Boon Island: A True Story of Mutiny, Shipwreck, and Cannibalism

by Stephen A. Erickson, Andrew Vietze

Overview

The wreck of the Nottingham Galley on Boon Island and the resultant rumors of insurance fraud, mutiny, treason, and cannibalism was one of the most sensational stories of the early 18th century. Shortly after departing England with Captain John Deane at the helm, his brother Jasper and another investor aboard, and a skeleton crew, the ship encountered French privateers on her way to Ireland, where she then lingered for weeks picking up cargo. They eventually headed into the North Atlantic later in the season than was reasonably safe and found themselves shipwrecked on the notorious Boon Island, just off the New England coast. Captain Deane offered one version of the events that led them to the barren rock off the coast of Maine; his crew proposed another. The story contains mysteries that endure to this day, yet no contemporary non-fiction account of the story exists. In the hands of skilled storytellers Andrew Vietze and Stephen Erickson, this becomes a historical adventure-mystery that will appeal to readers of South and The Perfect Storm. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762790791
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/06/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	734 KB

About the Author

Andrew Vietze is an award-winning writer from Maine. The former Managing Editor of Down East: The Magazine of Maine, he's the author of six previous books and has written for a wide array of print and online publications, from Time Out New York to Weather.com, the New York Times' LifeWire to Offshore. A Registered Maine Guide, he works as a seasonal ranger in one of the premier wilderness areas in the east.

Stephen Erickson holds an MA in American History from UMASS /Amherst and completed coursework on a Doctorate in Early American History from the College of William and Mary.  He frequently draws on his background in American history as political reformer.  Erickson is currently the President of Americans United to Rebuild Democracy.