The wreck of the Mentor : a true story of death, despair, and deliverance in the age of sail / Eric Jay Dolin.
"True story of the American whaleship Mentor, wrecked in 1832 on a remote reef in the western Pacific. With supplies dwindling, the eleven surviving crewmen face not only the bleak miseries of shipwreck in unfamiliar territory but also the tense uncertainty of first contact with the Indigenous people of the Micronesian archipelago of Palau, who approach the deserted days of the ship's lamentable arrival. In this gripping saga of cultural collision, gritty survivalism, winning historian Eric Jay Dolin vividly reconstructs the Mentor's doomed voyage, the years of perilous captivity, and the delicate negotiations and fraught naval rescue mission that followed"-- Provided by publisher.
New York Times - "The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026" An astonishing true story--one of the most gripping maritime sagas of the nineteenth century--told by our era's "expert literary steersman" (Washington Post).
Record details
- ISBN: 9781324096320
- ISBN: 1324096322
- Physical Description: xix, 243 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 24 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : Liveright Publishing Corporation, a division of W.W. Norton & Company, [2026]
- Copyright: ©2026
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [209]-226) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Author's note -- Cast of characters -- Introduction -- Pursuing the Leviathans of the deep -- Palau -- A warm embrace -- Plunder -- Water, water everywhere -- Are you English? -- "Old Charley" -- Don't go -- A grand canoe -- Threats -- Departure -- From bad to worse -- Vicious reception -- Tobi -- Existence -- The Sabina -- Retribution -- Death, survival, and hope -- The Brittania -- Home -- The Vincennes -- "I am too happy!" -- Delicate and duplicitous negotiations -- Epilogue.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Mentor (Ship : 1812-1832)
Shipwrecks > Palau.
Shipwreck survival > Palau.
Shipwrecks > Pacific Ocean.
Whaling ships > United States > History > 19th century. - Genre:
- Informational works.
Available copies
- 12 of 28 copies available at NC Cardinal.
- 0 of 1 copy available at Madison County Public Library. (Show)
Holds
- 13 current holds with 28 total copies.
Show All Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bogue Banks | HISTORY MARITIME DOLIN (Text) | 34208900293449 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Braswell Memorial Main Library | 910.452 Dol (Text) | 37807000075728 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
| C.B. Hildebrand Public Library | 910.452 DOL (Text) | 33557004813952 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Cleveland County Main Library | 910.452 DOL (Text) | 22281500164597 | Adult Nonfiction | Reshelving | - |
| Haywood County Main Library | 910.452 Dolin (Text) | 33115007718347 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Leland Library | 910.452 DOL (Text) | 31423621439162 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Louisburg - Main Branch | 910.452/Dolin (Text) | 72350000136588 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Mauney Memorial Library | 910.452 DOL (Text) | 26280860074586 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Person County Library | 910.452 DOL (Text) | 34622503783798 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Scotland County Memorial Library | 910.452 Dolin (Text) | 30388101385923 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
Summary:
"True story of the American whaleship Mentor, wrecked in 1832 on a remote reef in the western Pacific. With supplies dwindling, the eleven surviving crewmen face not only the bleak miseries of shipwreck in unfamiliar territory but also the tense uncertainty of first contact with the Indigenous people of the Micronesian archipelago of Palau, who approach the deserted days of the ship's lamentable arrival. In this gripping saga of cultural collision, gritty survivalism, winning historian Eric Jay Dolin vividly reconstructs the Mentor's doomed voyage, the years of perilous captivity, and the delicate negotiations and fraught naval rescue mission that followed"--
New York Times - "The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026" An astonishing true story--one of the most gripping maritime sagas of the nineteenth century--told by our era's "expert literary steersman" (Washington Post).
New York Times - "The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026" An astonishing true story--one of the most gripping maritime sagas of the nineteenth century--told by our era's "expert literary steersman" (Washington Post).
