''Mutiny on the Bounty'' is a 1932 novel by Charles Nordhoff and

James Norman Hall James Norman Hall (22 April 1887 – 5 July 1951) was an American writer best known for '' The Bounty Trilogy'', three historical novels he wrote with Charles Nordhoff: ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1932), '' Men Against the Sea'' (1934) and '' Pitca ...

, based on the

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

against Lieutenant

William Bligh Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...

, commanding officer of the ''Bounty'' in 1789. It has been made into several films and a musical. It was the first of what became ''The Bounty Trilogy'', which continues with '' Men Against the Sea'', and concludes with '' Pitcairn's Island''.

Plot introduction

The novel tells the story through a fictional first-person narrator by the name of Roger Byam, based on a crew member

Peter Heywood Peter Heywood (6 June 1772 – 10 February 1831) was a British naval officer who was on board during the mutiny of 28 April 1789. He was later captured in Tahiti, tried and condemned to death as a mutineer, but subsequently pardoned. He r ...

. Byam, although not one of the mutineers, remains with the ''Bounty'' after the mutiny. He subsequently returns to Tahiti, and is eventually arrested and taken back to England to face a court-martial. He and several other members of the crew are eventually acquitted.

Characters in ''Mutiny on the Bounty''

*Roger Byam – main protagonist, loosely based on life of midshipman

; but with differences-in the book it is claimed that Byam's only living relative was his mother who died of shock after William Bligh had accused her son of being an active mutineer; in fact Heywood had several siblings; his mother survived his court-martial- although his sister Nessy Heywood did die a year after his acquittal *

– Lieutenant and commander of the ''Bounty'' *

Fletcher Christian Fletcher Christian (25 September 1764 – 20 September 1793) was master's mate on board HMS ''Bounty'' during Lieutenant William Bligh's voyage to Tahiti during 1787–1789 for breadfruit plants. In the mutiny on the ''Bounty'', Christian sei ...

– eventual mutineer

Film, TV and theatrical adaptations

*''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set ...

'' (1935) *''

'' (1962) * ''The Bounty'' (1984) *A musical based on the same story appeared in the West End during the 1980s. It was written by and starred

David Essex David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Since the 1970s, he has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most ...

Other

An earlier novel, ''Les Révoltés de la Bounty'' (''

The Mutineers of the Bounty ''Mutineers of the Bounty'' (french: Les Révoltés de la Bounty), translated in English by English writer W. H. G. Kingston, is a short story by Jules Verne. Michael PembrokThe Bounty review: How Peter FitzSimons and Alan Frost see the muti ...

''), was published by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;'' Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

in 1879.Michael Pembrok
The Bounty review: How Peter FitzSimons and Alan Frost see the mutiny
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...

''. December 7, 2018.

References

External links

* * Commentary on the novel and how it influenced the film(s) and popular perception of the events; comparison between three of the films. * {{Mutiny on the Bounty 1932 American novels American novels adapted into films Collaborative novels Little, Brown and Company books Novels about HMS Bounty Novels set in Tahiti