Recently I  finished reading the classic sea tale of Mutany on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Hall. I didn't read it in school nor have I seen any movies based on the story. I'm not sure how I missed it! I thoroughly enjoyed this sea adventure based on the true story of the tragic voyage of His Majesty's Ship Bounty in 1788-1789. I loved some of the descriptions in the book, especially near the end since they seemed quite sentimental. A character in the story, on a ship in Portsmouth Harbour, England, says "I saw boats passing back and forth, their oars dipped in gold, and the men in them seemed transparent in the pale light. Knowing how brief a time remained to me, I found nothing unworthy of interest and attention. Even the common objects in my small cabin, - the locker, the table, and the inkwell before me, - seen in various lights at different hours of the day, I found beautiful and wondered that I had failed to notice such things before." These words made me think of painting and paintings so I spent some time on-line looking for paintings illustrating this story. Of course I found several good ones of the sea and the Bounty and also some portraits of the characters in the story.
This story was a good diversion from the usual reading of art books!