Tag: maritime history
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The Sea Captain’s Wife by Tilar Mazzeo
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Sea Captain’s Wife: Heck of a place for a first timer. Quick synopsis: The story of how a woman took over a ship in one of the worst places on Earth. Fact for Non-History People: The first time a woman captained a U.S. Navy ship was in 1990. Fact for…
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Captain Kidd by Samuel Marquis
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Captain Kidd: Always keep the receipts. Quick synopsis: The story of how Captain William Kidd was wrongly convicted of privacy. Fact for Non-History People: The vast majority of pirates never buried their treasure. Except the one in this book, that is. Fact for History Nerds: Pirates sometimes wore eye patches to…
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Save Our Souls by Matthew Pearl
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Save Our Souls: Probably shouldn’t trust the crazy dude you meet on a deserted island. Quick synopsis: The story of the shipwreck of the Wandering Minstrel and the attempts at survival of the captain’s family and the crew. Fact for Non-History People: Elizabeth Walker, the captain’s wife, would unknowingly become the…
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Sailing Alone by Richard King
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Sailing Alone: I’d never do it, but here’s a book about it. Quick synopsis: Various stories about people sailing solo (mostly on purpose). Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In Western culture, solo sailing only becomes a thing during the late 1800s. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Storm petrels are also…
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Left for Dead by Eric Jay Dolin
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Left for Dead: Well, maybe they should have left the poor sea otters alone. Quick synopsis: The story of castaways left for dead in the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Sea otters have the densest fur of any animal with as many as…
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Too Much Sea for Their Decks by Michael Schumacher
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Too Much Sea for Their Decks: Never go on a Great Lake in November. Quick synopsis: A look at shipwrecks on Lake Superior. Fact for Non-History People: Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world with 31,700 square miles of surface area. Fact for History Nerds: November shipwrecks on…
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The Ship Beneath the Ice by Mensun Bound
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Ship Beneath the Ice: Ok, I’d get on a boat for something like this. Quick synopsis: The story of finding Shackleton’s ship, Endurance. Fact for Non-History People: In the last 35 years, the Adelie penguin population has decreased 80%. SAVE THE PENGUINS!! Fact for History Nerds: Due to salinity, seawater…
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The Wager by David Grann
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Wager: Maybe the mutineers had a point. Quick synopsis: The story of the shipwreck and mutiny on the HMS Wager. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: If you were the captain of an English ship and it sank, you were automatically given a court martial. Well, assuming you survived. Fun…
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Woman, Captain, Rebel by Margaret Willson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Woman, Captain, Rebel: I would not recommend living in Iceland in the 1800s. Quick synopsis: The life of Captain Thurídur, Iceland’s most famous female sea captain, in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In 1783, a massive volcanic eruption decimated Iceland which would ultimately kill…