The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty

by Caroline Alexander

Book Overview

Has history been wrong for 200 years? Read the startling truth about the mutiny on the Bounty, its characters, causes, and aftermath. Television rights are now in development with Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions.

More than two centuries after Master's Mate Fletcher Christian led a mutiny against Lieutenant William Bligh on a small, armed transport vessel called Bounty, the true story of this enthralling adventure has become obscured...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142004693
• ISBN13: 9780142004692
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Beautiful Book, Good Binding

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"I've been in hell this past fortnight, absolute hell."

Fletcher Christian's repeated statements that he has been "in hell," just before he seizes Captain Bligh and takes over the Bounty, feature prominently in Caroline Alexander's careful study of the mutiny and its participants. Probably the most thoroughly researched analysis ever undertaken of this event, Alexander begins her vividly written account with a short-story-like summary of the major events leading up to the mutiny and the actions which followed it. She then delves into the backgrounds of the major characters--Bligh and the men who accompanied him in the launch into which he was forced, and Fletcher Christian and the men who took over the Bounty. Alexander's scholarship is awe-inspiring, tracing as she does the genealogies, the connections, the educations, and the talents of the various officers and able-bodied seamen who take off on the Bounty, determined to obtain breadfruit trees to use as a food supply for the West Indies. Bligh is depicted as a very different person from his mean-spirited portrayal in Hollywood films. Anxious not to use the lash, he reveals in his logs, both official and personal, his pleasure (at first) at being able to maintain order without floggings. He is also determined to avoid the nutritional problems, such as scurvy, which have plagued other, earlier voyages. Mentoring several young men, including Fletcher Christian, he hopes to teach by example, rather than by orders. Fletcher Christian's character is more difficult to understand, and his constant statements that he has been "in hell," attested to by many witnesses, suggest that he may have been suffering some sort of breakdown. Alexander uses the logs of the journey, Bligh's private records, and the public and personal records of every officer and seaman in an effort to depict the exact order in which events happened before and during the mutiny. Court documents and the trial transcripts from the eventual courts martial of ten of the mutineers further illuminate the human side of these events. The aftermath of the mutiny, the futures of the men who remained with Bligh, the sentences passed on the captured mutineers, the lives of the men who escaped to Pitcairn Island, and the speculation regarding the fate of Fletcher Christian bring this fascinating history full circle. Thoroughly researched, with every possible document gleaned for information, Alexander's fascinating study is a masterpiece of scholarship--exciting to read, full of previously unknown information, and an enduring challenge to the popular wisdom. n Mary Whipple

A vastly absorbing and well-written book

I'm not sure how I even came to own this book; it was around for quite a while before I ever opened it, but having done so, I couldn't put it down. First, a confession: my only knowledge of the story of "The Bounty" was that contained in the two movies about the subject. What a shame! There is so much more to the story than just the mutiny and so much more to understand about the stratification of late-18th-Century society as it pertained to birthright vs. command and authority. It is interesting to note the The Bounty was not a large enough ship to require the rank of Captain as her commander and, in fact, Bligh was only a Lieutenant, who was called "Captain" as a courtesy. The action around the mutiny takes place in one of history's greatest ages for exploration and Ms. Alexander doesn't give that fact short shrift. We are given to understand all that those epic sea voyages implied in importance and economic necessity and so much of what we are learning in this book presages the Napoleonic Wars that were shortly to follow. But in 1789, vast stretches of the globe were either unmapped or poorly understood and Cape Horn (southern tip of South American) and the Cape of Good Hope (southern tip of Africa) were nearly insurmountable obstacles to navigation. In fact, unable to negotiate Cape Horn, Bligh turned The Bounty toward Africa and approach Tahiti by way of the Cape of Good Hope, adding nearly 10,000 miles to his voyage. What a fallback position! One of the gifts that Caroline Alexander gives us in this book is excerpts from the official ship journals, as well as the private journals and correspondence of some of the principals, to illustrate and propel the action of the book along. The better news is that she does not overwhelm the book with this very useful material, but instead uses it judiciously and with very good timing. I think it is a tribute to both the writing and the subject matter that, as the book moved along, I found myself interested in the relationship between Bligh and Fletcher Christian and curious as to how the actual mutiny would be portrayed, but no more so than with the story of the exploration, the staffing of the ships, the backstory of Captain Cook (with whom Bligh had served) and the general atmosphere in England during those times. This is a very complete book and provides a depth to the story that may not have been achieved before in such a readable form.

A superbly well written adventure

Caroline Alexander takes a story you perhaps thought you knew-the 1789 mutiny on board the HMS Bounty-and says something new about it, in a style that is both economical, elegant, and exciting. In a first chapter that is a masterpiece of simple story-telling, she structures the fantastic story: "Captain" William Bligh (in fact, he was only a lieutenant) commanded the HMS Bounty to Tahiti, suffered the mutiny of part of his crew, and navigated a simple row-boat across many thousands of miles of the Pacific to be rescued. A second voyage, undertaken by the HMS Pandora, discovered many mutineers on a distant island, taking them into custody, only to be broken up in a terrible storm, its survivors (crew and prisoners) enduring a second open-boat voyage to safety. On return to England a length court-martial condemned many of the mutineers to death, but left unscathed young Peter Heywood, convicted but later pardoned.The traditional view of things (i.e. the one you `know' from the movie versions) has Bligh as a torturer, the famous Fletcher Christian as a defender of the ordinary sailor's rights, and Heywood as an innocent bystander. Through careful reading of seemingly every contemporary document-including every bit of the trial transcripts-Alexander subverts the story to one of privilege rebelling against authority: whereas Bligh came from a family of extremely modest means, Christian and Heywood both came from old and well-connected families who, after the courtmartial, ensured their own good names by besmirching Bligh's.This is not sensational journalism but careful scholarship, and even if you don't agree with Alexander's `take' on the subject, you will enjoy hearing the sailor's own first-person narratives, as well as Alexander's careful reconstruction of what actually occurred. This book was nominated for the National Book Critic's Circle award for non-fiction; it was richly deserved. "HMS Bounty" receives my highest endorsement as well!

HISTORY - RELIVED AND REVISED

After three movies, several poems, and numerous vignettes, most of us probably think we know the story of that ill-fated ship the Bounty. Many will remember Charles Laughton's unforgettable portrayal of the cruel, tyrannical Captain Bligh. Forget everything you've seen and read because most of it is completely untrue, as is revealed in this landmark history of one of the world's most famous mutinies. Stellar British actor Michael York, acclaimed for his stage and screen roles, offers an impeccable reading of The Bounty in the abridged versions. The unabridged version is in the capable hands of veteran vocal performer Simon Prebble who also gives a top-notch delivery. Surprised listeners will learn, perhaps for the first time, that rather than being an oppressive taskmaster, Captain Bligh was in actuality a fine leader who went to great lengths to avoid using physical punishment. He was, in effect, tossed overboard, sent to sea in a small boat with meager rations, and a few who remained loyal to him. Despite the odds he was able to save all of their lives and take them to land. Perhaps the most spellbinding segment of Ms. Alexander's story is the court martial of the mutineers who were found in Tahiti and returned to England. Remembering the day in 1789 when Fletcher Christian led the insurrection listeners are able to relive that fateful time as they hear it related in the voices of the participants. The author has accomplished an amazing work of scholarship, and the readers give it remarkable voice. - Gail Cooke

The Bounty

I read the "Bounty Trilogy" over 40 years ago, and I never forgot the fascinating story of the Bounty. As the years passed,I read other books on the subject, including Bligh's account of the voyage and mutiny. All were interesting.Finally, we have a wonderful new book on the subject. "The Bounty" could not have been a more enjoyable, and fascinating reading experience. I am still depressed the book is finished.The book tells as true a story of the muntiny as one could expect. It was not,of course, like the old "Bounty Trilogy," but it was written as well, and told a wonderful non-fictionl account of the events. I learned more background, and the fate of the crew and others involved in the mutiny. The section on the court martial was extremely interesting. I think this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I cannot recommend it highly enough.