The Wreck of the Mentor
Liveright Publishing Corporation
Scheduled for release June 2, 2026
If there was ever a book, ever an author, who can write history and immediately absorb a reader’s complete attention, it’s Eric Jay Dolin and his soon to be released historic story, The Wreck of the Mentor.
Never having read Dolin before, a reader is apt to leave this one eager to seek out some of his others, from “” to Black Flags, Blue Water: The Epic History of America’s Most Notorious Pirates.” to Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse.” Or more.
But the Mentor is a captivating, true, full of detail story of a 19th century shipwreck of a whaling ship that sailed out of New Bedford Harbor in Massachusetts bringing investors as well as sailors to wealth in the Pacific ocean. That was until May, 1832, when the ship struck a reef off Palau Island in the Pacific during a heavy storm. That’s where the story actually begins.
There were 11 crewmen who survived the wreck, managed to get to the island and began to suffer not only from lack of supplies but a chain of events that changed their lives forever, that of the sailing industry, the town of New Bedford, the whaling industry itself, the impact of a growing America on another culture, and ends describing what happens when cultures unbeknown to each other live in a world together.
Dolin does more than research and write a book you can’t put down. With so many characters about whom he goes into detail as to personality, ability and individual treatment of and reaction to disaster and change, he identifies his cast of characters in the first five pages of the book, identifying them by their position as seaman, able or green hand…. steward, steerer, or cook, residents of the island of Palau, be they relatives, children beachcombers or more, or crew members of other ships involved in the story. He also lists other key players from John Quincy Adams and ship captains and commodores to authors, writers and even a castaway. It doesn’t take much to refer to the list to ensure you keep all characters in the right place.
To be sure the reader knows of the accuracy and research of every part of the story, Dolin also includes plenty of footnotes, easy to read without interrupting the flow of the story, more notes at the end of the book to ensure the reader knows the author did not simply pick up a detail or two, but rather double-checked himself for accuracy.
Best of all, there are more than 100 black and white photos scattered throughout the 226 pages so even those without imagination can see the true picture of a an island native, or a ship of the 19th century.
The book isn’t necessarily pretty … but neither is life. There are tribal wars, plenty of fighting with axes, clubs, spears and anything else handy, and the crushing stories of how survival is won. Even when it’s painful, a reader cannot stop reading until he has seen what happens next.
Dolin makes history thrilling!
The book is bound to be a smashing hit once it hits the shelves in June, so those who love maritime stories, history, heroes and cowards, love and culture should put their orders in now for the June release.
Oh, yes, of course there is a naval rescue! It’s a true story.
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The book is bound to be a smashing hit once it hits the shelves in June, so those who love maritime stories, history, heroes and cowards, love and culture should put their orders in now for the June release.
Oh, yes, of course there is a naval rescue! It’s a true story.
