For more than two hundred years, treasure hunters have dug and drilled into the depths of Nova Scoti'?s Oak Island. They have documented a deep man-made money pit and a complex set of connecting flood tunnels. They have found relics and quantities of coconut fibres brought from the Caribbean. But no treasure has yet been found.
There are multiple theories to explain what is buried on the island, who did it and why. There are compelling explanations involving the Vikings, the Aztecs, Spanish conquistadors with treasure to hide, the notorious pirate Captain Kidd and shadowy British figures working for royalty.
With historical visuals and new illustrations, this book brings together the most promising ideas about Oak Island and puts them in historical context. Author John Bell presents each one in turn, pointing out the strengths of each. Accompanying visuals, most in colour, enrich them.
Fans of historic mysteries will be able to judge for themselves which explanation fits best with the evidence on the ground at Oak Island. In the process, they'll explore fascinating episodes and characters in the long history of European encounters with North America, especially the shadowy characters who sought to secretly enrich themselves with contraband wealth from the Americas.
John Bell is an author and editor of more than twenty books on Canadian history and culture. A former editor of the poetry magazine Arc, he has contributed to a wide variety of periodicals, including Literary Review of Canada, Event, This Magazine and Maisonneuve. During his thirty-year career as a senior archivist at the National Archives, John served as the curator of several major exhibitions and websites. He lives in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
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