Batavia's Graveyard: The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led Historys Bloodies

Description: FREE SHIPPING UK WIDE Batavia's Graveyard by Mike Dash The true story of a mutiny, shipwreck, murder and survival. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description When the Dutch East Indian Batavia struck an uncharted reef off the new continent of Australia on her maiden voyage in 1629, 332 men, women and children were on board. While some headed off in a lifeboat to seek help, 250 of the survivors ended up on a tiny coral island less than half a mile long. A band of mutineers, whose motives were almost beyond comprehension, then started on a cold-blooded killing spree, leaving less than 80 people alive when the rescue boat arrived 3 months laterBatavias Graveyard tells this strange story as a gripping narrative structured around 3 strong principal characters: Francisco Pelsaert, the cultivated but weak-willed captain; Jeronimus Cornelisz, a sinister apothecary with a terrifying personal philosophy influenced by Rosicrucianism who set himself up as the ruler of the island; and Wiebbe Hayes, the only survivor with the courage to fight Jeronimus band. The background to these events, including the story of the Dutch East India Company, and the discovery of Australia, is richly and vividly drawn. Notes The true story of a mad heretic who led historys bloodiest mutiny. Bestseller in hardback. Popular history in the tradition of Giles Milton. Strong non-fiction for Summer round-ups. "An adult version of Lord Of The Flies that is, moreover, entirely true" Evening Standard. Advertising to include national weekend supplements. Author Biography Mike Dash read history at Cambridge and received his PhD from the University of London. Having worked for the Fortean Times and The Ministry of Sound, and authored several books including the bestselling Tulipomania, he is now setting up his own company. Review Good reviews are now coming in for this wonderful narrative: "Dash evokes the Dutch East Indiamens institutional avarice and brutality particularly well, along with the cheapness of life on voyages lasting several years, and the type of person they subsequently attracted... Dashs version of their hair-raising tale sensibly eschews hysterical romanticism in favour of a springy, understated narrative that lets the horror speak for itself... Awfully good butnot for the fainthearted."SUNDAY TIMES "The details are gruesome but the stor Promotional Batavias Graveyard is to be made into a major FilmFour movie with Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, Robocop, Total Recall) to direct Utterly absorbing - Treasure Island meets Deliverance Evening Standard A magnificent true-horror story Sunday Times Expertly researched - a rattling good yarn Independent on Sunday In many ways the tale of the Batavia is the most sensational maritime saga of them all. A brilliant book Frank McLynn Marketing campaign to include poster, national advertising and dumpbin Author to visit Australia to promote the book there Published alongside a reissue of Mike Dashs bestselling book Tulipomania This is narrative non-fiction at its best Kirkus UK Review In 1628 a fleet of ships owned by the Dutch East India Company set sail for Java. Among their number was the Batavia, a large new ship laden with gold, silver and gems. Ostensibly she was under the command of an experienced merchant named Francisco Pelsaert; she also carried an under-merchant, the untried, untested Jeronimus Cornelisz. Unfortunately this man was not only a disgraced bankrupt - he was a heretic and troublemaker. Cornelisz was already fermenting mutiny within a group of discontented sailors when disaster struck the Batavia. In the early hours of June 4 - after 211 days at sea - the ship impaled itself on a barely submerged coral reef at the edge of an unexplored archipelago off the west coast of Australia. Amidst appalling storms, over 200 survivors were transferred to the relative safety of the islands and there they remained, while Pelsaert took the only boat and headed for Java. Left alone, with little chance of rescue, dwindling food sources and almost no water supplies, the survivors were in chaos. It was a situation that Cornelisz was happy to take advantage of and, with the help of an elite group of loyal supporters, he seized control. So began a killing spree that led to the bloody murder of most of the Batavia survivors. Painstakingly researched and told in compelling detail, this is the true story of what happened. Mike Dash is convinced that, aside from being a heretic and a mutineer, Cornelisz was also a psychopath. Away from the moral and legal constraints of an organized society he allowed his bloodlust to take control. This is a truly horrifying and gripping account that grabs the readers attention from the very first sentence and keeps it right to the end. (Kirkus UK) Long Description When the Dutch East Indian Batavia struck an uncharted reef off the new continent of Australia on her maiden voyage in 1629, 332 men, women and children were on board. While some headed off in a lifeboat to seek help, 250 of the survivors ended up on a tiny coral island less than half a mile long. A band of mutineers, whose motives were almost beyond comprehension, then started on a cold-blooded killing spree, leaving less than 80 people alive when the rescue boat arrived 3 months later Batavias Graveyard tells this strange story as a gripping narrative structured around 3 strong principal characters: Francisco Pelsaert, the cultivated but weak-willed captain; Jeronimus Cornelisz, a sinister apothecary with a terrifying personal philosophy influenced by Rosicrucianism who set himself up as the ruler of the island; and Wiebbe Hayes, the only survivor with the courage to fight Jeronimus band. The background to these events, including the story of the Dutch East India Company, and the discovery of Australia, is richly and vividly drawn. Promotional "Headline" The true story of the mad heretic who led historys bloodiest mutiny - An adult version of LORD OF THE FLIES that is, moreover, entirely true Evening Standard Description for Sales People Batavias Graveyard is to be made into a major FilmFour movie with Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, Robocop, Total Recall) to directMarketing campaign to include poster, national advertising and dumpbinAuthor to visit Australia to promote the book therePublished alongside a reissue of Mike Dashs bestselling book TulipomaniaThis is narrative non-fiction at its best Details ISBN0753816849 Author Mike Dash Audience Age 16-99 Publisher Orion Publishing Co Year 2003 ISBN-10 0753816849 ISBN-13 9780753816844 Format Paperback Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom DEWEY 910.452 Media Book Language English Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson Illustrations 3 Maps Short Title Batavias Graveyard Subtitle The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led Historys Bloodiest Mutiny UK Release Date 2003-04-03 Publication Date 2003-04-03 Pages 464 Audience General NZ Release Date 2003-01-31 AU Release Date 2003-01-31 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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End Time: 2025-01-23T12:00:50.000Z

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