A Short Bounty Bibliography

No one is expected to read all of this material.  Participants reading the "Captain Bligh And Mister Christian" title and one or more of the Nordhoff & Hall Trilogy will be well prepared.   Read as much of the other as you want.


#1.  Captain Bligh and Mister Christian: The Men and the Mutiny
Richard Hough

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Format: Paperback, 288pp.
ISBN: 1557502307
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Pub. Date: August  2000
sales rank: 134,247
 

I like this book and recommend it for all participants as a principal source for all participants because it is an over-view history of the entire Bounty affair from its beginning sailing from England to the end in both England with the court martial trial and on Pitcairn Island at the settlement of the mutineers. .  The author, Richard Hough while apparently lacking high academic credentials has written at least 18 popular history books mostly on Naval subjects many on the Royal Navy .  Though the book is not footnoted it contains a suitable bibliography that seems to include the important well know source materials describing the events. 

 

From the Publisher
The mutiny on the Bounty has fascinated readers for more than two hundred years, but no other book on this extraordinary episode in maritime history tells the story as well as this masterly and thrilling account by Richard Hough. He has set down all the aspects of the extraordinary story in a manner that is utterly compelling, and he has brought alive the powerful characters who played out the events. Highly touted when first published in 1972, it is an epic drama of courage, discovery, deceit, and treachery. The story of Fletcher Christian and the rest of the mutineers' discovery of an uninhabited island and their attempt to fashion a community away from the pursuing ships of the Royal Navy is as tense as it is horrific. Captain Bligh's remarkable 3,600-mile voyage to Timor in the ship's open launch is fully described as one of the great feats of navigation. The dismal episode of the Pandora and the remarkable survival of one of the mutineers add further fascinating twists to the story.

About the Author:
Richard Hough, a former Royal Air Force Pilot, is one of England’s leading maritime historians and the author of many books, including The Potemkin Mutiny.



 Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 8
Foreword 9
1 'I am in hell' 13
2 'A fatal turn to the affair' 29
3 'A great man for the women' 54
4 'Songs were made on him extolling his kindness' 81
5 'The Paradise of the World' 106
6 Prelude to Mutiny 131
7 'The eyes of famine' 149
8 'The great rock' 190
9 Pandora's Box 211
10 Pitcairn Island: 'humanising the rude savages' 233
11 'The worst of serpents' 276
12 'A crime of so black a nature' 296
Chronology 307
Note on Sources 309
Index 315

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#2.  The Bounty Trilogy: Comprising the Three Volumes, Mutiny on the Bounty, Men against the Sea and Pitcairn's Island
Charles Nordhoff  James N. Hall
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Format: Paperback, 1st ed., 691pp.
ISBN: 0316611662
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Pub. Date: May  1985
Edition Desc : REPRINT
sales rank: 19,749
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This is the famous Nordhoff & Hall fictional trilogy on the Subject.  The Titles are "Mutiny on the Bounty," "Men against the Sea," and "Pitcairn's Island."  These volumes tell the Bounty story as a fictional account.  For many of us, our knowledge of the Bounty history and its characters, Captain Bligh and Mr Christian comes from this source. or from one or more of the many movies based on the event.

I recommend thar participants read at least one of these volumes to get a sense of whether the fictional story corresponds to the history.

 

 

 CUSTOMER REVIEWS - An Open Forum
Number of Reviews: 2    Average Rating:

Donald Mitchell (donmitch@irresistibleforces.com), a management consultant from Boston, September 11, 2001,
Reviews of Men Against the Sea and Pitcairn's Island
Men Against the Sea is the second book in the Bounty Trilogy. Mutiny on the Bounty (read my review of that book under its title) recounts the tale of the voyage of the H.M.S. Bounty from England to Tahiti and a little way back, the mutiny, and the subsequent events that affect those of the Bounty’s crew who remain on Tahiti. When last seen in that book, Captain William Bligh is cast adrift far from land in a small vessel overladen with 18 other loyal men and about 7 to 8 inches of freeboard above a flat sea. Men Against the Sea describes what happens to Captain Bligh and those he commands as they make their way eventually to the Dutch East Indies. Along the way, Captain Bligh and his men traverse around 3,600 miles in their fragile vessel while suffering many horrors including attacks from the native people, lack of sleep, storms, bailing for their lives, cold, thirst, too much sun, and hunger. The authors make a good decision in choosing to have the ship’s surgeon serve as the narrator of this saga. This perspective made it possible for the book to include his physical descriptions of the deprivations of the Bounty’s abandoned crew to help make the story more compelling. In the true spirit of a story about English tars, there is a considerable discussion of how the starvation the men experienced affected their intestinal tracts. Captain Bligh comes across very poorly in Mutiny on the Bounty. The opposite occurs in Men Against the Sea. His leadership is one of the great accomplishments of seamanship of all time. But the men are only human after all. Someone steals two pounds of pork. Another shipmate sent to capture birds is overcome by the need to eat them, and spoils the hunting for everyone. In their weakened state, they miss many wonderful chances for food. When they reach civilization and begin to recover from their privations, complaining quickly returns. My test of how well written such an adventure tale is that I often felt like I was in the boat struggling with them. The main weakness of the book is that it skips many days on end, when the circumstances were at their most dire such as during unending days of storms. By doing this, the reader is denied the chance to have the full horror of the crossing bear down more strongly. Most of the weaknesses of Mutiny on the Bounty are overcome in Men Against the Sea. So if you found that work unappealing, give this one a chance. It has many of the qualities of great survival and adventure books. After you finish this remarkable tale, I suggest you think about the ways that adversity brings out the best in you. How can you do as well when times and circumstance are not adverse? Squarely face the challenge, with confidence that success will follow! Before reviewing Pitcairn’s Island, let me note that it contains explicit scenes of violence that would cause this book to exceed an R rating if it were a motion picture. These scenes are very effective in enhancing the emotional power of the story, but certainly exceed what had to be portrayed. Pitcairn’s Island is by far the best of the three novels in The Bounty Trilogy. While the first two books seem like somewhat disconnected pieces of the whole story of the events leading up to and following the mutiny on H.M.S. Bounty, Pitcairn’s Island stands alone as a worthy story. In its rich development of what happened to nine of the mutineers and those Polynesians who joined them, this book ranks as one of the great adventure and morality tales of all time. The story picks up with the H.M.S. Bounty under sail in poorly charted seas, commanded by Fletcher Christian and looking for Pitcairn’s Island. On the ship are 27 adults (9 British mutineers, 12 Polynesian women, and 6 Polynesian men). Everyone is a little edgy because Pitcairn’s Island is not where the charts show it to be. After much stress, Pitcairn’s Island is finally sighted. Then, it becomes apparent that the Bounty cannot be kept safely there in the long run because of the poor mooring conditions. If they commit to Pitcairn’s Island, there will be no leaving it. What to do? The novel follows up on what happens in the 19 years following that fateful decision. The key themes revolve around the minimum requirements of a just society, differences between the two cultures of British and Polynesians, the varying perceptions and expectations of men and women, and the impact of immorality on the health of a society. Anyone who has enjoyed Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, or The Lord of the Flies will find this novel vastly appealing. Here, part of the fascination is that real-life events are being described. The decision to turn this into a novel is a good one. The accounts of what occurred vary, and cannot be totally reconciled. So no one can really know what happened, other than it was dramatic. Towards the end of the book, the narration becomes that of one character, and the use of that character’s language, perspective, background is powerful in making the novel seem more realistic and compelling. This is a story where the less you know when you begin, the more you will enjoy the story. To increase your potential reading pleasure, I will say no more. After you finish reading the book, I suggest that you take each of the characters and imagine how you could have improved matters for all by speaking and behaving differently then that character did. Then, think about your own family, and apply the same thought process. Next, make a change! Think through the long-term consequences of your potential actions very carefully when many others will be affected! Donald Mitchell, co-author of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The 2,000 Percent Solution

Jonathan (canadianbacon7@hotmail.com), a student from canada, October 19, 2000,
Speechless
this book was amazing. it told in great detail the voyage of the bounty, the mutiny, the voyage to the east indies and the final place where the book ends it is excellent. i reccomend it to all

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#3.  Mr Bligh's Bad Language: Passion, Power and Theatre on the Bounty
Greg Dening

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Format: Paperback, 445pp.
ISBN: 0521467187
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Pub. Date: March  1994
sales rank: 319,279
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I added this title 12/6/06 in response of comment from Mrs Watson (Thank you Mrs W) on our Blygh Planning board.  I left out of the first issue of this bibliography somehow assuming from the title that it was a thesis on the naughty words common in the Royal Navy in the 18th century.     Base on the short Publishers comments included below and more importantly on comments  from Mrs Watson on our senior's net planning board, it seems an important and readily available source.  I will include in in my next order. 
From the Publisher
William Bligh was one of the least violent disciplinarians in the British navy. It is this paradox that inspires an analysis of the infamous voyage of the Bounty in the context of other explorations and revolutions as well as the disclosure of more startling revelations concerning the mutiny.

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#4.  The Mutiny of the Bounty 
John Barrow  Gavin Kennedy (Editor)

Format: Hardcover, 216pp.
ISBN: 0879233435
Publisher: Godine, David R.
Pub. Date: October  1980
Edition Desc : 1st U.S. ed
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This title is not presently stocked by Barnes & Noble. A used copy of this title may be available. Check availability from our network of book dealers.
I have this book and like it because it is a near primary source by a a High Admiralty official who had access to all the official records.  While it is not currently in print, it should be available from most Libraries and copies are available from the B & N Used Book Dealers Network.  Since I have a copy, I will report on it.

Annotation
This classic of maritime history -- which first appeared in 1831 -- records the full intriguing story of the mutiny of the Bounty.

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#5.  Bligh!: The Whole Story of the Mutiny Aboard H.M.S. Bounty
Sam McKinney
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Format: Paperback, 208pp.
ISBN: 0920663648
Publisher: Heritage House Publishing Company, Limited
Pub. Date: October  2000
sales rank: 536,651

No Publisher Information or Customer Reviews available but the book appears available from the catalog.

I will see if this book is available at my local library  and report back

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#6.  The Bounty Mutiny 
William Bligh  Edward Christianson

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Format: Paperback, 254pp.
ISBN: 0140439161
Publisher: Penguin USA
Pub. Date: May  2001
sales rank: 148,013
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Note Ginny has this book and has noted inaccuracies.  I will try to get it because the qppendixes if accurate copies should be helpful..



From the Publisher
The names William Bligh, Fletcher Christian, and the Bounty have excited the popular imagination for more than two hundred years. On an April morning in 1789, near the island known today as Tonga, William Bligh and eighteen loyal seamen were expelled from the Bounty, and began what would be the greatest open-boat voyage in history, sailing some 4,000 miles to safety in Timor. The mutineers, led by Fletcher Christian, sailed off into a mystery that has never been entirely resolved.

While the full story of what drove the men to revolt or what really transpired during the struggle may never be known, Penguin Classics has brought together all the relevant texts and documents related to a drama that has fascinated generations. Here are the full text of Bligh's Narrative of the Mutiny, the minutes of the court proceedings gathered by Edward Christian in an effort to clear his brother's name, and the highly polemic correspondence between Bligh and Christian -- all amplified by Robert Madison's illuminating introduction and rich selection of subsequent Bounty narratives.

 Table of Contents

Introduction
Suggestions for Further Reading
A Note on the Texts
Maps
A Narrative of the Mutiny on Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty 1
Minutes of the Proceedings of the Court-Martial held at Portsmouth, August 12, 1792. On Ten Persons charged with Mutiny on Board His Majesty's Ship the Bounty, with an Appendix by Edward Christian 67
An Answer to Certain Assertions Contained in the Appendix to a Pamphlet 153
A Short Reply to Capt. William Bligh's Answer 183
App. A Bligh's Orders and a Description of the Breadfruit 197
App. B Lady Belcher's Account of the Pandora (1870) 205
App. C The Quarterly Review on the Bounty (1810) 213
App. D The Quarterly Review on the Bounty (1815) 215
App. E Jenny's Story (1829) 228
App. F John Adams's Story (1831) 235

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#7.  Captain Bligh's Portable Nightmare: From the Bounty to Safety--4,162 Miles across the Pacific in a Rowing Boat
John Toohey

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Format: Paperback, 224pp.
ISBN: 0060959525
Publisher: HarperTrade
Pub. Date: February  2001
sales rank: 110,324
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Other Formats: Hardcover
This popular history that includes the creation by the author of dialog follows  Bligh from the time of the mutiny through the open boat voyage to Timor and through what followed in England.  The author should be classified as a pro Bligh historian (But there is nothing wrong with that!

From the Publisher
It is dawn, April 28, 1789. Captain William Bligh, commander of the HMS Bounty, and his eighteen men are herded by mutineers onto a twenty-three-foot launch and abandoned in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Covering 4,162 miles on the way to Java, the small boat and its men are subject to storms, illness, starvation, and attacks by islanders. Still, the journey stands as one of the greatest achievements in European seafaring history — and a personal triumph for the historically misjudged Bligh. Captain Bligh's Portable Nightmare reveals, in vivid and breathtaking detail, Bligh's astounding mapmaking skills, explores his guilt over Captain Cooks' death, and discusses the failure of the Bounty expedition. Combining extensive research with gripping storytelling, Toohey tells a compelling tale of exploration, mutiny, and survival — while reinstating Captain William Bligh as a legendary hero.

 From the Critics
From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly  
Instead of rehashing the tale of the famed 1789 mutiny on the HMS Bounty (as done by so many historians, novelists and filmmakers), Australian historian Toohey tells the story of what happened to Capt. William Bligh after the mutiny was over. After his ejection from the Bounty, Bligh traveled halfway across the Pacific (to Java) on a cramped 23-foot launch with 18 crew members. Drawing heavily on survivors' accounts and other contemporary sources, Toohey recounts the dramatic tale of this voyage in an almost novelistic narrative, reconstructing conversations and interior monologues and capturing the terror and cunning of men facing slow death on the high seas. Like other "pro-Bligh" historians, Toohey implies that the mutiny occurred largely because Bligh's spoiled crew had trouble readjusting to navy discipline and rations after spending six months eating, sunning themselves, and having sex on Tahiti. Bligh, he argues, was not the abusive tyrant of Hollywood epics but a misunderstood perfectionist, a brilliant navigator and explorer, a family man and an empathetic personal friend to at least some men on the launch. He often seems to forget that Bligh was also an imperialist--his mission was to transport breadfruit plants from Tahiti to feed West Indies slaves; he sets Bligh's saga, only offhandedly, in the context of Britain's expanding empire, James Cook's fatal 1776 voyage to the Pacific (on which Bligh served as cartographer) and European rivalries. Still, this fiercely lyrical, stylish chronicle is likely to resurrect debate over the mutiny, Bligh's character and his place in history. B&w illus., maps. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

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