An American Seafarer in the Age of Sail: The Erotic Diaries of Philip C. Van Buskirk, 1851-1870 [Hardcover]

Barry Richard Burg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 1994

Philip C. Van Buskirk enlisted in the US Marines in 1846 at the age of 12, and from 1851 he recorded his experiences and thoughts in a diary. The author of this book draws on the diaries of Van Buskirk to paint a picture of life in 19th-century America.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Philip Van Buskirk, a 12-year-old who joined the U.S. Marines in 1846 as a music boy, played drums on a Navy ship, first in the Mexican War and then with the East India Squadron in 1851. He kept a diary recording life aboard ship and his adventures on liberty. Burg, a professor of history at Arizona State University, has constructed an intriguing narrative from the diaries, which span the years 1851-1870 and are indeed, as the subtitle notes, intimate. Van Buskirk describes his own and others' homoerotic acts, which apparently occurred frequently on warships and were ignored by superiors. Middle-class, with some schooling, he also writes of his unpopularity with his rough-and-tumble mates. The diaries provide an illuminating glimpse of class differences of the period as well as sex mores. Naval and social historians will find this book valuable source material.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This fascinating volume relates the adventures of a young man who began a rather checkered career in the navy in 1846 as a drummer boy. Covering his life from teen years to his mid-thirties, these diaries give the reader real insight into seafaring life in those days. Considerable space is devoted to the subject's pursuit of attractive boys, as homoerotic activities were evidently very much a part of navy life. By the end of the account, Van Buskirk receives a commission. Much land activity takes place in the Washington, D.C., and Maryland areas. Despite the book's many intriguing passages, its appeal is limited to those having a definite interest in this period and area of activity. For regional and large maritime history collections.
- Robert E. Greenfield, formerly with Baltimore Cty. P.L.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 238 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (April 27, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300056370
• ISBN-13: 978-0300056372
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,141,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meticulous and engaging, February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: An American Seafarer in the Age of Sail: The Erotic Diaries of Philip C. Van Buskirk, 1851-1870 (Hardcover)

Book stores are full of works that view history through the eyes of rich, famous people. But many times the unknowns have had front row seats, too, and their insights are fresh, new, and honest. Burg's Van Buskirk is perhaps the most quirky voice from history since Samuel Pepys. And Burg's witty, clean writing and meticulous attention to detail make him real -- and relavent. This book chronicles a fascinating time in history, and exposes an interesting bit-player, warts and all. The price probably means that only those interested in maritime, history, or gay-studies will end up stumbling across this book, but it is worthy of a wider audience. A fascinating read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO HISTORY ON THE HIGH SEAS, January 20, 2005

By 

STEVE "stk25" (Delaware County, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An American Seafarer in the Age of Sail: The Erotic Diaries of Philip C. Van Buskirk, 1851-1870 (Hardcover)

(...)From a sociological standpoint, many parents with little means to support their families allowed their young children to leave their homes and seek out the life that may or may not have have been meant for them, many at a very young age. As a result, their sexual and socioligical attitudes were lacking.

Another issue about Van Buskirk's diary is not what he wrote in his diary but what he failed to include in it. (...)What were the backgrounds of the other young sailors he shared his life with? He gave almost no insights into the other sailors' backgrounds and previous pasts. Was he so intent on his glorious crusade to stop them from their "evil" ways that he had no time to find out something about their "checkered" pasts? Of course, we will never know the answers to these and many other questions.

All in all, this diary captures a rare view of one man's life as a sailor as well as his self sacrificing, moral crusade for those around him.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting source, disappointingly edited, August 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: An American Seafarer in the Age of Sail: The Erotic Diaries of Philip C. Van Buskirk, 1851-1870 (Hardcover)

Picking up this book, I expected it to contain an edition of Van Buskirk's diaries. Instead, it contains the events within them paraphrased and summarized by the editor. I'm not sure what the purpose was of presenting the texts in this way.

"Erotic", in the subtitle, is a misnomer. Van Buskirk was a pedophile, though he seems not to have acted much on his desires. He was attracted, according to his diaries, to both young boys and girls. At least based on what we're given by the editor, he gives little description of any sexual encounter.

This book is fascinating in that it gives us a portrait of a disturbed individual. Despite the author's inexplicable attempts to portray Van Buskirk as normal, the diarist was not simply a product of his time. He was unable to keep a job and, on several occasions, absconded with others' money and possessions; when he joined the Confederate army, he deserted. He was obsessive, emotionally immature, and had sexual problems -- pedophilia, compulsive obsession and nocturnal emissions into his 30's. He was unable to maintain a meaningful relationship with any of the subjects of his quasi-sexual obsessions. Few memoirs give us such a window into the mind of a messed-up person.

Van Buskirk's diaries also provide information on life aboard US Navy ships in the mid-19th century, which was apparently characterized by frequent homoerotic behavior (which the obsessive Van Buskirk disapproved of but was fascinated with).