Items related to Skeletons on the Zahara

Dean King Skeletons on the Zahara ISBN 13: 9780099435921

Skeletons on the Zahara - Softcover

 
9780099435921: Skeletons on the Zahara
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
The western Sahara is a baking hot and desolate place, home only to nomads and their camels, and to locusts, snails and thorny scrub. On 28 August 1815, the US brig Commerce was dashed against Mauritania's Cape Bojador and lost, although through bravery and quick thinking the ship's captain, James Riley, managed to lead all of his crew to safety. What followed was an extraordinary and desperate battle for survival in the face of human hostility, hunger, dehydration and despair, as the crew were captured, robbed and enslaved. They were reduced to drinking urine (their own and the camels'), flayed by the sun, crippled by walking miles across burning stones and sand. And, over time, James Riley and Sidi Hamet, slave and captor, came to recognize in each other men worthy of respect and the ransom not only of Riley himself but also of a handful of his crew suddenly seemed possible. But, Sidi Hamet had enemies of his own, and to reach safety the sailors had to overcome not only the desert but also the greed and anger of those who would keep them in captivity.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
Some stories are so enthralling they deserve to be retold generation after generation. The wreck in 1815 of the Connecticut merchant ship, Commerce, and the subsequent ordeal of its crew in the Sahara Desert, is one such story. With Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival, Dean King refreshes the popular nineteenth-century narrative once read and admired by Henry David Thoreau, James Fenimore Cooper, and Abraham Lincoln. King’s version, which actually draws from two separate first person accounts of the Commerce's crew, offers a page-turning blend of science, history, and classic adventure. The book begins with a seeming false start: tracing the lives of two merchants from North Africa, Seid and Sidi Hamet, who lose their fortunes—and almost their lives—when their massive camel caravan arrives at a desiccated oasis. King then jumps to the voyage of the Commerce under Captain Riley and his 11-man crew. After stops in New Orleans and Gibraltar, the ship falls off course en route to the Canary Islands and ultimately wrecks at the infamous Cape Bojador. After the men survive the first predations of the nomads on the shore, they meander along the coast looking for a way inland as their supplies dwindle. They subsist for days by drinking their own urine. Eventually, to their horror, they discover that they have come aground on the edge of the Sahara Desert. They submit themselves, with hopes of getting food and water, as slaves to the Oulad Bou Sbaa. After days of abuse, they are bought by Hamet, who, after his own experiences with his failed caravan (described at the novels opening), sympathizes with the plight of the crew. Together, they set off on a hellish journey across the desert to collect a bounty for Hamet in Swearah. King embellishes this compelling narrative throughout with scientific and historical material explaining the origins of the camel, the market for English and American slaves, and the stages of dehydration. He also humanizes the Sahrawi with background on the tribes and on the lives of Hamet and Seid. This material, doled out in sufficient amounts to enrich the story without derailing it makes Skeletons on the Zahara a perfectly entertaining bit of history that feels like a guilty pleasure. --Patrick O'Kelley
About the Author:
Dean King is the author of a biography of Patrick O'Brian, 'a model of how these things should be' - Telegraph 'Books of the Year', as well as other historical adventure novels. He lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and two daughters.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherArrow Books
  • Publication date2005
  • ISBN 10 0099435926
  • ISBN 13 9780099435921
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages368
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780316159357: Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780316159357
Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2005
Softcover

9780316835145: Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival

Little..., 2004
Hardcover

9780434008896: Skeletons on the Zahara

Heinemann, 2004
Hardcover

9780786264056: Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival

Thornd..., 2004
Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Dean King
Published by Arrow Books (2005)
ISBN 10: 0099435926 ISBN 13: 9780099435921
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Books Unplugged
(Amherst, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition. Seller Inventory # bk0099435926xvz189zvxnew

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 17.42
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Dean King
Published by Arrow Books (2005)
ISBN 10: 0099435926 ISBN 13: 9780099435921
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Book Deals
(Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0099435926-new

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 17.42
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Dean King
Published by Cornerstone, London (2005)
ISBN 10: 0099435926 ISBN 13: 9780099435921
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Grand Eagle Retail
(Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In the tradition of In the Heart of the Sea and A Perfect Storm, this historical thriller novel tells a gripping true story of survival in the 19th century Sahara desert. The ultimate shipwreck adventure story, that appeals to fans of Lost and Robinson Crusoe alike.The western Sahara is a baking hot and desolate place, home only to nomads and their camels, and to locusts, snails and thorny scrub. On 28 August 1815 the US brig Commerce was dashed against Mauritania's Cape Bojador and lost, although through bravery and quick thinking the ship's captain, James Riley, managed to lead all of his crew to safety.What followed was an extraordinary and desperate battle for survival in the face of human hostility, hunger, dehydration and despair, as the crew were captured, robbed and enslaved. They were reduced to drinking urine (their own and the camels'), flayed by the sun, crippled by walking miles across burning stones and sand. Over time James Riley and Sidi Hamet, slave and captor, came to recognise in each other men worthy of respect. Soon the ransom not only of Riley himself but also of a handful of his crew suddenly seemed possible. But Sidi Hamet had enemies of his own, and to reach safety the sailors had to overcome not only the desert but also the greed and anger of those who would keep them in captivity. Skeletons on the Zahara is a thrilling true story of shipwreck, adventure, and the limits of man. The western Sahara is a baking hot and desolate place, home only to nomads and their camels, and to locusts, snails and thorny scrub. On 28 August 1815 the US brig Commerce was dashed against Mauritania's Cape Bojador and lost, although through bravery and quick thinking the ship's captain, James Riley, managed to lead all of his crew to safety. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099435921

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 17.43
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

King, Dean
Published by Arrow Books (2005)
ISBN 10: 0099435926 ISBN 13: 9780099435921
New Softcover Quantity: 2
Seller:
GreatBookPrices
(Columbia, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 3343856-n

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 16.18
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 2.64
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Dean King
ISBN 10: 0099435926 ISBN 13: 9780099435921
New paperback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Blackwell's
(Oxford, OX, United Kingdom)

Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780099435921

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 13.10
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.73
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

King, Dean
Published by Arrow Books (2005)
ISBN 10: 0099435926 ISBN 13: 9780099435921
New Soft Cover Quantity: 1
Seller:
booksXpress
(Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780099435921

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 22.88
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Dean King
Published by Arrow (2005)
ISBN 10: 0099435926 ISBN 13: 9780099435921
New Paperback Quantity: 2
Seller:
Monster Bookshop
(Fleckney, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780099435921-GDR

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 13.36
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 11.44
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Dean King
Published by Arrow Books (2005)
ISBN 10: 0099435926 ISBN 13: 9780099435921
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Ria Christie Collections
(Uxbridge, United Kingdom)

Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9780099435921_new

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 12.48
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 12.70
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Dean King
Published by Arrow (2005)
ISBN 10: 0099435926 ISBN 13: 9780099435921
New Paperback Quantity: 2
Seller:
Revaluation Books
(Exeter, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 368 pages. 7.80x5.12x0.94 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0099435926

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 12.59
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 12.73
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Dean King
Published by Arrow Books (2005)
ISBN 10: 0099435926 ISBN 13: 9780099435921
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0099435926

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 21.35
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book