Sailing Alone Around the World [Hardcover]

Joshua Slocum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 1998

Captain Joshua Slocum's solo voyage around the world in the 37-foot sloop the Spray in 1895 undoubtedly stands as one of the greatest sea adventures of all time. His classic narrative of this 46,000 mile circumnavigation of the globe continues to enjoy immense popularity throughout the world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an insight into a great trip, with thrills and trials, and a lot of fun." -- Latitudes & Attitudes, May/June 2002

...a literate and absorbing yarn published in 1900 and still in print....His story is a convincing tale of the intelligence, skill and fortitude that drove a master navigator. -- New York Times, August 1995

A classic book....Slocum's writing is as elegant as his thirty-seven-foot sloop, Spray, whose crossing of the Atlantic he describes vividly. -- The New Yorker, September 7, 1998

I can't imagine any literate boat lover who hasn't read Slocum's classic book about his voyage. I can remember when and where I bought my first copy of Sailing Alone Around the World, the weather conditions that day, how much I paid, and the color of the cover....I can't remember how long it took me to read the book, but I do remember turning pages through a sleepless night and then raving like a lunatic at the breakfast table about how I was going to chuck it all and hit the high seas. "Not before you take out the trash and mow the lawn," my old man said. If you haven't read Sailing Alone, don't tell me about it. Buy a copy and get on with the job. -- WoodenBoat, March/April 1994

Sailing Alone Around the World could have been written yesterday. It flows free and easy and is filled with amusing anecdotes....Any sailor who loves the sea will be brought up short from time to time by the quiet eloquence of Slocum's writing. -- Small Boat Journal, August/September 1988

Surely one of the all-time classic sailing narratives, this is more than just an account of a fascinating and often arduous journey, it has also given rise to a mythology all its own. -- Classic Boat, November 1996

What can you say about a book that has been acclaimed as one of the great sea classics? Well, first I could say that this is the original edition without the deletions that are found in some versions. Second, it's a compact size that should fit the bookshelves on most yachts, so you can keep a copy aboard for enjoying during a quiet evening. Last, I could say that this is quite a reasonable price, particularly considering the escalating costs of most nautical books. If you haven't read Slocum, you should, and this is the volume for you. -- Yachting, June 1994

From the Publisher

7 1-hour cassettes --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 294 pages
• Publisher: Sheridan House (August 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0911378200
• ISBN-13: 978-0911378207
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Sailing > Narratives

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic adventure!, November 2, 2009

By 

Robert Pajor (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sailing Alone Around the World (Kindle Edition)

Joshua Slocum was the first person to sail around the world. In this book he tells about his voyage. Joshua Slocums story is very entertaining to read. He writes about the practical and technical challenges of long distance sailing in the 19th century and about his encounters with the peoples and tribes on his route. The writing style is short and factual, but that almost makes the impression even stronger given that more often than not Joshua Slocum had to face death and only escaped with the narrowest of margins. They don't make'em like that any more... I highly recommend this book. it's a great read!

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: There are 2 hardcover editions..., August 14, 2000

By 

Jim (Geneva, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sailing Alone Around the World (Konemann Classics) (Hardcover)

Unless you're bringing this book on your own around the world race, and are going to great pains to reduce weight and size of everything, like cutting your toothbrush in half, I suggest you not get this small edition. The book is identical to the 'normal' size book except shrunk. Tiny print, very thin paper etc. Turns out it's the 'travel edition'. Amazon doesnt tell you this. I found out the hard way. Despite the eyestrain and headaches I still couldn't put the book down. A great read.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Australian Yachtsman's Review of Slocum's book, August 14, 2001

By 

Howard Kinns (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sailing Alone around the World (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Joshua Slocum was the first person to sail single-handed around the world. Unlike today's solo around the world sailors Slocum was not a yachtsman, but had been variously skipper and owner-skipper of large sailing trading ships that plied the oceans of the world. His voyages included many across the Atlantic Ocean and several to the Pacific, including trading ventures to China, Japan and the Pacific Islands. Slocum was also different to modern day around the world sailors in that he made his around the world voyage near the end of his sailing career, at the age of fifty five. Slocum was declared dead on 14 November 1909 at the age of 65. This was the date he set sail on his final voyage. His course was into an Atlantic gale, and neither he nor his boat Spray was seen or heard of later.

Slocum's father was a farmer in the maritime province of Nova Scotia which was one of the leading sailing and ship-building centres of the world in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Slocum was one of eleven children, was born on the Bay of Fundy, spent only two years in school and gained all his sailing and boat building skills on the job. When he was twenty-five Slocum was offered command of an American coasting schooner. His next command took him the to Australia where he met and married Virginia Walker of Strawberry Hill, Sydney. Later, Slocum would spend considerable time cruising the coast of Australia from Tasmania to the Torres Strait during his around the world voyage.

As the nineteenth century drew to a close steam ships began to eat into the fishing and coastal and international trading business previously the sole dominion of sailing ships. In 1887 Slocum's ship the Aquidneck was stranded on a sand bar off the coast of Brazil and was raked by heavy seas for three days which wrecked the ship. Slocum managed to save his ship-building tools and some material from the wreck. In eighteen months, using timber felled by him and sails sewn by his (second) wife Hettie, Slocum built a 35-foot sailing canoe which he named the Liberdade, as the boat was launched on the day Brazilian slaves were freed. He sailed the Liberdade 5,500 miles in fifty-three days back to Washington DC.

Slocum's boat the Spray, which he used for his around the world voyage had previously been an oysterman on Chesapeake Bay, and was completely rebuilt by Slocum. Although in keeping with tradition the name of the boat was preserved, the boat was deliberately rebuilt with different characteristics by Slocum. For example, he increased the freeboard particularly at the bow and stern in preparation for his ocean-going venture. The Spray was thirty-six feet nine inches long, had a beam of fourteen feet and a draft of four feet two inches, and weighed nine tons. She had a full-length wooden keel which was about one foot deep at the bow and about three feet deep at the stern. Slocum tells of the Spray's ability to sail a constant course with the wheel lashed when about two points off the wind for days on end.

During his around the world voyage he was introduced to many dignitaries in many countries. In South Africa Slocum made the mistake of telling the President of the Transvaal Paul Kruger that he was sailing "around" the world. Kruger corrected him saying that he meant sailing "on" the world, because Kruger believed the world was flat.

The book is fascinating to read and has appeal for anyone interested in the history of sailing and of life at the turn on the nineteenth century.