In reading more of Hester Blum’s very interesting The View from the Masthead (2008), I came across another list of books a 19th-c whaler read. His name was James C. Osborn of Edgartown, Mass., second mate aboard the Charles W. Morgan whaling ship. From 1841–45, the ship whaled in the Pacific under Master Thomas A. Norton. [...]
books
Books I read in 2011
I read 18 books in 2011. It was a pretty good reading year, although I read fewer books than in 2010 (21) and 2009 (59!), which is worrisome. None of these are for class, and I will point out that I’ve been slogging through Infinite Jest since like May, so that is a factor. (Infinite summer, my [...]
Whalers, sailors, and libraries at sea [part 2]
Yesterday, I wrote about sailors who were also readers in the 19th century, and their economy of book exchanges at sea. Today, let’s look at what a few mariners were actually reading! Both lists were written by the masters of their ships, so presumably they would have been more educated and more privileged than the [...]
Whalers, sailors, and libraries at sea [part 1]
In the whaling days of Moby-Dick, splashy scenes like the above could be infrequent. Many long days could pass between whales, and indeed any long sea journey was marked by tedium. While ship-masters always had an unending list of chores for the sailors to complete aboard the ship, some of the men passed their free [...]
My bookshelves
I’ve posted photos of some of my bookshelves online at http://www.robincamille.com/bookshelves/. I love looking at other people’s books. Maybe you do, too. You may also be interested in the annotated bibliography of my award-winning dictionary and abecedary collection at http://www.robincamille.com/dictionaries/.
