Carry On, Mr. Bowditch [Hardcover]

Jean Lee Latham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2003

Readers today are still fascinated by “Nat,” an eighteenth-century nautical wonder and mathematical wizard. Nathaniel Bowditch grew up in a sailor’s world—Salem in the early days, when tall-masted ships from foreign ports crowded the wharves. But Nat didn’t promise to have the makings of a sailor; he was too physically small. Nat may have been slight of build, but no one guessed that he had the persistence and determination to master sea navigation in the days when men sailed only by “log, lead, and lookout.” Nat’s long hours of study and observation, collected in his famous work, The American Practical Navigator (also known as the “Sailors’ Bible”), stunned the sailing community and made him a New England hero.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Illustrations, rich in detail, by John O'Hara Cosgrave II add authenticity and value." School Library Journal, Starred

About the Author

Jean Lee Latham was born in 1902 in Buckhannon, West Virginia. At an early age, she became a prolific writer, penning works of fiction and nonfiction, as well as theater scripts. Ever since its debut, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch has acquired an intrigued group of sea-loving fans.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (May 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618250816
• ISBN-13: 978-0618250813
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,036,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserved the Newberry Medal!, October 22, 2005

By 

Learning All The Time "It's Never Too Late to... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (Paperback)

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch contains absolutely fascinating background information about Salem and navigation in the 1700s, providing a valuable context for Nathaniel Bowditch's contributions to maritime navigation and allowing the reader to more fully understand just how remarkable and important they were.

It is quite inspiring to read how Nathaniel Bowditch, who experienced many traumatic events in his youth and childhood, made such a meaningful - albeit a bit obscure today - contribution to mankind by rewriting the book on Maritime navigation. While he had excellent intelligence, he did not have much luck in his early years, and his accomplishments are largely due to his dogmatic perseverence to educate himself against all odds.

My favorite parts of the book described his ocean voyages - how he solved various problems of navigation and how he won the allegiance of the motley crew of every ship he sailed on.

My children are not old enough yet for this story, but I look forward to the day they are.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars incredible, November 20, 2002

By 

microjoe - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (Paperback)

This story is an incredible true tale of a simple young boy who is forced into an apprenticeship by his father. Rather than letting his new life depress him, he began the process of educating himself. He found he had a talent for math and navigation, and became a famous navigator at sea. I could not put this story down, even though it was written a long time ago and is a historical novel.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "A Simple Matter of Mathematics", June 3, 2000

By 

Plume45 "kitka12345" (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carry on Mr Bowditch (Library Binding)

Jean Latham's 1955 Newbery award winner is an easy-to-read fictionalized biography of the early life and career of Nathanial Bowditch of Salem. Set in a proud Massachusetts sailing village and on the high seas, the story rolls along like a Yankee trader: now billowing ahead, now becalmed, now swamped yet often riding triumphant swells with exotic cargo. How a youth denied a Harvard education literally rewrote the book on 18th century navigation, thus making the ocean safer for all sailors.

Since the storyline must obey the facts, the author operates under some literary constraint. The stout-hearted protagonist suffers repeated family losses, yet he clings to his ideal of an accurate book, which captains can trust and will save lives the world over. While indentured in a ship's chandlery, Nat cherishes his dreams of higher education, teaching himself mathematics, astronomy, navigation and three languages.

Nat's genius for detail and swift mental calculations of figures make him a wonder in an age when most sailors relied on gut instincts (Lead, Log and Lookout,)for the common man clung to his inbred superstitions, rejecting fancy book learning from mere lubbers. It took a Yankee youth to identify the fatal errors in Moore's sacred charts. Young readers will appreciate Latham's extensive dialogue and the excellent b/w sketches by John Cosgrave. Read as Biography or Maritime History, this book breezes along like a trim Yankee clipper.