Steaming to Bamboola: The World of a Tramp Freighter [Paperback]

Christopher Buckley (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (February 3, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140099220
• ISBN-13: 978-0140099225
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,070,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Buckley is the author of fourteen books, including "Supreme Courtship," "Boomsday," and "Thank You For Smoking." He is editor-at-large of "ForbesLife" magazine, and was awarded the Thurber Prize for American Humor and the Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence. He lives on the Acela train between Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dry, witty, educational, November 27, 2000

By 

Michael K. McKeon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Steaming to Bamboola: The World of a Tramp Freighter (Paperback)

This is a very clever, creative and satisfying read. "Steaming to Bamboola" both demonstrates Buckley's sophisticated intellect and entertains in his characteristically unpretentious and powerfully understated fashion. Following "The White House Mess" this book also reflects the author's development as a writer, and is in keeping with the rapier wit evident in his later "Thank You For Smoking" , "Wry Martinis", and "Little Green Men".

Having first read "Wry Martinis" I quickly recognized that "Steaming to Bamboola" was written from Buckley's first hand experience having worked on a freighter. The book weaves nuggets of nautical science, policy, and history with droll observations on the myriad, misfit personalities drawn to the merchant marine lifestyle. Besides making you laugh, the book is educational and informative as it is written in a style that the total neophyte can understand and appreciate.

"Steaming to Bamboola" would fall into the "a man's book" genre; it is written from a masculine perspective, but could be fully appreciated by both sexes. The book leaves you with an tremendous amount of admiration for Christopher Buckley as a extremely bright, worldly, witty, and tremendously likeable guy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars returned me to the most vivid experiences of my young life, June 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Steaming to Bamboola: The World of a Tramp Freighter (Paperback)

Incredibly, I have sailed every ocean with ships-full of the characters in this book. What's more, although the names vary, the mannerisms, language and interaction of the crew is almost too true to life. If Tom Clancy were to start having a little more fun with his subjects (not a trivial task), he couldn't match Mr. Buckley's work for authenticity accompanied by everything from a smile through great belly laughs. Cheers. No, you can't borrow my copy. Sorry.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steaming to Bamboola, December 7, 2002

By 

Bruce A Spencer (Lebanon, NH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Steaming to Bamboola: The World of a Tramp Freighter (Paperback)

I'm positive that I sailed with at least two of the people in this book. Sal was really Sol and always claimed that we were gonna get gassed one night while sleeping in our bunks. The fellow from Norfolk got booted off the ship and threatened to come back in order to knife the 2nd Engineer, henceforth he was always referred to as "Knifeman". An excellant book and an all too true tale about the misfits of the American Merchant Marine.