Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum
“Sailing Alone Around the World” by Joshua Slocum is probably the most famous circumnavigation story ever written. Truly a classic, and a must read for anyone considering long distance cruising. Even a landlubber looking for an adventure story would enjoy the tale about the first man to circumnavigate the world alone at the end of the 19th century. No motor, no electricity, and no companion. Not even a pet. The gales, the calms, the grounding, the attacks, and the beauty are all described in Slocum’s simple style that is unique. And the people and places all seem to come to life as you join him throughout his adventure.
Having read the story before, “I knew the ending”, but the story is so good it was hard to put down – even the second time through. This large (10” x 12”) Illustrated Edition adds so much it’s hard to put into words. As Slocum describes the adventure there are fabulous, and I mean ‘fabulous’, large, full-page glossy color photos of the places he describes, and in some areas they span two pages.
The research team obviously did a lot of work, and it literally shows. There are diagrams, sketches, maps, paintings, and other graphic tools to enhance the story and bring it to life. What a difference from the original version published in 1900. They found old photos of towns and harbors and tribes and ships and animals and lighthouses, all intermixed with the sketches done by Slocum. They even found a map from 1893 that shows the “square and stationary” flat earth which I had never seen before.
This Edition also has a wonderful introduction by Geoffrey Wolff and some pages excerpted from Capt. Joshua Slocum: The Life and Voyages of America’s Best Known Sailor, by Victor Slocum, Joshua’s son. It is a large, beautiful book that looks classy and could add to any table top.
Captain Bob Solliday is a Master licensed 50 ton USCG captain with over 15,000 blue water sailing and boating miles in over forty years on the water. He resides near Marina del Rey, CA and is an ASA certified sailing instructor. He does boat deliveries and continues to race sailboats and teach sailing. He can be contacted at Bob@BobSolliday.com or 310.968.9441.
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