DOWN TO THE SEA

by Louise Hall Tharp ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 8, 1942

Yankee Stargazer by Robert Berry (Whittlesey) introduced to the general reader a man whose achievements have made his name a household word among seafarers of all types and classes, Nathaniel Bowditch, genius of navigation. Now comes an excellent biography for young people. Bowditch was not a particularly warm or appealing character; he was almost too conscientious, too apt in his studies, too ambitious to be true. But the fact remains that -- starting work at the age of twelve -- he managed, in his off time, to educate himself not only in various branches of mathematics, which was his passion, but in Latin and French, in order to continue his studies in those languages, and in other allied subjects, all grist to his mental mill. He lived in Salem of post Revolutionary Days; ships were his dream world, and navigation was only a theory to him until his chance came after years of apprenticeship to a ship chandlers, to sail. From that time on, he saw much of the world accessible to venturesome Yankee traders, and made perhaps the greatest contribution of all in putting into practicable form the theories he had evolved for estimating the course of the ship. Louise Hall Tharp has made his story as readable as fiction.

Pub Date: Sept. 8, 1942

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: McBride

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1942

Categories: NONFICTION