Mary Celeste is an iconic mystery - a perfectly seaworthy ship found wandering aimlessly at sea, her crew strangely and inexplicably missing.
Paul Begg tells the story of the discovery of Mary Celeste and the people who vanished, and investigates over a centurys worth of speculation and survivors tales, searching for the facts behind one of the worlds great mysteries.
'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
'A readable, intelligent, account of the history of the ship, the cast of characters and what is believed to be the recent discovery of wreckage identified as being part of Marie Celeste.'
World Ship Review
Paul Begg is the author of Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History (Longman 2004) and two other highly respected books about Jack the Ripper. He is also the author of Into Thin Air (1981), which included a chapter about the Mary Celeste and wrote extensively for The Unexplained, a part-work to which he contributed an article about Mary Celeste. He has appeared on a Channel 5 documentary about the discovery of the mystery ship's wreckage.
List of maps and illustrations. Acknowledgements. 1 The ocean wanderer. 2 Spencer's Island. 3 Benjamin Spooner Briggs. 4 The crew. 5 The voyage. 6 Meet Mr Frederick Solly Flood. 7 Meanwhile. 8 Wild and fanciful tales. 9 From Hammer to Goon to postage stamp. 10 Other maritime mysteries. 11 Theories of abandonement. 12 Afterwards. 13 Mary Celeste - found? Appendix I J. Habakuk Jephson's statement. Appendix II Transcript of the Gibralter Proceedings. Appendix III Edge of the Sepia: The Life of George Mozart, by John Murray Gillings. Bibliography. Index.