AGE OF SAIL
"Mutiny on the Bounty" by Charles Nordhoff
& James Norman Hall 
These two guys knew how to write. This is a fascinating tale based on fact of an epic voyage in the 1780's to the South Seas to collect breadfruit trees for transport to the West Indies for planting. The Bounty, captained by Bligh had a hard passage before landfall in Tahiti. The main character, Midshipman Byan, is sent ashore to study the language and make a dictionary for future sailors visiting the island. Their mission accomplished, the Bounty sets sail, but the despicable behavior of Bligh drives the 1st lieutenant Mr. Christian to mutiny. He is joined my much of the disaffected crew. Bligh and some of the loyal crew are put aboard one of the ship's boats and then make an astonishing journey across thousands of miles in an open boat. Some of the men that remained with the Bounty were not mutineers, but were left behind because there was no room for them in the boat. Most of Bligh's men survive and return to England. See "Men Against the Sea", also by Nordhoff and Hall.
Byan and the others settle in on Tahiti, some marrying and having families. One day the frigate Pandora shows up and the men are arrested and put in irons. On the return trip, Pandora runs aground and the ship is lost. The survivors have a task almost equal to Bligh's for survival. In four open boats they cross thousands of miles and finally reach Dutch ports. Some captured mutineers die, but most return to England for trial (minus those that went with Christian).
The court martial at the end is a fascinating study. Some of the proceedings were taken from transcripts of the actual trial. That Bligh was a mean and vindictive jerk, a cheat, and a liar is historical fact. He went on to serve with distinction in the French Wars and was eventually governor of Australia. But his mean ways persisted and he was ousted from Australia. But the is no denying that he was one hell of a seaman! Several of the mutineers were hanged, some of the innocent, but hanged nonetheless due to the testimony of Bligh; testimony of some of the survivors that went with Bligh, and mostly, the harsh justice of the British Naval System of the time.
Reviewed by Kenneth S. Smith, 8 December 1999
Available from numerous publishers over the years
