The Wreck of the Medusa

A “thrilling . . . captivating” account of the most famous shipwreck before the Titanic —a tragedy that inspired an unforgettable masterpiece of Western art ( The Boston Globe ). In June 1816, the Medusa set sail. Commanded by an incompetent captain, the frigate ran aground off the desolate West African coast. During the chaotic evacuation a privileged few claimed the lifeboats, while 147 men and one woman were herded aboard a makeshift raft that was soon cut loose by the boats that had pledged