The Voyages of Joshua Slocum
By Joshua Slocum
Edited by Walter Magnes Teller
406 pp. Photos, line drawings. 1995. Hardcover. $29.95
ISBN 0 911378 55 3
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When Joshua Slocum brought the 37-foot SPRAY into harbor at Newport, R.I., on the morning of June 27, 1898, he completed an unprecedented feat of seamanship: for the first time in history, a man had sailed alone around the world. Eleven years later, Slocum once again set out alone, bound for the Orinoco River. He and the SPRAY were never seen again, and no clue to his fate was ever found.
In the 100 years since Slocum started his successful circumnavigation, his account of the voyage, Sailing Alone Around the World (included herein), has become a classic, but only a few readers know of Slocum's other books, The Voyage of the LIBERDADE and The Voyage of the DESTROYER from New York to Brazil. (Of the latter, only three copies are known to exist.) With this magnificent volume, Walter Magnes Teller — Slocum's biographer — rescues those two neglected sagas from oblivion, along with the previously undiscovered AQUIDNECK correspondence, a treasure trove of revealing letters.
Teller augments the Slocum material with a biographical introduction and separate forewords for each of the individual works, offering interpretations and insights which brilliantly enhance the actual text. Additionally, a new preface brings the history of Slocum scholarship up to date.
“It is time for Slocum's work to be acknowledged at its true literary value. To this end, Mr. Teller has made a permanent and major contribution.” —New York Times Book Review
“A book…which takes on stature simply because what the man did and what was in his mind when he did it tie in with the basic American adventure.” —American Heritage
“…for readers who love the sea and the well-told tale, the work of Joshua Slocum will always be rewarding. He lived in an era when self-reliance was not a virtue but a necessity. From an ancient rotting oysterman, he built a sweet little ship and sailed her around the world. From a hard, bitter life, he built a literary monument to the freedom of the seas.” —Living Aboard
“An imposingly handsome omnibus edition.” —The New Yorker
“…something of a literary discovery…and…a fascinating addition to maritime lore, as well.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“Slocum's singlehanded circumnavigation is still an inspiration to most small vessel sailors, and the book makes fascinating reading for all sailors, especially those planning their own circumnavigations.” —Sailing Inland & Offshore
“Grand to have the excuse to re-read Sailing Alone Around the World, to find the wit as dry as ever, to savour again the tintacks and the pilot of the PINTA. But how does one review such a classic, except to say, ‘Read it!’ to those who have not?” —Cruising Association Bulletin
“…should occupy a place of importance in libraries of sea and land.” —Saturday Review
About the Editor:
Walter Magnes Teller was widely recognized as the world's preeminent Slocum scholar. In addition to editing this volume, he wrote two books on Slocum and several personal narratives about New England. He also edited On the River: A Variety of Canoe and Small Boat Voyages. He died in 1993 at the age of 82.
Also by Joshua Slocum:
Books by Victor Slocum:
- Capt. Joshua Slocum
The Life and Voyages of America's Best Known Sailor