Publisher's Synopsis
IN THE WAKE OF MADNESS is the gripping true story of one of the bloodiest mutinies of the nineteenth century, written by an award-winning maritime historian. In 1841, Massachusetts whaleship Sharon set out for the whaling grounds of the northwestern Pacific. Twelve men deserted the ship, and three Pacific Islanders joined the crew. The story of the mutiny, the murder and the ship's eventual recapture unfolds in breathless detail. An aspiring young writer of the time eagerly followed this true story: his name was Herman Melville.
