A curious book, Captain Bligh’s Portable Nightmare. Partly fiction,
partly fact, John Toohey uses the story of Bligh’s extraordinary feat of
navigating a rowing boat and succouring its crew for more than 4000 miles across
the Pacific after being cast adrift by the Bounty mutineers. Every now and then
the author suspends this to give us a short lecture on how to use a sextant, for
instance, or on vitamin-deficiency diseases. That said, the book’s didactic
diversions don’t hold up the tale of a remarkable man. Occasional anachronisms
to ignore. Published by Fourth Estate, £12, ISBN 1841150770.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Space
Hidden black hole could explain mystery at the heart of our galaxy
News
Earth
Huge crater in Australia may be the oldest impact structure on Earth
News
ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
You should turn off fans when it's too hot – but how hot is too hot?
News
Humans
Elite Maya people had teeth placed in a cave far from their tombs
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
2
How menopause radically changes the brain – and what happens after
3
You should turn off fans when it's too hot – but how hot is too hot?
4
SpaceX's secretive plans to deliver cargo to Earth from space
5
Huge crater in Australia may be the oldest impact structure on Earth
6
Unapproved gene therapy for boosting longevity is set to go on sale
7
‘Fusogenic’ neurosurgery let paralysed pigs walk again – are we next?
8
Faecal transplant makes the brains of old mice act young again
9
How some people's brains make an extraordinary recovery from stroke
10
Elite Maya people had teeth placed in a cave far from their tombs
