Description |
398 pages : maps ; 23 cm |
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regular print |
Summary |
"It is the autumn of 1628, and the East Indiaman Batavia, the largest and newest ship in the Dutch East India Company's fleet, is loaded with a king's ransom in gold, silver and gems for her maiden voyage to Java. The Batavia sets sail with great fanfare, but she is destined never to reach Java, for the Company has also sent a new employee, Jeronimus Cornelisz - a disgraced bankrupt with disarming charisma and dangerously heretical ideas." "With the help of the Batavia's skipper and a group of disgruntled sailors, Jeronimus plots a mutiny that seems certain to be successful but for one unplanned event. In the dark morning hours of 4 June 1629, the Batavia smashes through a coral reef and runs aground in an unexplored chain of islands off the west coast of Australia. The merchant in command of the ship takes the only boat and sets a course for Java, some 1800 miles away, to summon help. Meanwhile, more than 200 survivors are left trapped on the desert island without water, food or shelter. Leaderless, unarmed and unaware of Cornelisz's treachery, they soon find themselves at the mercy of the mutineers."--BOOK JACKET |
Notes |
Includes index |
Bibliography |
Bibliography pages [377]-385 |
Subject |
Cornelisz, Jeronimus.
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Batavia (Ship)
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Shipwreck victims.
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Mutiny -- History -- 17th century.
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Shipwrecks -- Australia -- History -- 17th century.
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Shipwrecks -- Australia.
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Mutiny.
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Shipwrecks -- Australia -- History.
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Australia -- Discovery and exploration.
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Author |
Knott, Stephen.
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Buck, Alanah
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LC no. |
00002315 |
ISBN |
0575070242 |
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