The Wreckers

A Story of Killing Seas and Plundered Shipwrecks, from the 18th Century to the Present Day

Nonfiction, History, British
Cover of the book The Wreckers by Bella Bathurst, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bella Bathurst ISBN: 9780544301610
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publication: August 23, 2013
Imprint: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Language: English
Author: Bella Bathurst
ISBN: 9780544301610
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication: August 23, 2013
Imprint: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Language: English

An “entertaining” historical investigation into the scavengers who have profited off the spoils of maritime disasters (The Washington Post).
 
Even today, Britain’s coastline remains a dangerous place. It is an island soaked by four separate seas, with shifting sand banks to the east, veiled reefs to the west, powerful currents above, and the world’s busiest shipping channel below. The country’s offshore waters are strewn with shipwrecks—and for villagers scratching out an existence along Britain’s shores, those wrecks have been more than simply an act of God; in many cases, they have been the difference between living well and just getting by.
 
Though Daphne du Maurier and Poldark have made Cornwall famous as Britain’s most notorious region for wrecking, many other coastal communities regarded the “sea’s bounty” as a way of providing themselves with everything from grapefruits to grand pianos. Some plunderers were held to be so skilled that they could strip a ship from stem to stern before the Coast Guard had even left port. Some were rumored to lure ships onto the rocks with false lights, and some simply waited for winter gales to do their work.
 
This book uncovers tales of ships and shipwreck victims—from shoreline orgies so Dionysian that few participants survived the morning to humble homes fitted with silver candelabra, from coastlines rigged like stage sets to villages where everyone owns identical tennis shoes. Spanning three hundred years of history, The Wreckers examines the myths, realities, and superstitions of shipwrecks and uncovers the darker side of life on Britain’s shores.
 
“Bathurst, who won a Somerset Maugham Award for The Lighthouse Stevensons, offers a spellbinding tale of seafaring men, their ships and the ocean that cares for neither.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“A fascinating, haunting account of pillagers, plunderers, and pirates.” —John Burnett, author of Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

An “entertaining” historical investigation into the scavengers who have profited off the spoils of maritime disasters (The Washington Post).
 
Even today, Britain’s coastline remains a dangerous place. It is an island soaked by four separate seas, with shifting sand banks to the east, veiled reefs to the west, powerful currents above, and the world’s busiest shipping channel below. The country’s offshore waters are strewn with shipwrecks—and for villagers scratching out an existence along Britain’s shores, those wrecks have been more than simply an act of God; in many cases, they have been the difference between living well and just getting by.
 
Though Daphne du Maurier and Poldark have made Cornwall famous as Britain’s most notorious region for wrecking, many other coastal communities regarded the “sea’s bounty” as a way of providing themselves with everything from grapefruits to grand pianos. Some plunderers were held to be so skilled that they could strip a ship from stem to stern before the Coast Guard had even left port. Some were rumored to lure ships onto the rocks with false lights, and some simply waited for winter gales to do their work.
 
This book uncovers tales of ships and shipwreck victims—from shoreline orgies so Dionysian that few participants survived the morning to humble homes fitted with silver candelabra, from coastlines rigged like stage sets to villages where everyone owns identical tennis shoes. Spanning three hundred years of history, The Wreckers examines the myths, realities, and superstitions of shipwrecks and uncovers the darker side of life on Britain’s shores.
 
“Bathurst, who won a Somerset Maugham Award for The Lighthouse Stevensons, offers a spellbinding tale of seafaring men, their ships and the ocean that cares for neither.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“A fascinating, haunting account of pillagers, plunderers, and pirates.” —John Burnett, author of Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas

More books from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Cover of the book The Good Society by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book Circus Family Dog by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book Betty Crocker The Big Book of Weeknight Dinners by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book Our Tragic Universe by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book CliffsNotes on Rand's Atlas Shrugged by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book Curious Baby Counting by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book The Ultimate Slow Cooker Book by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book Author by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book The Gift of Thanks by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book Built by Angels by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book The Last of the Doughboys by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book Jabutí the Tortoise by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book Rules for Aging by Bella Bathurst
Cover of the book CliffsTestPrep PCAT: 5 Practice Tests by Bella Bathurst
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy