Sailing Alone Around the World

By Joshua Slocum

Book Overview

&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RSailing Alone Around the World&&L/I&&R, by &&LB&&RJoshua Slocum&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R&&LI&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&RNew introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the readers viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences--biographical, historical, and literary--to enrich each readers understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RIn April 1895, at the age of fifty-one, &&LB&&RJoshua Slocum&&L/B&&R departed Boston in his thirty-six-foot sloop &&LI&&RSpray&&L/I&&R, a derelict boat he had rebuilt himself. Three years and 46,000 miles later he returned, having accomplished one of the greatest feats in maritime history--to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe single-handedly. To crown the achievement, Slocum wrote this remarkable account of his voyage, &&LI&&RSailing Alone Around the World&&L/I&&R, an instant best-seller and one of literature's greatest voyage narratives.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RDespite having only a third-grade education, Slocum was as gifted a writer as he was a shipwright and navigator. In clear and vigorous prose, he paints a vivid, even poetic picture of his voyage with its many breathtaking sights and harrowing adventures--including skirting the paradisiacal South Sea islands, braving terrifying storms and treacherous coral reefs, and being chased by pirates. A portrait also emerges of the sailor himself, made up from Slocum's heartfelt simplicity, wry sense of humor, meditative reflections on solitude, and ability to find companions in his animate and inanimate surroundings.&&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RIn the fall of 1909, Slocum set sail from Martha's Vineyard and was never seen again. But his book survives as a testament to the skill, courage, and determination of the man known around the world as the patron saint of small-boat voyagers and navigators, and adventurers of every stripe. &&LB&&RWith 68 drawings and 3 original maps.&&L/B&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LSTRONG&&R&&L/B&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LB&&RDennis Berthold&&L/B&&R, Professor of English, has taught at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, since 1972. He specializes in nineteenth-century American literature and has published scholarly articles and books on Charles Brockden Brown, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller, Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, and Constance Fenimore Woolson.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1593083033
• ISBN13: 9781593083038
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

My all-time favorite sailing book. Bar none.

Joshua Slocum was a very complex man-and not a plaster saint by any account; but he wrote a book as sublime and as soul-satisfying as anyone could wish for. This is a book for a warm fire and a glass of rum, or a cabin on a sailboat. The places he sees and the people he meets are extraordinary; and vividly painted. But they pale when he describes Spray and the sea. You can hear the love and longing in his voice when he describes them. This is the last of a breed, trying to keep his heart alive after wrenching losses, at the end of his rope, and finding a way to continue on and be fulfilled. Excellent reading, it will stick with you for years.

One of the most entertaining books I ever read...

I have to say I was absolutely shocked to see ANY reviews that were less than 5 stars. That is how much I enjoyed this book. I've have actually read this book about once every 2 months for a couple of years now, and I never get tired of my "evening conversations with the Captain", sharing his sail around the world.The Captain will take you to Yankee whaling towns, pirate shoals off the coast of Spain, South Sea paradise islands, among Fuegian natives round the horn, throughout distant Australia, then far beyond and back again. The book is absolutely full of adventures, and if you love the sea or reading about sailing, this is a must read classic.Merry Chistmas to all,Mike

A wonderful little book

Quite simply, a perfect recounting of one man's sailing journey around the world in a time when you could do that sort of thing without a corporate sponsor. Men like Joshua Slocum -- who can perform great feats of daring and courage with complete humility -- don't exist anymore. No writer, Slocum's simple, straight-forward prose is a relief to anyone looking for a break from self-important fiction, wordy biographies and over-complicated takes on our over-complicated world.