A Dutch Castaway on Ascension Island in 1725

by Alex Ritsema

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Book cover for A Dutch Castaway on Ascension Island in 1725

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On 5 May 1725 a Dutch ship's officer, Leendert Hasenbosch, was set ashore on the desert island of Ascension in the South Atlantic Ocean, as a punishment for sodomy. He tried to survive on turtles and birds but found very little water on the barren island. He wrote a diary. He probably died after about half a year. In January 1726 British mariners found his tent, diary and other things and brought the diary to England. In 1728 a first English version of the diary of the Dutch castaway was published. Other versions followed. Who was the castaway? The truth was disclosed by the Dutch historian Michiel Koolbergen (1953-2002), in a posthumously published book in Dutch. With the support of Michiel Koolbergen's family and publisher, this new book discloses the truth in English. This book is illustrated with line drawings, both historic ones and by the Dutch artist Anneke de Vries.
  • ISBN10 1446189864
  • ISBN13 9781446189863
  • Publish Date 13 September 2010 (first published 3 July 2006)
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country GB
  • Imprint Lulu.com
  • Format Paperback (US Trade)
  • Pages 180
  • Language English