{"product_id":"the-custom-of-the-sea-a-shocking-true-tale-of-shipwreck-murder-and-the-last-taboo-9781504096898","title":"The Custom of the Sea: A Shocking True Tale of Shipwreck, Murder, and the Last Taboo","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe inspiration for the Broadway musical \u003ci\u003eSwept Away\u003c\/i\u003e: \"An exciting, historically accurate depiction of a disastrous 19th-century sea journey.\" --\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the late 1800s, the Essex coast of England was known for producing the toughest, most skilled seamen. Tom Dudley was one of them. Though a well-known and respected figure among the local yacht-racing community, he had little experience of deep-sea sailing. Still, Tom agreed to sail more than ten thousand miles to deliver a yacht to its new owner in Sydney, Australia. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Almost immediately, the twenty-year-old \u003ci\u003eMignonette\u003c\/i\u003e starts taking on water--a harbinger for events to come. Tom stops for repairs at Southampton, where his crew abandons him. After recruiting three new men--including a teenage boy who lies about his age--Tom sets off, filled with optimism and dreams of new opportunities in a new land. But then a savage storm sinks the \u003ci\u003eMignonette\u003c\/i\u003e, leaving Tom and his crew in a thirteen-foot-long dinghy a thousand miles from land. In a shark-filled sea, with no water and little food, the men face a horrific fate--and must sacrifice their very humanity to survive . . . \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Four men set out on the \u003ci\u003eMignonette\u003c\/i\u003e, but only three will make it back alive. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"The nightmarish events of the shipwreck are reported with real power.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Makes astonishing reading . . . extraordinary.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A gripping tale of four sailors adrift at sea . . . Gruesome and completely fascinating.\" --\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A terrific story . . . a riveting read.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNeil Hanson is the author of acclaimed narrative nonfiction titles, including \u003ci\u003eThe Custom of the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e The Great Fire of London\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e The Confident Hope of a Miracle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e First Blitz\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Monk Eastman: The Gangster Who Became a War Hero\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003ci\u003e Unknown Soldiers\u003c\/i\u003e. He has been compared to Siegfried Sassoon [and] Robert Graves,\" and critics have hailed his works as \"brilliant,\" and \"gripping.\" Music from Grammy-nominated The Avett Brothers's album \u003ci\u003eMignonette\u003c\/i\u003e later inspired the Broadway play, \u003ci\u003eSwept Away\u003c\/i\u003e, both of which are based on Hanson's book \u003ci\u003eThe Custom of the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Open Road Media","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50911196446994,"sku":"9781504096898","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_70f6009f-a8a0-4aa0-9b4d-e37c3763788b.jpg?v=1738732806","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-custom-of-the-sea-a-shocking-true-tale-of-shipwreck-murder-and-the-last-taboo-9781504096898","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}