Left for Dead

Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World

By: Eric Jay Dolin

Narrated by: L.J. Ganser

In Left for Dead, Eric Jay Dolin—“one of today’s finest writers about ships and the
sea” (American Heritage)—tells the true story of a wild and fateful encounter
between an American sealing vessel, a shipwrecked British brig, and a British
warship in the Falkland archipelago during the War of 1812.

Fraught with misunderstandings and mistrust, the incident left three British sailors
and two Americans, including the captain of the sealer, Charles H. Barnard,
abandoned in the barren, windswept, and inhospitable Falklands for a year and a
half. With deft narrative skill and unequaled knowledge of the very pith of the
seafaring life, Dolin describes in vivid and harrowing detail the increasingly
desperate existence of the castaways during their eighteen-month ordeal—an all-too-common fate in the Great Age of Sail.

A tale of intriguing complexity, with surprising twists and turns throughout—
involving greed, lying, bullying, a hostile takeover, stellar leadership, ingenuity,
severe privation, endurance, banishment, the great value of a dog, the birth of a
baby, a perilous thousand-mile open-ocean journey in a seventeen-foot boat, an
improbable rescue mission, and legal battles over a dubious and disgraceful
wartime prize—Left for Dead shows individuals in wartime under great duress
acting both nobly and atrociously, and offers a unique perspective on a pivotal era
in American maritime history.

“An absorbing adventure that explores the dark shadows of instinct and self-preservation, and the hardships and stress that stretch the bonds of humanity.
Fascinating reading.”—Stephen R. Bown, author of Island of the Blue Foxes:
Disaster and Triumph on the World’s Greatest Scientific Expedition

©2024 Eric Jay Dolin (P)2024 Recorded Books

Disjointed

I had a hard time following the storyline because it felt that it jumped around a lot.

How the author developed the characters

Chilling account of abandonment and ultimate survival. Live the insight into the perils during the age of sail. Well researched.

Men Better Equipped than Current Day Men!

performance was a bit dry, but I was familiar with the reader going in, so not a shocker. Story was fairly good. A lot of what is told is based off of the one man's account so conjecture on some things. Was a good story none the less and cannot believe the difference between a man of this time frame currently and those men. No man now would survive so well as these did.With all of our DIY videos and TV shows on survival in a what-if, I still was impressed at how well these men made it. A lot of unknowns and unanswered questions with this book but still worth the read.

Great history

Well researched and well written with a good flow. A very good listen. Better than fiction.

never a dull moment

you will like this book guaranteed. pure survival adventure. great audio reader as well peace