A beautiful and tragic love story told through the letters explorer George Bass exchanged with his new, young wife, Elizabeth, during their very short marriage. Theirs was a passionate and extraordinary love affair carried out across the oceans, a love that Elizabeth never let go as she wrote increasingly despairing letters to her husband already lost at sea. On 5 February, 1802, the 142-ton brig Venus cleared Sydney heads to begin a trading voyage through the islands of the Pacific. On board was George Bass, her captain. Neither Bass nor the Venus completed the voyage. They simply vanished into the Pacific.

About the Author

Miriam Estensen is the country's leading historian of Australian maritime discovery. Her books, Discovery, The Life of Matthew Flinders, The Life of George Bass, and Terra Australis Incognita have all been published to critical acclaim.