The Cruise of the Cachalot

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Summary: The cruise of cachalot
Review: A very exiting book about the life of fishing ship of de XIX centur

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Summary: whaling: blood and guts; humanity in the raw.
Review: Bullen was a 19th. century sailor turned whaler who gives a graphic picture of life in a hard and dangerous business conducted with little regard for life and limb, nature or the peoples encountered by those involved in making a living at a time and in a place where it was work or starve, sink or swim, dog eat dog, everyman for himself and the devil takes the hindmost. A bit overstated, perhaps, but not by much if Bullen is to be believed. I enjoyed the writing about, if not the fact of killing, whales which evan Bullen regreted occassionally between recounting with enthusiasm the joy of killing and surviving danger and harsh conditions. Life on the ocean, hard work, adventure, loyalty, courage, man's right to dominate nature and Anglo-Saxon man's right to dominate all others is the gist of this life and book, as far as I can tell. Small wonder that it was included in the Boy Scout Edition (1913) of Every Boy's Library, eh? Some things have changed and most readers today might disavow the racism, chauvanism, species-ism call it what you will of Bullen's views but it is a good read on the times and the nature of man, humankind and the political correctness of the late 19th. century. At least that's my view for what it's worth. Dated, but still readable especially for it's candid picture of life in the last century. Yes, the last century since the 20th. century does not end until Dec.31, 2000!