stories may also wish to read Shackleton's "South" and the Ms. Druett's other book "In the Wake of Madness".

Incredible well written story. The details of the lives of the two distinctly different groups were a poignant examination of how groups, and individual people react to, and work with situations in which they find themselves. I striking examination of human psychology, innovation and endurance. Great read.

I was fascinated by the Grafton's survivors will to live, presence of mind to work as a team, and amazing ingenuity in crafting items for their survival and rescue. Great insight into the minds of individuals who are forced to make due.

I am 3/4 of the way through this book and I feel like I am slogging through it. Unlike the other reviewers, I have been disappointed in this book. It is not as "riveting" as I expected based on the reviews. While it is an interesting look at human behavior, I don't feel that it is fascinating. I also feel bogged down in detail that is not necessary to the telling of the story. I am obviously in the minority here, so I will leave this simply as my own personal take on this book...so far.

I am 3/4 of the way through this book and I feel like I am slogging through it. Unlike the other reviewers, I have been disappointed in this book. It is not as "riveting" as I expected based on the reviews. While it is an interesting look at human behavior, I don't feel that it is fascinating. I also feel bogged down in detail that is not necessary to the telling of the story. I am obviously in the minority here, so I will leave this simply as my own personal take on this book...so far.

Good story. Like how they desperately need shelter but have no way to cement the gaps between uneven wood pieces they find. So the ingenious capt'n takes seashells, crushes them finely, puts them in a fire, among the coals, covers it all up overnight, and by next day, they have lime! Lime with mud makes cement, and voila, insulated cabin.
Then when killing seals fouls up their clothes with guts and disease risk, they need soap. So he takes same lime, mixes it into a soup of seal oil and water and other stuff, punctures holes in a pot to sift out a solution from bottom, and in the end makes lye. Et voila, soapy cleaning power, if smelly. This and other details of the tale add up to a read that was solid, if not necessarily lyrical or insightful. Grade: C+.

I read this fascinating book over a weekend. It was so interesting I found myself reading parts to my wife (and she found it equally engaging even though she is not as enthusiastic about stories of cast-aways as I am). One reason the book is so fascinating is that there were two shipwrecks on the same island within the same year. The author chronicles both groups but neither party knew of the other.

Another intriguing element of the story was the indefatigable Frenchman whose energy and ingenuity was a source of never-ending wonder. The book is based on ship logs and journals and the author does a great job letting the men involved tell the story while adding information simultaneously keeping the story moving forward at a rapid clip. I could detect none of the politically correct revisionism so prevalent in most books published by major US imprints (this book is published by Algonquin Books which is an imprint of publishing giant Workman books). My thanks to the author and publisher for this inspiring read.

An inspirational account of brave leadership, resourceful I, democratic brotherhood, and camaraderie; Island of the Lost recounts the story of the survival of five men, of different nations and backgrounds, who had only just met at the beginning of their voyage. The ship was lost on Auckland Island, an edge of the World graveyard for wrecked ships with storms and freezing temperatures year round.

This account intertwines the original source memoirs of the survivors in a remarkable tale that captures not only the adventure at the bottom of the world, but the flora, fauna, and geography of the landscape. It is certainly a book that will provide insight into the depths and heights of the human spirit.

This book plays out like Groundhogs Day with Bill Murray but for shipwrecks. More than one group shipwrecked on it at the same time and another long term group of castaways arriving just months after the previous occupants leave. It's horrifying to imagine yourself in their place as it describes in detail what they went through. It's equally as horrifying to imagine what happened to the individuals that disappeared without a trace or mysterious skeletons found from an unknown wreck by later search parties. The book is gripping and hard to put down. I finished it in several days, which I usually never do.

I always enjoy well-written tales of true adventure, and Island of the Lost certainly fits the bill. In her book, Druett describes the loss of two sailing ships in the subantarctic Auckland Islands and the plight of two separate parties of castaways, who passed months on the remote islands unaware of one another's existence. The five crew members of the Grafton, which wrecked on the southern end of the island, band together to hunt seals, build a weatherproof structure, and design innumberable ingenious inventions to cope with their situation. In contrast, the nineteen survivors of the Invercauld shipwreck aimlessly roam the northern portion of the island, fail to cooperate or share food (some resort to cannibalism), and gradually begin to die off.

Putting aside the fact that reading this book made me constantly hungry (Druett describes how both groups struggled against starvation on this remote island group), I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how these castaways survived their long ordeal. I learned a great amount of information about the Auckland Islands, which I knew nothing about before I picked up this book.

If you like nonfiction tales of adventure and survival, this book is for you!

It was easy to read, very straight forward and understandable. I am always intrigued by real survival situations, especially when they are true stories, and especially when they involve masted/sailing ship wrecks on deserted islands. This book was written from the diaries of the survivors of the ship wrecks in the time period that interests me, as well as from newspaper and magazine articles that were published some years after the events occurred. I thought the author did a very good job of taking diary entries, and published articles of the day about the wrecks, and expanding on them in a very methodical and orderly way to form an orderly and flowing novel about the events that occurred. There is a lot of repetition in the book because the daily lives of the survivors consist of sustaining mind and body under very difficiult circumstances, and meeting only the basic necesities of life each day and night. So, I can see where some might find the book tedious at times, as the survivors engage in the basics of daily living under those kinds of circumstances. But, I expected the repetition of sustaining a daily existence, and found interest in the time period, the thoughts of the survivors, the human interaction during crisis, and the unbelievable inginuity of the survivors.

In the 1860's, five men get shipwrecked off an island 200 miles from New Zealand. Conditions are horrific. This is the story of the castaways. Detailed journals make this book so engaging. And then it turns out another ship crashes off the other side of the island. One group is disciplined and works hard as a team; the other does not. The result is a fascinating set of stories. History came alive for me in this book. The narrator was excellent. I liked this book a lot!

rating 3.75

This is a fascinating story about a group of men who never give up. Stuck on an island between New Zealand and Antarctica the men are caught in frigid winters with nothing to eat. They come together to better themselves using their skills and abilities and even learning how to do things they had never done before like making shoes and a boat.

2 groups of men are stuck on this island and they never see each other while they are lost just a few miles apart.

The book is based on the accounts of the men written back in the last 1800's and reformatted to make a flowing story.

This is a masterpiece. I adore survival stories, especially with a nautical flavour, and the fact that 'Island of the Lost' is written by a woman makes it that much more thrilling. I'm almost as impressed that Joan Druett writes so authoritatively about boy's stuff like ropes and sealskins as I am totally wowed by the mind-blowing resourcefulness of Musgrave, Raynal, and the other three remaining crew of the Grafton, which wrecked on the Auckland Islands in 1864. Seriously, if necessity is the mother of invention, then dire necessity seems to elicit feats of pure genius in these guys.

As if surviving for twenty months on greasy sea-lion meat and obscure vegetable matter isn't enough, they endure sub-antarctic winters in what sounds like a really comfortable house built painstakingly out of sticks and stones, learn to make SHOES (I don't know much about ropes and sealskins, but I know shoes!), and ultimately put together their own forge with handmade bellows and the capacity to manufacture complex shipbuilding tools. The crowning glory of their achievement is of course the boat they build, almost literally from scratch, and use to successfully make their escape.

This narrative reads like fiction. If their plight wasn't so gravely serious, the projects the Grafton survivors come up with would seem laughably ambitious, on a par with a Gilligan's Island style coconut phone or something. But they pull off everything they aim to do out of sheer dogged persistence and a truly inspiring sense of democracy. Some of the stuff they do is just mindboggling - curing leather, manufacturing nails, making soap - it's incredible. I wouldn't even know how to procure the necessary lime, lye, seal oil and thatch required for their enterprises, let alone how to use them to my advantage.

Their story is contrasted to vivid effect with the plight of the poor victims of another shipwreck 20 miles to the north, who (with the admirable exception of Robert Holding) dither, whimper, squabble, threaten to eat other, and eventually die like flies. It's a tragedy, but it's also tremendously frustrating, when just down the coast a handful of men from 4 different countries are living in a HOUSE and MAKING SHOES. (I'm really impressed with the shoes).

There's something really stirring about people in confined or extreme circumstances who discover resources they might never have otherwise. I think every one of us is drawn almost instinctively to stories about people who survive against great odds, because essentially survival is the task of every individual, everywhere, in every period of history. Whether you're battling illness, political upheavals, economic downturns or a depressing corporate job, it's all about the struggle for food, shelter, companionship and the cultivation of the spirit. Even at their lowest point, these guys pursued something beyond mere survival: education, reading, the sharing of knowledge, the memory of loved ones and an understanding of God. Such a far cry from the degradation of the sailors to the North, who abandoned one another, preserved rank at the expense of lives, and arrived too quickly at the brink of cannibalism.

Ironically, the landscape is as barren and extreme as any you'll ever read about, but ultimately it sustains the survivors of the Grafton disaster. It occurred to me more than once that "godforsaken" was never more accurately used to describe a place than in this narrative, and yet the survival story that emerges from this wild stretch of land is virtually Biblical in terms of scope and in it's capacity to move and encourage the reader. In some ways stories like this demonstrate that God is very present in the darkest corners of the world.

I don't know why a couple of people have found the narrative 'dry'. To be irritatingly literal, it rains constantly throughout, and the incessant beating of the waves is virtually audible throughout the book. But seriously, this book was compelling, and the narrative so rich that there was barely a moment of distraction from the peril and struggle central to the story. The narrative was engaging and fast paced, but not without room for substantial contemplation and analysis. It's alternately moving and shocking. I gasped, I cried, I laughed, I stayed up way past my bedtime. Like all good nautical yarns, it's just really entertaining. Druett's reworking of the narrative is masterful in that synthesising all her research must have been a mammoth task, and yet it reads fluently. The reader is absorbed by the incredible exertions of the shipwrecked men, and not distracted by the exertions of the writer.

This is a book I'd recommend to anybody who reads. It's a tale of such overwhelming drama that I feel I've experienced something out of the ordinary myself; like I can add a notch to my belt. I'll probably unconsciously absorb this story into my own experience, and in 50 years I'll be saying to my grandchildren "did I tell you about the time I was marooned on a godforsaken island at the edge of the world? My shipmates and I taught ourselves to make SHOES..."

This stunning, true tale is told with great literary skill and psychological insight. You'll marvel at the ingenuity of the seamen who were wrecked on a freezing, stormswept subantarctic island in the 1860s, and wonder at their physical and emotional stamina. You'll be amazed at the different fate of two different groups wrecked on the island at the same time, unknown to each other; this part, in itself, is enough to inspire a series of leadership lectures. You'll feel the power of the elements in your own body. And I'm finding that weeks after finishing the book, it stays with me, and influences my relationship with the ocean as I walk the beach. The book is an unforgettable accomplishment.

This Is an amazing story of survival in the 1860's. The island is sub-Antarctic and thus even in "summer" the weather is foul. A small crew of 5 sailing a vessel on an adventure to mine for silver on an island in this chain, were shipwrecked by a storm. They got to shore and were there for nearly two years. Survival, living off the land was a unique experience. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history and adventure. Another, larger ship became stranded on the other end of the island some months after the first. They never knew about each other. Only one member of the larger crew survived because of their lack of willingness to work together. I think others would enjoy this read.

"Island of the Lost" is a perfect sailing ships true survival story, that can be easily placed among the best in this category (please visit my listomania 'Men, Wars, Adventure, Survival and the Sea'). Author clearly demonstrates, that fighting for their lives castaways have a better chance for survival when they cooperate vigorously and in harmony, respect each other and have/or agree for a democratic leader. In addition, technical resourcefulness/ingenuity, basic knowledge about 'how things work' is essential. This was represented evidently by François Raynal who greatly contributed to sustenance of four other crew members.
Elitism and autarchy within the group will result in rather sad ending.
Great story and great writing, I look forward to read more books by Joan Druett.

I am still perplexed why 5 men would go to a small island in the middle of the Southern Ocean searching for Tin, but the story of their travails and their ingenuity after being wrecked on the Auckland’s kept me interested. The author pieced together the story using two different first hand accounts and did an excellent job.

During 1864, the `Grafton' and the `Invercauld' were shipwrecked in different locations on Auckland Island less than 20 miles (30 kilometres) from each other. The contrast between the actions taken by the two crews could not be greater.

Auckland Island is one of the subantarctic islands located about 300 miles (465 kilometres) south-east of New Zealand. By drawing on a range of sources, including the journals of Thomas Musgrave and Francois Raynal, Joan Druett depicts a tale of courage and survival on the part of the crew of the `Grafton'. All five of the crew on the `Grafton' survived the shipwreck, lived on the island for twenty months and were all rescued. Their resourcefulness and ability to work together as a team enabled them to make the most of their inhospitable surroundings and finally to build a vessel to enable three of them to sail to New Zealand to seek a rescue expedition.

Contrast this with the crew of the `Invercauld'. Shipwrecked some months after the `Grafton', nineteen of the crew of twenty five survived. By the time they were rescued, about twelve months later, only three had survived.
This is an inspiring tale of leadership, survival, ingenuity and courage on the part of the crew of the `Grafton'. Contrast this with the lack of leadership and co-operation displayed by the survivors of the `Invercauld'.
Ms Druett is a maritime historian, and this is reflected in her writing. She has drawn material from a number of sources to write this book.

Highly recommended to all with an interest in maritime history and tales of survival.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

There are not enough stars to show how much I enjoyed this enthralling story of survival in an extremely hostile environment. Historian Joan Druett, drawing from journals kept by the shipwrecked crew throughout their ordeal and later accounts of the survivors, describes the conditions and their, at times fruitless, struggle for survival. The vivid picture she paints captured my imagination so fully I could visualise the wild, frigid island, the accommodations they built and their trips hunting and foraging for food. I was repeatedly astonished by the staggering ingenuity of the castaways. If this book had been a work of fiction the tales of skill and craftsmanship of the survivors would have been too far fetched and completely unbelievable which only served to make this factual story so much more enjoyable.

The inspiring leadership of the Captain of the Grafton who ensured the survival of his entire crew through the hardships of the months spent on the Auckland Islands and the adaptability of the men he led reminded me very much of Ernest Shackelton and his crew Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

I could not put it down until I had finished it and, as a result of reading this book, my first of Joan Druett's, I have become a firm fan of her writing, determined to read all of her books. So far I have been just as delighted with her other works as I was with this one.

I read the book and I loved it. The main story revolved around Captain Musgrave and one of his officers of French extraction who was as ingenious as Musgrave was stolid and plain. The Frenchman never gave up and the crew proved marvelously resourceful ... in perfect contrast to the crew of the other ship. Delightful!

I searched out this book from the UK, as family legend held our ancestor as a New Zealand shipwreck survivor. The book was an unexpected delight, combining meticulous historical research with a powerful understanding of the castaways' responses to danger, extreme climatic hardship, and the triumphs of group cohesion. The beauty of the Auckland Islands, and the difficult and varied relationships between the men and the animals upon whom they depended, were vividly but unsentimentally described. The book provides a fascinating insight into the consequences of good and disastrous leadership, and was an enthralling, thought provoking but very easy read. Alas, our ancestor's tales seem to have been nothing other than the borrowed accounts of fellow sailors of his time. However, he has led us to discover the rich and compelling seafaring novels of Joan Druett, and for that, across the centuries, I would like to shake his hand.

There were two wrecks about 20 miles apart. In one case there was no cooperation and hostility High mortality. The other case did very well indeed, even constructed a working foundry from ship wreckage, they were much more cooperative thinking ahead to solve problems.

Fantastic story in the spirit of Shackleton's heroic venture. These were ordinary guys that were just unlucky. Their will to survive and determination to overcome conflicts among themselves is testimony to the power of teamwork. This is really an account of two parallel events, which turned out very differently. This is a must read for fans of true adventure and survival stories.

The continuous, detailed descriptions of the Inhumane bludgeoning rather slaughtering of seal pups, cows and bulls is a reason NOT to read this book. Druett seems to delight in the incessant justification of this practice to make her point - that man can justify using a baseball bat to kill a beautiful beast because they can. . . Try seeking another form of adventure literature rather than enduring this unnecessary blood soaked tale!

A very powerful story that is so well written that you find yourself actually living on the island as you read it. Exceptionally told this true story reads as a novel. Totally captivating and impossible to put down.

This was one of the best books I've read in a long time, and I read a lot. I normally don't write reviews, but this book was just fantastic. I finished it in a week and could not put it down. Every time I read a book of history and see what men or women go through, coming to grips with life or death situations, I always wonder, what would I have done in their place? It's amazing what people do when faced with life or death situations. Again, just a well researched, well written book that reads like a fictional novel.

Island of the Lost was a great read and turned into a real page-turner toward the end as the shipwrecked crew of the Grafton plotted their escape from the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands. This story of survival is truly remarkable with the marooned men taking steps to secure food and shelter, avoid scurvy and cope with the extreme elements. The resourcefulness of the crew is highlighted by the story of their construction of a forge with which they made tools. Island of the Lost would have been fascinating enough if it only told the story of the Grafton, but Druett has added the story of the Invercauld which ran aground far to the north of the Grafton. While the two shipwrecks have parallels, the experiences of the men and outcomes display a marked contrast. My only criticism would be Druett's habit of referring to the female sea lions as "wives" but this was a minor irritation to me and does not detract from the overall story. Highly recommended.

Island of the Lost is a fascinating shipwreck survival story written by a knowledgable author who can turn a proper phrase for a sea story. Unfortunately, I found myself bogged down by the narrative structure. For example, on page 106, without any foreshadowing or any warning whatsoever, the author begins to tell the story of a second set of shipwrecked sailors. Instead of tying the two stories together from the start, or finding some common thread, she simply adds the second shipwreck in the ongoing timeline. It's really jarring. For over 100 pages you're following the travails of the crew of The Grafton, and then you turn the page and suddenly, in the very next chapter, you're being introduced to The Invercauld and her crew. I also found the character descriptions and character studies on the antiseptic side, which made it hard for me to find something, anything, to which I could anchor some sympathy. Frankly, it was hard for me to root for any of these guys. Another thing that irritated me was the author's choice for chapter headings e.g., "Eleven: Jaws of Hell." Kind of hackneyed. if you ask me.

In my opinion, the book would have been better with a strong intro/forward (providing the glue or thread to merge the two narratives) and chapters designating the ship's names and dates to which the events of the chapter corresponded. She could have alternated between the two this way, or written two different books, or one book with two separate sections. Any of the above would have been an improvement to tacking on a second narrative 106 pages into the book, but I think I would have preferred alternating the two narratives chapter by chapter, a structure that might have given us something more to root for.

I enjoyed this book. It tells of surviving in the worst conditions. What people are capable of doing when they have to. And the act of pulling together also what happens when they don't . It follows the survivors after the rescue.

Interesting look at concurrent shipwrecked crews on same island and how their responses to a desperate situation determined their respective fates. The rather bleak history of the remote island chain was also highlighted, which only makes the story more remarkable. A good read.

This story was great. It is amazing that these men survived such a grueling existence in such a rough environment. The resourcefulness of the men was quite incredible. If you like stories about adventure, surviving in a difficult circumstance or beating mother nature you will enjoy this book.

From a time in our history which is growing more dim with the passing of time, here's a look into the time of sailing ships by the power of the wind. Living by the power of your brain and your back when you are shipwrecked on the rocks on a small wild island.

Island of the Lost is a fascinating shipwreck survival story written by a knowledgable author who can turn a proper phrase for a sea story. Unfortunately, I found myself bogged down by the narrative structure. For example, on page 106, without any foreshadowing or any warning whatsoever, the author begins to tell the story of a second set of shipwrecked sailors. Instead of tying the two stories together from the start, or finding some common thread, she simply adds the second shipwreck in the ongoing timeline. It's really jarring. For over 100 pages you're following the travails of the crew of The Grafton, and then you turn the page and suddenly, in the very next chapter, you're being introduced to The Invercauld and her crew. I also found the character descriptions and character studies on the antiseptic side, which made it hard for me to find something, anything, to which I could anchor some sympathy. Frankly, it was hard for me to root for any of these guys. Another thing that irritated me was the author's choice for chapter headings e.g., "Eleven: Jaws of Hell." Kind of hackneyed. if you ask me.

In my opinion, the book would have been better with a strong intro/forward (providing the glue or thread to merge the two narratives) and chapters designating the ship's names and dates to which the events of the chapter corresponded. She could have alternated between the two this way, or written two different books, or one book with two separate sections. Any of the above would have been an improvement to tacking on a second narrative 106 pages into the book, but I think I would have preferred alternating the two narratives chapter by chapter, a structure that might have given us something more to root for.

I enjoyed this book. It tells of surviving in the worst conditions. What people are capable of doing when they have to. And the act of pulling together also what happens when they don't . It follows the survivors after the rescue.

Interesting look at concurrent shipwrecked crews on same island and how their responses to a desperate situation determined their respective fates. The rather bleak history of the remote island chain was also highlighted, which only makes the story more remarkable. A good read.

This story was great. It is amazing that these men survived such a grueling existence in such a rough environment. The resourcefulness of the men was quite incredible. If you like stories about adventure, surviving in a difficult circumstance or beating mother nature you will enjoy this book.

From a time in our history which is growing more dim with the passing of time, here's a look into the time of sailing ships by the power of the wind. Living by the power of your brain and your back when you are shipwrecked on the rocks on a small wild island.

At times it is hard to read, heartbreaking thinking about these people. However their story is very interesting. Knowing they had to struggle and keep on through crazy times but still managed to pull it together

I was a history teacher and boy do I dislike reading dry historical information anymore. This book while sticking to the facts as much as possible
was written in a style and narrative which kept my interest peaking all the way through the book. Excellent storytelling of a real event that was
so captive it was hard to put the book down.
Bob Atherton

Well written, this story held me spell bound from beginning to end. Vivid details enabled me to be fully present with the horrific countless trials of human survival when castaway. I found the personalities described fascinating.

Although it is steeped in maritime terms and concepts, readers will still find it approachable. I found the book to be an intriguing narrative of the survival techniques of the crews. It is also an interesting comparative of the leadership, motivations and human elements that played into each crews' experiences.

Great true account of sailors shipwrecked on an island. That island is as isolated today as it was then. I enjoyed reading about how the various sailors handled the crisis. It me wonder about my abilities to handle adversity. The inventivness and survial abilities of the superior of the two groups was amazing. An enjoyable true adventure book.

I just finished reading this wonderful story. It's amazing how man can adapt to any situation if they have the right attitude and perseverance. Or the opposite. Both are represented here. I'd rank this up there with In the Heart of the Sea by Philbrick and South by Shackleton. The only criticism I have is that the map was horrible. More detail needed there. More visual aides overall would have really helped. But still what a ripping true story!

Great true account of sailors shipwrecked on an island. That island is as isolated today as it was then. I enjoyed reading about how the various sailors handled the crisis. It me wonder about my abilities to handle adversity. The inventivness and survial abilities of the superior of the two groups was amazing. An enjoyable true adventure book.

I just finished reading this wonderful story. It's amazing how man can adapt to any situation if they have the right attitude and perseverance. Or the opposite. Both are represented here. I'd rank this up there with In the Heart of the Sea by Philbrick and South by Shackleton. The only criticism I have is that the map was horrible. More detail needed there. More visual aides overall would have really helped. But still what a ripping true story!

Such a thorough description of the Auckland Islands and a tribute to the courageous men who lived through such horrific trials! Loved the last chapters that brought us up to date on these awesome islands and their flora and fauna.

Very readable, well written and researched. Having worked on ships some, I enjoyed the author's adept use of nautical terms. I also enjoyed the way she gave just the right amount of background history on the main people in the story.

A very interesting book about how ingenuity and united effort made it possible to survive in a very inhospitable (but fascinating) place. It left me wanting to learn much more about the Auckland Islands.

the store tricked me into buying this in KINDLE format. I have NO KIndle and don't want one. I thought I was ordering this in PapaerBack. What a complete waste of $10 bucks.the store makes no telephone contact numbers available to cancel such orders. Feel ripped off.

Although this is a very interesting and informative true story, there are some things I was not happy about.
Firstly on page 9 it tells of the fate of the crew. If no one knows this story then it's spoiled by this so early in the book. Also, don't read the back cover as it gives away the length of time they were stranded, another spoiler for those who don't know the facts and want to be kept guessing.
Why the author has done this I do not know; I'm sure there are many who don't know this story and, like myself, didn't want to know until the end what happens, like a mystery, it makes it more interesting.
Otherwise, an informative read.