Author Eric Jay Dolin has, over the course of more than a quarter of a century, offered audiences some of the richest pictures of America’s nautical history through his books. From the history of America’s whaling industry in Leviathan to the history of the nation’s fur trade and its ties to the country’s nautical history in Fur, Fortune and Empire, to even a history of America’s lighthouses in Brilliant Beacons and more, Dolin has presented to audiences, a key part of the United States’ history that is often overlooked. Later this spring (May 7 to be exact), Dolin will offer up a brand new nautical tale, taking readers in a whole new direction in his latest book, Left For Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World. The forthcoming book is another piece of true nautical history but is just as gripping as any great fiction novel thanks to its story, which really, Dolin explains quite well in the book’s subtitle. This will be addressed shortly. The collective chapter lengths and transitions between said chapters add to the book’s enjoyment and will be examined a little later. The photos that are incorporated into the story help literally and figuratively illustrate the story even more, putting the final touch to the story. This element will also be addressed later. Each item noted does its own share to make Left For Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World another successful offering from Dolin that is an early entry among the best of this year’s new books.
Left For Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World, Eric Jay Dolin’s latest historical writing, is a wonderful new offering from the veteran author that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Its appeal comes in large part through its story. The story centers on the plight of five men – Americans Charles H. Barnard and Jacob Green and Brits Joseph Allbrook, Jacob Ansell, and James Louder – who were shipwrecked on the Falkland Islands in the early 1800s as a result of the impact of the War of 1812. The war was essentially a conflict of economics between the United States and Great Britain. The men were shipwrecked with the devious British Captain William D’Aranda sent a group of men to search for them but from the sound of things, did not make them search very hard for the group. As a result, the men were forced to live on the islands alone for nearly two years before finally being rescued. Along the way, there was quite a bit of tension among the castaways, leading to danger of death from one another and even from mother nature. The ending will not be fully given away here but it even includes closure for readers regarding the fate of D’Arnda, who is really to blame for the men being left on the islands. The way in which Dolin writes the story makes it so easy to see playing out in one’s mind, making clearer why the story is so engaging and entertaining. This is a real life story about survival. It is a real human drama but is just like something out of a major Hollywood blockbuster. To that end, if Hollywood should ever adapt this lesser-known tale to the big screen, one can only hope that such adaptation would stay true to its source material.
The story at the heart of Dolin’s new book is only a small part of what makes it stand out among this year’s new literary offerings. The collective chapter lengths and transitions make for their own share of enjoyment. The longest of the book’s chapters is roughly 11 pages while the shortest spans only three pages. Add in the pictures incorporated into the story (which will be addressed later), and those pages actually become all the easier to read. Along the way, Dolin makes the chapters’ transitions so fluid, picking up one right where the other ended. Even early on as Dolin is setting the stage for the story of the men’s struggle for survival, telling the story of the Nanina’s crew and passengers, and those of the Isabella, he makes easily clear which ship is being addressed. Even as Dolin turns the attention to D’Aranda and his ship, and how he plays into the bigger story, the change in direction is easy to follow. All of this collectively will leave readers wanting to read just one more page, and another as the story progresses, leading even more to so much appreciation for this book.
The story, its relatively short chapters, and their transitions go a long way toward making Dolin’s new book so successful. They are not all that play into its favor, either. The noted pictures that are incorporated into the story do just as much to help with that enjoyment. That is because while Dolin succeeds in making it easy to paint the story’s picture in readers’ minds, the pictures add even more to that ability. They show just how remote the islands are (and must have been so many ages ago). There are also pictures of the birds and other animals of which Dolin writes, further adding to the immersion into the story. Keeping this in mind, the pictures used in the story are just as important to its success as the story itself and how it unfolds through Dolin’s writing. When all three items are considered collectively, they make this latest offering from Dolin a work that will appeal just as much to non-fiction and fiction fans as it will to those of history and more specifically, nautical history. They make the book overall one of the best of this year’s new literary offerings overall.
Left For Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World, the latest book from Eric Jay Dolin, is a strong new offering from the veteran author. It is a book that is sure to appeal to a wide range of readers. That is due in large part to its story. While being a completely historical story, it plays out like some of the best vintage action movies from Hollywood’s golden age. All of the elements that Dolin notes in the story’s subtitle are there and are sure to keep readers fully engaged. The way in which Dolin presented the story, what with its fluid transitions and relatively short chapters will do just as much to keep readers engaged and entertained. That is because it will leave readers feeling like they have actually accomplished something. Completing the short chapters is an easily attainable goal from one to the next and the fluidity of the chapters makes reaching that goal all the easier. The pictures incorporated into the story make for even more success because they help make the picture painted in readers’ minds all the richer. The result is that readers will find themselves wanting to keep reading. Add in that the story does not even reach 300-pages (it spans 259 pages counting the epilogue which is its own important “chapter”) and audiences will be all the more encouraged to read this book. Each item examined is obviously important in its own way to the whole of Dolin’s new book. All things considered they make this story among the best of this year’s new books.
Left For Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World is scheduled for publication May 7 through Liveright/Norton & Co. More information on this book is available along with all of Eric Jay Dolin’s latest news at:
Website: https://ericjaydolin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericjaydolin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricJayDolin
