Tag: maritime history

  • Captain’s Dinner by Adam Cohen

    It’s always the books in the middle which are the hardest to review. Captain’s Dinner (ew, and you’ll know why in a second) by Adam Cohen is one of those books where I have very little to complain about, but I also think could probably have been much shorter. The setup is certainly intriguing, so…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…