Description: In 1763, the Dutch ship Amstelveen sank off Oman's coast due to human error and rough seas. Thirty survivors endured a grueling desert trek to Muscat, with many dying along the way. Using Cornelis Eyks's logbook, Klaas Doornbos reconstructs their journey, blending social history, anthropology, and survival in a gripping naval account.
Brief description: Klaas Doornbos (b. 1936) is teacher, researcher, advisor in educational policy, and emeritus professor of special education at the University of Amsterdam.
Review Quotes: "Shipwreck and Survival offers a highly readable account of a unique episode in eighteenth-century maritime history. The gripping details of the trek through the desert and Doornbos's personal journey of investigation -- from the chance discovery of Eyks's account on an antiques market in southern France to the search for a 250-year old ship wreck via Google Earth -- hold broad appeal to a wide readership." - Guido van Meersbergen in Mariner's Mirror