{"product_id":"2026200017259-secondhand-poor-souls-they-perished-the-cataraqui-australias-worst-shipwreck-signed","title":"Poor Souls, They Perished: The Cataraqui Australia's Worst Shipwreck (SIGNED)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Very good\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003cbr\u003eMarkings: Signed with inscription\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Condition as shown in image\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the storm-lashed shores of King Island in August 1845, the immigrant vessel *Cataraqui* was torn apart by savage seas, claiming over 400 lives in what remains Australia's deadliest peacetime shipwreck — a catastrophe so total and so swift that only nine souls survived to tell the tale. Poor Souls, They Perished chronicles the doomed voyage of this emigrant ship, carrying hopeful settlers from Liverpool to Melbourne, reconstructing the harrowing final hours through meticulous archival research, survivor testimonies, and contemporary accounts that bring the tragedy into devastating relief.\n\nAndrew Lemon and Marjorie Morgan present a masterwork of Australian maritime history, weaving together the personal stories of passengers and crew with a broader examination of the treacherous Bass Strait shipping lanes and the era's perilous mass emigration. Their prose is measured yet deeply humane, ensuring that the victims are remembered not merely as statistics but as individuals with names, dreams, and families left behind. With a foreword by celebrated Australian historian Patsy Adam-Smith, this landmark account stands as both a rigorous historical document and a profound memorial — leaving the reader to wonder how many other such tragedies lie buried beneath the indifferent sea.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49210258456795,"sku":"2026200017259-SECONDHAND","price":30.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/31b5cc75-3b53-4578-8738-f9c72d816497.png?v=1788268154","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200017259-secondhand-poor-souls-they-perished-the-cataraqui-australias-worst-shipwreck-signed","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}