To the Edge of the World: A Perilous Storm, A Mutinous Crew and the Woman Who Defied Them All
By: Tilar J. Mazzeo
One woman. One ship. One astonishing true story.
Summer 1856. Nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten and her husband, Joshua, are young and ambitious. Both from New England seafaring families, they have already completed their first voyage around the world with Joshua as captain. Their dream of building a home and a family is almost within reach, but the price is one last dangerous transit – a race to deliver supplies to the other side of the country. And there is no alternative but to sail all the way around.
Yet as their ship leaves New York, navigating towards the jagged coastline of South America, Joshua falls ill, confined to his bunk and delirious. The treacherous first mate is imprisoned in the brig for insubordination, and with no obvious option for a new captain, Mary Ann steps into the breach. Within days she has put down a mutiny and must now attempt to steer this 216′ clipper ship laden with the modern equivalent of $11 million of cargo through Drake’s Passage and around Cape Horn – the most treacherous waters in the world.
To the Edge of the World is the true story of one woman who, when faced with impossible odds, would do all that was necessary to survive.
‘What a breathtaking journey! The perilous ship race, the treacherous weather, a mutinous uprising, the life-threatening illness of the captain, and most of all, the heroic efforts of his wife, Mary Ann Patten… A spellbinding triumph’ Marie Benedict, author of Queens of Crime
‘An epic tale of courage, fortitude, and grit’ Siddharth Kara, author of Cobalt Red and The Zorg
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‘What a breathtaking journey! The perilous ship race, the treacherous weather, a mutinous uprising, the life-threatening illness of the captain, and most of all, the heroic efforts of his wife, Mary Ann Patten, as she steps into his shoes to become the first female captain to traverse the Southern Ocean, all while pregnant… A spellbinding triumph of storytelling and rewriting a valiant woman back into the historical narrative where she belongs. Everyone should read this book!’
- Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of Queens of Crime -
‘An epic tale of courage, fortitude, and grit, brilliantly narrated in this deeply researched and compelling account.’
- Siddharth Kara, Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Cobalt Red and The Zorg -
‘Mary Ann, the captain’s wife, nineteen and pregnant, is forced to take over her husband’s ship mid-voyage. With no training, equipped only with nautical almanacs and how-to guides for sea navigation, and facing off a mutiny, she decides to put her cards on the table. The crew responds by anointing her their captain. It is the mid-1800s, and they are sailing straight into a monumental storm. Tilar J. Mazzeo has written a riveting story about a woman we might otherwise never know, and brilliantly sets it within a larger history about the upward mobility and wealth that the seas offered–and just as quickly took away. A fantastic read!’
- Paulina Bren, author of She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street and The Barbizon: The Hotel that Set Women Free -
‘Once an international sensation, then slipping into the mist of history, the story of nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten’s remarkable feat of seamanship has been rescued and brought to vivid life […] and powerfully informed by Mazzeo’s own consummate knowledge of the sea.’
- Caroline Alexander, author of The Endurance and The Bounty -
‘Expertly weaves together a touching love story and a gripping tale of survival. Mazzeo explores how passion, endurance, and a devoted partnership can overcome the odds, even in the most isolated and desperate circumstances. Through meticulous research and vivid descriptions, Mazzeo reveals how Mary Ann Patton’s unwavering perseverance and brilliant navigation prevailed against the most formidable obstacles.’
- Lydia Reeder, author of The Cure for Women