Mary Celeste

"There is no doubt this is a gem of a read."

Torquay Herald Express

 

"This is the first factual account of the Mary Celeste to be published in the last 30 years and it makes for a fascinating read - one that goes well beyond mere detective story to make a subtle examination of the reasons why this case has lived on in the public consciousness."

NUMAST Telegraph

 

"Paul Begg...has delivered a readable, intelligent, account of the history of the ship, the cast of characters and what is believed to be the recent discovery of the wreckage identified as being part of Marie Celeste."

World Ship Review

 

In 1872 the Mary Celeste was found sailing aimlessly in the Atlantic Ocean, her crew strangely and inexplicably missing. What happened to them has remained an enduring mystery of the sea.

Mary Celeste quickly became the subject of stories that told of half-eaten meals, mugs of still-warm tea on the galley table, and the aroma of fresh tobacco smoke lingering in the captains cabin. Theories to account for the missing crew ranged from mutiny and murder to a giant octopus snatching the crew one by one from the deck, abduction by UFOs and the strange forces said to exist in the so-called Bermuda Triangle.

In this gripping narrative, Paul Begg tells the story of the discovery of Mary Celeste, the people who vanished and the recent discovery of the wreckage. He investigates over a centurys worth of speculation and survivors tales, searching for the facts behind one of the worlds great mysteries.  The book also features the full text of Arthur Conan Doyles short story and the transcript of the Gibraltar proceedings. New to this edition is a fascinating account of the filming of 'The Ghost Ship', a Hammer Films production of the mystery starring Bela Lugosi.

Paul Begg has written about numerous historical mysteries and is one of the worlds leading authorities on Jack the Ripper. He is author of Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History (2002, also Longman) and Into Thin Air: People Who Disappear (1979) about mysterious disappearances, which included a chapter about the Mary Celeste. He has also appeared on a TV documentary about the discovery of the mystery ship's wreckage.