David Bianculli

Okay, so once the boat is ready, the mutineers take control of it and leave Captain Cheap along with a few remaining men loyal to him on the island. He actually requests to be left there rather than to be taken prisoner on the boat. And Bokling and his men make this journey almost 3,000 miles successfully, but you could not call it an easy trip.

No, it was not an easy trip. And one important caveat upon leaving the captain, they didn't really leave him with a working boat to get off. And so I think the assumption to some degree, or at least from Cheap's point of view, is he was being left to die so that he could never share his story. So if the others made it back to England, only one version of the tale would prevail.

No, it was not an easy trip. And one important caveat upon leaving the captain, they didn't really leave him with a working boat to get off. And so I think the assumption to some degree, or at least from Cheap's point of view, is he was being left to die so that he could never share his story. So if the others made it back to England, only one version of the tale would prevail.

No, it was not an easy trip. And one important caveat upon leaving the captain, they didn't really leave him with a working boat to get off. And so I think the assumption to some degree, or at least from Cheap's point of view, is he was being left to die so that he could never share his story. So if the others made it back to England, only one version of the tale would prevail.

So only 29 of the 81 men who take this trip survive. One actually dies, I think, as they made it to safety. And we won't get into the story, but miraculously, Captain Cheap and some of his men are rescued from the island by a group of native people. And we'll save that to the readers. But it's amazing, first of all, that...

So only 29 of the 81 men who take this trip survive. One actually dies, I think, as they made it to safety. And we won't get into the story, but miraculously, Captain Cheap and some of his men are rescued from the island by a group of native people. And we'll save that to the readers. But it's amazing, first of all, that...

So only 29 of the 81 men who take this trip survive. One actually dies, I think, as they made it to safety. And we won't get into the story, but miraculously, Captain Cheap and some of his men are rescued from the island by a group of native people. And we'll save that to the readers. But it's amazing, first of all, that...

that these men survived, they made it to safety, greatly diminished, but they all make it back to England. And there the survivors engage in this sort of war of words, like some of the men, including Bulkley, publish accounts of their experience, in part to make money, but also to sway public opinion to their side. And this is all happening at a time of increased journalism and publishing.

that these men survived, they made it to safety, greatly diminished, but they all make it back to England. And there the survivors engage in this sort of war of words, like some of the men, including Bulkley, publish accounts of their experience, in part to make money, but also to sway public opinion to their side. And this is all happening at a time of increased journalism and publishing.

that these men survived, they made it to safety, greatly diminished, but they all make it back to England. And there the survivors engage in this sort of war of words, like some of the men, including Bulkley, publish accounts of their experience, in part to make money, but also to sway public opinion to their side. And this is all happening at a time of increased journalism and publishing.

Can you sort of talk about that?

Can you sort of talk about that?

Can you sort of talk about that?

Yeah, there was greater literacy. Printing was cheaper. So there was a real explosion in newspaper writing, in travel literature. There were known as the Grub Street Hacks, you know, which is where a lot of the publishing had been located, who were these kind of books. For the first time, writing kind of done by professionals for individual profit rather than patronage by the aristocracy.

Yeah, there was greater literacy. Printing was cheaper. So there was a real explosion in newspaper writing, in travel literature. There were known as the Grub Street Hacks, you know, which is where a lot of the publishing had been located, who were these kind of books. For the first time, writing kind of done by professionals for individual profit rather than patronage by the aristocracy.

Yeah, there was greater literacy. Printing was cheaper. So there was a real explosion in newspaper writing, in travel literature. There were known as the Grub Street Hacks, you know, which is where a lot of the publishing had been located, who were these kind of books. For the first time, writing kind of done by professionals for individual profit rather than patronage by the aristocracy.

And so you had the profusion of accounts. And these accounts that were being released by the various seamen and members of the expedition struck a chord. And what's so important to understand is why they did this. They get back to England. And after waging a war against all these elements, they are summoned to face a court martial where they could be hanged.

And so you had the profusion of accounts. And these accounts that were being released by the various seamen and members of the expedition struck a chord. And what's so important to understand is why they did this. They get back to England. And after waging a war against all these elements, they are summoned to face a court martial where they could be hanged.

And so you had the profusion of accounts. And these accounts that were being released by the various seamen and members of the expedition struck a chord. And what's so important to understand is why they did this. They get back to England. And after waging a war against all these elements, they are summoned to face a court martial where they could be hanged.

So they begin to wage this war over the truth, releasing their accounts. And they each shape their account, probably the way we all do in some way, in order to emerge as the hero of their stories. There's a famous line from Joan Didion who says, we all tell ourselves stories in order to live. But in their case, it's quite literally true.