New York, 2003, 1st edition. 304 pp, photos. Hardcover, DJ, Fine.
The author of Escape from Lucania uncovers an extraordinary tale, set in the mid-18th century, about four Russian hunters stranded on a desolate Arctic isle with scant resources, who survived for six years. Initially, Roberts is so preoccupied with debunking earlier histories of the shipwreck that the drama barely comes to life. He fumes at the shortcomings of other historians such as the 'pomposities' and 'basic mistakes' of the writer P.L. Le Roy.