The story of the wreck of the Batavia has been the inspiration for many works of fiction, nonfiction and film. Leys’ essay on the wreck begins with a curious introduction. He explains a long-held desire to write the tale of the Batavia; nervously reading all the other publications on the topic; and concluding none of them hit the mark. Then he read Mike Dash’s Batavia’s Graveyard. He poses this essay as a small postscript to what he feels is the definitive work of Dash and directs his readers to that book. Despite Leys’ humility, this is a wonderful addition to the body of work on the Batavia. Written with skill (and impeccably translated from the French) it is a well-researched and well-told story of one of naval history’s greatest horrors. In contrast, the second essay in this volume tells the story of the author’s trip on the Prosper, one of the last sail-powered tuna fishing vessels, working out of Brittany 45 years ago. It is light to the Batavia’s shade. A tale of men working an ancient craft at the end of an era. A book for lovers of maritime history and those with an interest in two sharply contrasting portraits of humanity.

Eliza Metcalfe is the assistant editor of AB&P

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker

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