William Smith reviewed The logbook of the captain's clerk by John S. Sewall (The Lakeside Classics.)
An unexpected but perfect little history lesson
5 stars
I picked up this edition of The Logbook of the Captain’s Clerk in a used bookshop this summer and pulled it out as a possible next read while nearing the end of another book.
It was printed in 1995 by R.R. Donnelley and is a smallish 4-1/2” x 6-3/4”. It appears to be a part of Lakeside Classics series of books. I thought it odd the opening pages were about the electronic printing process used to create the book instead of the story of a clerk on a navy vessel around 1850.
Discovered a wonderful history behind this series. One title has been printed per year since 1903 as an annual gift to employees and they’re generally themed around American experiences in history. I’m now a fan of this long-standing series of books that started 65 years before I was born and have a strong desire to find …
I picked up this edition of The Logbook of the Captain’s Clerk in a used bookshop this summer and pulled it out as a possible next read while nearing the end of another book.
It was printed in 1995 by R.R. Donnelley and is a smallish 4-1/2” x 6-3/4”. It appears to be a part of Lakeside Classics series of books. I thought it odd the opening pages were about the electronic printing process used to create the book instead of the story of a clerk on a navy vessel around 1850.
Discovered a wonderful history behind this series. One title has been printed per year since 1903 as an annual gift to employees and they’re generally themed around American experiences in history. I’m now a fan of this long-standing series of books that started 65 years before I was born and have a strong desire to find and collect more of them.
chicagology.com/goldenage/goldenage145/
The story itself was fascinating and well-written — a glimpse into the life of a clerk who joined the U.S. Navy in 1850 to pay for his education.
During his four-year adventure, he witnessed a history that I knew nothing about. He was part of Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s expedition to Japan to establish a relationship between the two countries. This was effectively the beginning of the opening of Japan after 300 years of self-isolation from the world.
Sewall’s story includes traveling the seas near China and Japan meeting nationals in many countries in the South Pacific, pursuing pirates, surviving typhoons (hurricanes), and observing parts of the Taiping Rebellion.
This was an unexpected but perfect little history lesson and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series.