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Captain's Dinner
A Shipwreck, An Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History
By Adam Cohen
Published by Authors Equity
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
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Table of Contents
About The Book
A Barnes & Noble Best History Book of 2025
Four men in a lifeboat. Two weeks without food. One impossible choice that would reshape the boundaries between survival and murder. “A perfect enunciation of the classic philosophical conundrum: can you sacrifice one innocent life to save many?" (Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi)
On May 19, 1884, the yacht Mignonette set sail from England on what should have been an uneventful voyage. When their vessel sank in the Atlantic, Captain Thomas Dudley and his crew found themselves adrift in a tiny lifeboat. As days turned to weeks, they faced an unthinkable choice: starve to death or resort to cannibalism.
Their decision to sacrifice the youngest—17-year-old cabin boy Richard Parker—ignited a firestorm of controversy upon their rescue. Instead of being hailed as heroes and survivors, Dudley and his crew found themselves at the center of Regina v. Dudley and Stephens, a landmark murder trial that would establish the legal precedent that necessity cannot justify murder—a principle that continues to shape Anglo-American law today.
In Captain's Dinner, acclaimed journalist, Pulitzer Prize juror, and New York Times bestselling author Adam Cohen masterfully depicts both the harrowing weeks at sea and the sensational trial that followed. "Is killing one innocent person justified if it saves the lives of three others? Cohen's answer—in this riveting account—reads like a thriller" (former U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken). Through this Victorian tragedy, Cohen reveals an enduring conflict between primal instincts and moral principles. This book will “make you think long and hard about what you might do to survive” (Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania).
Perfect for readers of David Grann's The Wager and Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea, this pulse-pounding true story has become a real-life example of one of life's greatest moral dilemmas. “Thoroughly researched and impeccably argued” (Martel). Rich with narrative detail and real-life courtroom twists, “brilliant and profound,” (bestselling author Amy Chua), Captain's Dinner strikes at the heart of a question that haunts us all: When does survival justify murder?
Four men in a lifeboat. Two weeks without food. One impossible choice that would reshape the boundaries between survival and murder. “A perfect enunciation of the classic philosophical conundrum: can you sacrifice one innocent life to save many?" (Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi)
On May 19, 1884, the yacht Mignonette set sail from England on what should have been an uneventful voyage. When their vessel sank in the Atlantic, Captain Thomas Dudley and his crew found themselves adrift in a tiny lifeboat. As days turned to weeks, they faced an unthinkable choice: starve to death or resort to cannibalism.
Their decision to sacrifice the youngest—17-year-old cabin boy Richard Parker—ignited a firestorm of controversy upon their rescue. Instead of being hailed as heroes and survivors, Dudley and his crew found themselves at the center of Regina v. Dudley and Stephens, a landmark murder trial that would establish the legal precedent that necessity cannot justify murder—a principle that continues to shape Anglo-American law today.
In Captain's Dinner, acclaimed journalist, Pulitzer Prize juror, and New York Times bestselling author Adam Cohen masterfully depicts both the harrowing weeks at sea and the sensational trial that followed. "Is killing one innocent person justified if it saves the lives of three others? Cohen's answer—in this riveting account—reads like a thriller" (former U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken). Through this Victorian tragedy, Cohen reveals an enduring conflict between primal instincts and moral principles. This book will “make you think long and hard about what you might do to survive” (Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania).
Perfect for readers of David Grann's The Wager and Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea, this pulse-pounding true story has become a real-life example of one of life's greatest moral dilemmas. “Thoroughly researched and impeccably argued” (Martel). Rich with narrative detail and real-life courtroom twists, “brilliant and profound,” (bestselling author Amy Chua), Captain's Dinner strikes at the heart of a question that haunts us all: When does survival justify murder?
About The Author
Adam Cohen, who served as a member of the New York Times editorial board and as a senior writer for Time, is the author of Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck, which was longlisted for the National Book Award. He is also the author of Supreme Inequality: The Supreme Court’s Fifty-Year Battle for a More Unjust America, and Nothing to Fear: FDR’s Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he was president of volume 100 of the Harvard Law Review.
Product Details
- Publisher: Authors Equity (November 18, 2025)
- Length: 400 pages
- ISBN13: 9798893310603
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Raves and Reviews
"Adam Cohen takes on one of life’s defining moral questions in this riveting historical exploration about a difficult choice at sea that led to a murder trial that set a new precedent."
– Barnes & Noble, Best History Books of 2025
"Drama abounds on the high seas and in the courtroom . . . a gripping look at a foundational moral shift of the modern era."
– Publishers Weekly
"Journalist and author Cohen strikes gold . . . A legal milestone and a good read."
– Kirkus Reviews
"This was not the first act of cannibalism in the name of survival, but it was the first that changed the world. For students of legal history, this one’s a must-read."
– David Pitt, Booklist
"A briskly told, deeply researched study . . . While Mr. Cohen engages readers with a lively and suspenseful narrative, he is also interested in exploring the intricate logic of the legal decision."
– Donna Sanders, The Wall Street Journal
"Thoroughly researched and impeccably argued, Captain's Dinner is both a terrific and an important story. It's a perfect enunciation of the classic philosophical conundrum: can you sacrifice one innocent life to save many? That is a moral dilemma as relevant today as it was in Victorian England."
– Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi
“Is killing one innocent person justified if it saves the lives of three others? Adam Cohen’s answer—in this riveting account of Dudley and Stephens, one of the most famous cases in legal history—reads like a thriller. And it begs the question of each of us: what would you do?”
– Antony J. Blinken, former U.S. Secretary of State
“Brilliant and profound, Captain’s Dinner had me gripped from page one. Even as he takes on wrenching moral issues, Cohen brings humanity and wit to the most serious and ghastly of subjects. With vivid, fast-paced writing, extraordinary research, and incredible historical detail, Cohen takes us back to the scene of the crime—and brings it alive. No one can write like Adam Cohen. A masterpiece!”
– Amy Chua, Yale Law Professor and author of Political Tribes and The Golden Gate
“Adam Cohen’s book transports the reader to 1884 and a dingy with four shipwrecked British sailors who survive weeks at sea by becoming murderers and cannibals. In gripping descriptions, the book details the trial, popular response and the enduring legacy of this case for Anglo-American law. The story and its implications will engross you and make you think long and hard about what you might do to survive in extreme circumstances.”
– Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
“Cohen has a gift for creating compelling narratives that show us the troubles of real people long ago, and connecting ethical challenges of the past to current concerns. A wonderful read.”
– Tia Powell, MD, Professor of Epidemiology and Psychiatry, Division of Bioethics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
"Adam Cohen takes on one of life’s defining moral questions in this riveting historical exploration about a difficult choice at sea that led to a murder trial that set a new precedent."
– —Barnes & Noble, Best History Books of 2025
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