I trust Joshua Slocum’s Sailing Alone Around the World needs no introduction here. I have three copies of it: the paperback volume I read in seventh grade, my father’s 1950 hardback, and a 1905 edition I received as a gift from my friend Paul Thomas. Every time I pick up that oldest book, I think of the hands that opened the cover over a century ago to sign it.
A 1905 edition
Read this article now for Free!
Ready for a second free article? Create a free account by entering your email address and a password below.
— OR —
Subscribe now for $29.99 a year and have immediate access to all of our content, including hundreds of small-boat profiles, gear reviews and techniques, adventure stories, and more! You can also browse our entire archive of back issues starting from September 2014, as well as post unlimited classified ads. This is an extraordinary value!
Truly, everyone should read the book. More than once. Several times, in fact. It never grows stale.
I enjoyed the column regarding Joshua Slocum’s book, Sailing Alone Around the World. It reminded me of a visit to Fairhaven, Massachusetts, where Captain Slocum rebuilt the SPRAY. Fairhaven’s Millicent Library has a copy of a pamphlet titled Sloop Spray Souvenir: Round the World, 1895-1898, U.S. to U.S., created by his wife, Henrietta Slocum. A piece of sail from the SPRAY is attached to the inside cover of the publication he sold for 25 cents. The publication can be viewed online but for those in the Fairhaven area, a real life viewing is possible. The librarian may even allow one to touch the sail.
A Man for All Oceans by Stan Grayson is a very good sequel.
Belongs along side Moby Dick. J. Slocum wrote (and lived ) one for the ages. Just finished second go round; it still holds mystery.