Who knows? Perhaps my lifelong interest in maritime history is due to the Navy men in my family, which is why I picked up Michael and Mollie Hardwick's The World's Greatest Sea Mysteries.
Originally published in 1967, the Hardwicks cover a wide range of maritime mysteries in twenty-eight chapters. The book's emphasis is slanted to British readers, and-- due to it being over fifty years old-- it does occasionally feel dated, but it still held my interest throughout.
The precariousness of life can be seen in letters returned to senders marked "Sailed for England" or the much more dire "SHIP FOUNDERED". Readers can learn about men who had similar experiences with whales as Jonah. There are pirates, lost treasures, and men disappearing in their attempts to find the Northwest Passage. Perhaps the most unsettling to me were the floating derelict ships, but the most mystifying was the racehorse found on an uninhabited island many miles from the mainland.
If you have an interest in the sea and its centuries-worth of mysteries, you should be able to find several items of interest in this book.
The World's Greatest Sea Mysteries by Michael and Mollie Hardwick
eISBN: 9781800555921
Sapere Books © 2022
Originally published in 1967.
eBook, 301 pages
Non-Fiction
Rating: B
Source: Net Galley
