Island of the Lost: An Extraordinary Story of Survival at the Edge of the World

In 1864, two ships wreck on opposite ends of Auckland Island, a desolate landmass 285 miles south of New Zealand. Captain Thomas Musgrave's schooner, the Grafton, runs aground on this forbidding island, which is battered by year-round freezing rain and constant winds and is considered one of the most inhospitable places on earth. Shipwreck there typically means almost certain death. At nearly the same time, on the opposite end of the island, another vessel, the Invercauld, runs aground during a storm. Separated by only twenty miles and the island's treacherous, impassable cliffs, both crews face the same dire circumstances. However, their responses differ dramatically. While the Invercauld's crew descends into internal conflict, starvation, and cannibalism, Musgrave's crew works together to construct a cabin and forge, eventually finding a way to escape. Drawing on survivors' journals and historical records, maritime historian Joan Druett recounts this true story of leadership and the distinction between order and chaos.