Summary: The thrilling true stories in this book include the wreck of the Batavia and its nightmarish aftermath, the cannibal convicts of Van Diemen's Land, the penal death camps and an assortment of demented murderers. On a lighter note are such quirky Ripping Yarns as the adventures of the fiery dancer Lola Montez and the story of the eccentric composer Percy Grainger and his taste for flagellation.