Adlard Coles Maritime Classics – serie

After a mysterious sea monster damages an ocean liner, the US government assembles a team in New York City to track down the creature and destroy it. French marine biologist Pierre Aronnax receives a last-minute invitation, as does Canadian harpoonist Ned Land. They leave aboard the Abraham Lincoln, bound for Cape Horn and then the Pacific Ocean.But all is not as it seems. When they find the monster and attack, the Abraham Lincoln is damaged and Aronnax and Land end up thrown onto the monster’s hide. Except where there should be flesh there is metal. The monster is in fact a submarine called the Nautilus, captained by a mysterious renegade named Nemo, who swiftly takes his former pursuers captive aboard his impossible vessel and then dives deep beneath the waves.So begins the adventure of a lifetime for Aronnax and Land, as Nemo refuses to ever let them leave in case they reveal the truth about the Nautilus. Nemo is on a mission to seek out scientific knowledge and wreak revenge on the civilisation that destroyed his family, a mission that sees the Nautilus explore shipwrecks, hunt sharks, visit the real Atlantis, get attacked by a giant squid and end up stuck in a terrible whirlpool.With Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne can rightly be considered one of the founding fathers of science fiction. This special edition is based on the original translation that popularised the novel in the English-speaking world, and features an insightful Foreword by naturalist, television presenter and diver Miranda Krestovnikoff.

On 28th April 1789 a small and unremarkable merchant vessel became one of the most famous ships in maritime history. HMS Bounty was under the command of 34-year-old Lieutenant William Bligh, an inexperienced commander who lacked the respect of a crew attracted to the promise of an easy life in a Tahitian paradise.Fletcher Christian led half the crew in mutiny against Bligh and after overpowering all resistance, they cast their deposed captain adrift along with those still loyal to him. Luckily for Bligh, his skills as a navigator were better than his skills as a captain and he managed to sail the 23ft boat 3,618 nautical miles to Timor in the Dutch East Indies with no chart or compass, and only a quadrant and a pocket watch for navigation. On returning to England he reported what had happened, and the Royal Navy hunted down and captured most of the mutineers.However, this is only half the story – William Bligh’s version. The captured mutineers went on trial and their testimonies give a much less heroic portrait of their former captain, accusing him of unduly harsh treatment. Fletcher Christian’s older brother Edward, a judge, oversaw a more balanced account of the mutiny. Of the mutineers who returned to England, only three were hanged; four were acquitted and three pardoned.This book gives the fullest version of the mutiny, allowing Bligh's account to sit alongside those of his detractors. The discrepancies are fascinating, and allow us to make up our own minds about this infamous mutiny.Also includes an exclusive Foreword by former World Sailor of the Year Pete Goss, who offers a unique perspective on the trials and tribulations of the Bounty's crew, whether castaway or mutineer.