The Wager

In January 1742, a shipwreck occurred on the coast of Brazil, and the survivors, who were believed to be heroes, were actually mutineers who had been marooned on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The Admiralty convened a court martial to determine the truth, and the stakes were life-and-death.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 04 January 2024
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

The Wager, a British ship that set sail from England in 1740 on a covert mission during an imperial war with Spain, is the subject of the enthralling book The Wager. Thirty emaciated men were discovered inside the ship, which had washed up on the coast of Brazil on January 28, 1742. They had an incredible story to tell. The Wager was wrecked on a barren island off the coast of Patagonia while pursuing a Spanish treasure-laden galleon. The crew, marooned for months and facing starvation, constructed the rickety vessel and sailed for more than a hundred days, covering 2,500 miles of storm-ravaged seas. They were welcomed as heroes.

However, six months later, a second, even more dilapidated vessel landed on the coast of Chile. Only three castaways were on board, and they had a very different story to tell. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes; they were mutineers. The first group retaliated with accusations of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous captain and his henchmen. The crew had descended into anarchy while stranded on the island, with warring factions fighting for control.

The Wager is a captivating tale of shipwreck, mutiny, and murder, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. It is a must-read for anyone interested in history, adventure, and the human condition.

Weight: 318g
Dimension: 196 x 129 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781471183706