means of rescuing the 268 other so uls left behind. In the commander's absence, the small spark of mutiny begun earlier burst forth into a conflagration, resulting in the massacre of 125 men, women and children. Batavia's mutiny was extraordinary in two ways. It was history's bloodiest mutiny and its bes t documented. Using the surviving primary material, author Mike Dash recounts this gruesome tale in his latest book, Batavia's Graveyard. Carefully and methodically, he lays the groundwork for an understanding of how the forces acting upon a nation in search of wealth in the spice trade, as well as the political and religious structure of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, influenced the individual players in this story. Dash could easily have chosen to dramatize events. Instead, his narrative unfolds in an unhurried, almost placid manner; the result is a heightening of the grotesque horrors that rook place on Abrolhos. Batavia's Graveyard is a well-written and finely structured account of the mutiny supported by copious notes and an extensive bibliography. My only disappointment (a very small one) is that the author, after introducing the subject ofa reconstruction of the Batavia built in Lelystad fails to recount the unfortunate events following its launch in 1995 . Perhaps Dash is saving that story for a seco nd volume on Batavia. If so, I eagerly look forward to reading it. DONALDS . JOHNSON All Available Boats: The Evacuation of Manhattan Island on September 11, 2001 , edited by Mike Magee, MD (Spencer Books, New York NY, 2002, 140pp, illus, ISBN 1-889793-11-6; $19.99pb) Shortly after the second plane struck the World Trade Center on 11 September, the working people ofNew York harbor heard a Coast Guard call for all available boats to head to lower Manhattan. The response was immediate and sustained: hundreds of boats, from yachts to tugs and ferries, evacuated more than 300,000 people to safety, then brought in needed supplies and ferried rescue workers to and from the site. With photographs and interviews of those involved, this little book captures the drama of the event and th e courageo us response of the harbor's often unnoticed maritime community. NORMA STANFORD
Heart of Oak: A Sailor's Life in Nelson's Navy, by James P. M cG uane (W.W. Norton,NewYorkNY,2002, 19lpp,ISBN 0-393-04749-0: $49.95hc) This rich and sharply detailed photographic survey of artifacts relating to the daily lives of ordinary seamen and officers in Nelson's time encompasses historical treasures in museums and private collections, from instruments of navigation, sails and deckgear to uniforms, food and drink, and a gravestone inscription. Nelson's Ships: A History of the Vessels in Which He Served, 1771-1805, by Peter Goodwin (Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg PA, 2002, 3 l 2pp, illus, appen, biblio, glossary, index, ISBN 0-8117-10076; $49.9 5hc) This volume is a beautifully produced, highly detailed account of the more than twenry-five ships in which Admiral Nelson served in his rise through the ranks of the Royal Navy, by the keeper and curator of HMS Victory. Profiles of each vessel, from design and construction through service history and fate, are accompanied by sketches, information on her captains, and commentary from ship's logs. NEW&NOTED Advance Force Pearl Harbor, Burl Burlingame (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 2002, orig 1992, 504pp, illus, biblio, index, ISBN 1-55750-211-0; $27.50pb) Captain Abby and Captain John: An Around-the-World Biography, by Robert P. Tristram Coffin (Blackberry Books, Nobleboro ME, 2002, orig 1939, 392pp, a ppen, index, ISBN 0-942396 -86-3; $ 14.95pb) Ironclads and Big Guns of the Confederacy: The Journal and Letters of John M. Brooke, edited by George M . Brooke, Jr. (University of South Carolina Press, Columbia SC, 2002, 320pp, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 1-57003-418-4; $39.95hc) Fighting Finish: The Volvo Ocean Race Round the World, 2001-2002, by Gary Jobson (Nomad Press, Norwich VT, 2002, l 68pp, illus, gloss, biblio, ISBN 0-96592587-0; $44.9 5hc) Verschollen: World War I U-Boat Losses, by Dwight R. Messimer (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 2002, 360pp, illus, appen, biblio, index, ISBN 1-5575 0-475X; $36.95hc) J,
SEA HISTORY 104, SPRING/SUMMER 2003
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Pilotage Under Sail and Oar Pilot boats were unique among the working craft. Their task was to transport small numbers of men to ships, in any season, in whatever weather came their way. All aspects of this previously unpublished maritime tradition are considered. Both books were edited by Tom Cunliffe. Volume 1, hardcover, 344 pp. , $69.95 Pilot Schooners of North America and UK Volume 2, hardcover, 347 pp., $69.95 Schooners and Open Boats of the European Pilots Order one of each oay just $124 90 The WoodenBoat Store, PO Box 78, Brooklin, Maine 04616 1-800-273-7447 www.woodenboat.com
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