A sea of misadventures
Subtitle: Shipwreck and survival in early America
By: Amy Mitchell-Cook
Series: Studies in maritime history
Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Columbia, South Carolina
Language: eng
Number of pages: 227
ISBN-13: 9781611173017; 9781611173024
Subjects: Shipwrecks; History; Survival at sea
Description: "A Sea of Misadventures examines more than one hundred documented shipwreck narratives from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century as a means to understanding gender, status, and religion in the history of early America. Though it includes all the drama and intrigue afforded by maritime disasters, the book's significance lies in its investigation of how the trauma of shipwreck affected American values and behavior. Through stories of death and devastation, Amy Mitchell-Cook examines issues of hierarchy, race, and gender when the sphere of social action is shrunken to the dimensions of a lifeboat or deserted shore.

Rather than debate the veracity of shipwreck tales, Mitchell-Cook provides a cultural and social analysis that places maritime disasters within the broader context of North American society. She answers questions that include who survived and why, how gender and status affected survival rates, and how survivors related their stories to interested but unaffected audiences.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.