A Voyage Round the World William Henry Giles Kingston 9781374978126 Books
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A Voyage Round the World William Henry Giles Kingston 9781374978126 Books
I found this second hand in my Oxfam bookstore. I have the 1899 version. Long ago, as a child, I read "Voyage of the Dainty" by the same author - a hand me down from my grandfather who was vaguely related to the author. But this is the first time I have managed to find another of his many books since then. The author was a prolific chidlren's writer in the late Victorian era. His works have not endured, and they are rightly not considered "classics". But that dod not mean this was not a very interesting read.The book is about a boy who is taken on a sailing voyage around the World by his father. The ship they sail on must have been the most pious one in the British Isles, judging by the way the captain and crew conduct themselves.
The book is highly didactic. On the voyage across the atlantic we are allowed to listen in on lectures on trade winds, ocean currents, the gulf stream, the Sargasso sea and such like. There is a good deal of meteorological explanation, which is not surprising as the writer was brother to George Kingston, the father of Canadian meteorology.
We also have some wonderful descriptions of all the places that are visited by the ship. We learn why the British settled the Falkland Islands, what life was like in Chile at that time (allegedly) and such like. We see the effects of the California gold rush and tour the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), with a wonderful spelling of some of the island names. And it goes on - but it takes 250 pages to get to any great adventure (when the ship is taken by pirates). There are many smaller adventures first, including a volcanic eruption (of course! that always happens when you visit Hawaii).
All in all this book is wonderful - not because of its storyline, nor because of its characterisations (are there any? I am not sure!), nor its clunky dialogue, but because of what it represents: an archetypal Victorian Boy's Own adventure.
It is full of cultural assumptions and references that are both amusing and enlightening on the Victorian mind set. It is not a particularly "politically correct" book, but on the other hand it is clearly attempting to foster knowledge, understanding and compassion in the minds of its readers. It will also do a great deal to educate anyone interested in the period about the world at that time, as long as it is read critically. Occasionally it will simply amuse (I grinned at the aprobation upon Sandwich islanders for cooling themselves when they have a fever - thus "closing their pores and hastening their deaths").
I am stunned to find that it has recently been republished, but nevertheless it is a worthwhile read.
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Tags : A Voyage Round the World [William Henry Giles Kingston] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America,William Henry Giles Kingston,A Voyage Round the World,Pinnacle Press,1374978124,Travel General
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A Voyage Round the World William Henry Giles Kingston 9781374978126 Books Reviews
I found this second hand in my Oxfam bookstore. I have the 1899 version. Long ago, as a child, I read "Voyage of the Dainty" by the same author - a hand me down from my grandfather who was vaguely related to the author. But this is the first time I have managed to find another of his many books since then. The author was a prolific chidlren's writer in the late Victorian era. His works have not endured, and they are rightly not considered "classics". But that dod not mean this was not a very interesting read.
The book is about a boy who is taken on a sailing voyage around the World by his father. The ship they sail on must have been the most pious one in the British Isles, judging by the way the captain and crew conduct themselves.
The book is highly didactic. On the voyage across the atlantic we are allowed to listen in on lectures on trade winds, ocean currents, the gulf stream, the Sargasso sea and such like. There is a good deal of meteorological explanation, which is not surprising as the writer was brother to George Kingston, the father of Canadian meteorology.
We also have some wonderful descriptions of all the places that are visited by the ship. We learn why the British settled the Falkland Islands, what life was like in Chile at that time (allegedly) and such like. We see the effects of the California gold rush and tour the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), with a wonderful spelling of some of the island names. And it goes on - but it takes 250 pages to get to any great adventure (when the ship is taken by pirates). There are many smaller adventures first, including a volcanic eruption (of course! that always happens when you visit Hawaii).
All in all this book is wonderful - not because of its storyline, nor because of its characterisations (are there any? I am not sure!), nor its clunky dialogue, but because of what it represents an archetypal Victorian Boy's Own adventure.
It is full of cultural assumptions and references that are both amusing and enlightening on the Victorian mind set. It is not a particularly "politically correct" book, but on the other hand it is clearly attempting to foster knowledge, understanding and compassion in the minds of its readers. It will also do a great deal to educate anyone interested in the period about the world at that time, as long as it is read critically. Occasionally it will simply amuse (I grinned at the aprobation upon Sandwich islanders for cooling themselves when they have a fever - thus "closing their pores and hastening their deaths").
I am stunned to find that it has recently been republished, but nevertheless it is a worthwhile read.
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