Ancient Mariner by Ken Mcgoogan
In 1757, when twelve-year-old Samuel Hearne joined the Royal Navy as an apprentice to the famous fighting captain Samuel Hood, he was embarking on a life of high adventure. This young sailor would become the first European to reach the Arctic coast of North America, the author of a classic work of exploration literature, and the man who inspired one of the greatest poems in the English language. Yet, for over two centuries, Hearne's place in history has been a subject of dispute. In ANCIENT MARINER, Ken McGoogan paints a vivid portrait of life in the eighteenth century, from London through to the farthest reaches of North America. After serving as a midshipman during the Seven Years War, Hearne joined the Hudson's Bay Company and was posted to the Arctic coast. From there he embarked on an overland quest for a fabled copper mine - also hoping to discover the Northwest Passage. In his epic account, A JOURNEY TO THE NORTHERN OCEAN, Hearne described this trek, marked by hardship, near-starvation and culture shock. Joining forces with the legendary Dene leader Matonabbee, and closely observing the people, wildlife and terrain as he went, Hearne travelled more than 3,500 miles, mostly on foot. His journey culminated in the infamous massacre at 'Bloody Falls' at the mouth of the Coppermine River - an event, McGoogan suggests, that changed him for ever. In a fascinating piece of literary detective work, McGoogan also determines that, having returned to London to live out his final days, Hearne met Samuel Taylor Coleridge and inspired the poet to write his classic poem, THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER.
"'Brisk, readable books about great Englishmen doing great things - let us call it the School of Longitude - don't come much better than this..The story of Samuel Hearne has something for everyone'" * OBSERVER *
"'McGoogan's strength lies in his knowledge of tribes such as the Chipaweyans and the Dene, married with exhaustive research...fascinating detail'" * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY *
"'His stirring story is one of true British grit'" * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
"'McGoogan's strength lies in his knowledge of tribes such as the Chipaweyans and the Dene, married with exhaustive research...fascinating detail'" * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY *
"'His stirring story is one of true British grit'" * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
KEN McGOOGAN is a Canadian writer - historian, biographer, novelist and journalist. He is the author of the internationally acclaimed bestseller FATAL PASSAGE about Scottish Arctic adventurer John Rae, which won the Writers' Trust of Canada Drainie-Taylor Biography Prize, the Canadian Authors' Association History Award and the Grant MacEwan Award. It also won a US Christopher Award as a work of artistic excellence that 'affirms the highest values of the human spirit'. McGoogan lives with his family in Toronto, Canada.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780553816426 |
| ISBN 10 | 055381642X |
| Title | Ancient Mariner |
| Author | Ken Mcgoogan |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Transworld Publishers Ltd |
| Year published | 2005-03-01 |
| Number of pages | 432 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |