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The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

★ Amazon – Best History Books of the Year ★ Amazon – Best Nonfiction Books of the Year ★ Baillie Gifford Prize Longlist ★ Barnes & Noble – Best History Books of the Year ★ BookTube Prize ★ Goodread’s Choice Awards – History & Biography ★ New York Time’s Notable Book ★ President Obama’s Recommended Books ★ Smithsonian Magazine – 10 Best History Books of the Year

David Grann reconstructs the wreck of the British warship Wager off Patagonia in 1741 and the competing stories told by its survivors. Starvation, storms, disease, divided command, mutiny, and desperate voyages shattered naval discipline after the crew reached a barren island. When different groups returned to England, each accused the other of murder and betrayal, forcing an official inquiry to decide what had happened. Grann combines maritime adventure with a study of evidence and empire, showing how survival can destroy shared truth and how institutions protect heroic national narratives.

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date: 2023
Format: Print edition
Pages: —
ISBN: 9780385534260

Subjects

History: Europe – Great Britain – Georgian Era – (1714 – 1837)History: Maritime History & Piracy Travel: General (Travel)True Crime: Murder – Mass Murder

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