The Wager by David Grann

I did not know this, but apparently some popular non-fiction in the 18th century was the publication of the captain's log book. Yawn. This book tells a classic sea yarn in a new way, overthrowing an old colonial story. We meet the cast of sailors and their officers during the absurd-sounding War of Jenkins’ Ear, so named because it arose from the allegation a Spanish sailor cut off a British sailor’s ear. Really it was a clash of empires, as the British and Spanish grabbed as much of the New World as they could, then snatched it from each other. In 1740, His Majesty’s Ship The Wager set sail across the Atlantic. Its covert mission was to intercept a Spanish treasure ship off the Chilean coast. The sailors endured hardships as they rounded Cape Horn, where the strongest currents in the world pounded the ship so hard even veterans reeled. That was also where scurvy set in, and typhus. He relates the physical and psychological toll of the voyage, and when things to deteriorate on board, he focuses on these factors. There is a shipwreck, a mutiny, two different sets of castaways who make it back to England, and what happens to them in the end makes for a fascinating story.