Listed by Abraham Lincoln, alongside the Bible and Pilgrim's Progress, as one of the books that most influenced his life, this is an enthralling account of the courage and perseverence it took one man and his crew to survive inconceivable hardship.
Shipwrecked off the western coast of North Africa in August of 1815, James Riley and his crew could not imagine the trials awaiting them as they picked up the remains of their belongings from the sandy shore. Captured by a band of nomadic Arabs and herded across the Sahara Desert, they were beaten, forced to witness outrageous atrocities, sold as slaves, and starved so severely that Captain Riley's weight dropped from 240 pounds to a mere 90 at his rescue.
First published in 1817, this dramatic saga became a national bestseller. Written in a crisp style easily accessible to modern readers, it is at once an indictment of the institution of slavery and a remarkable tale of adventure and survival.
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