"These books were written in the first half of the 20th century (Mutiny... was written in 1932). I think I was in my early teens when I read them. They're books that come to mind when I try to recall how and when I got hooked on reading.

"Writing books was, for Percival Christopher Wren, a side-line activity. He was a prominent architect in England. His great-grandfather, Sir Christopher Wren, was the English architect of the 17th century, in addition to being a mathematician and astronomer.

"Beau Geste (played by Gary Cooper in the movie -- perfect casting) is the oldest of three brothers who, one by one, leave their mansion home in England to join the French Foreign Legion. They do so under mysterious circumstances having to do with a stolen family heirloom diamond. It's interesting in view of the current international crisis, that the action (and there's a lot of it) takes place in the deserts of the Middle East. The French Foreign Legion battling the Arabs over one colonial issue or another. These books include wonderful action adventure scenes of brave, noble young men running off to join the Legion, fighting battles on horseback against the enemy and their camels (think of Lawrence of Arabia), or holed up a medieval fortress (Zinderneuf) against overwhelming odds -- all without a woman in sight to mess up the narrative.

"The Mutiny... trilogy was based on actual events. The crew of the Bounty, led by the second officer in command Fletcher Christian, mutinied against the cruel and tyrannical Captain Bligh. They set the captain adrift in a lifeboat along with a few of his loyal supporters. The story of their miraculous return to England is the book Men Against the Sea.

"The mutineers wound up on Pitcairn Island, a tiny place in the south Pacific that, with Tahitian women, they colonized in 1790. Their descendants, who speak English, still inhabit the island (these details I gleaned from the encyclopedia). In 1957, the remains of the Bounty were discovered off the southern coast of the island.

"There are three Mutiny... movies. The first (and best) in black and white with Charles Laughton as Captain Bligh and Clark Gable as Fletcher. The second, with Trevor Howard as Bligh and Marlon Brando. This movie was something of a disaster. It would have made a better documentary about the making of a movie. Most notable among other problems, about halfway through the production Brando decided he would rather play the more macho part of the crew member leading the mutiny (which had been played by Richard Harris). The recent Mutiny... stars Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson. It's so-so."