|  | | The Hundred Lives of an Ancient Marinerby William Willis.
Willis' adventures started as a crew member on one of the last old square-rigged sailing ships in 1908. The ship's repeated attempts to sail west around Cape Horn in the teeth of a storm is one of the most gripping passages I have read in any book.
The rest of Willis' life was spent in an endless sea of adventure, trying to live up to the thrills of his formative years. The book finishes with his first attempted solo crossing of the Atlantic in Little One, a 12 foot open boat. This was in 1966 - when he was seventy-three years old(!)
Willis' three most spectacular adventures have been described in detail in his three other books and are only touched on in The Hundred Lives... , but an ordinary year for Willis would contain a lifetime of excitement for anyone else. Whether it be sailing on square-riggers, working on the Texas oilfields or logging in Alaska; Willis never shirked his share of the hard life. His first hand accounts of riding freight - travelling with the hobos on goods trains - and his encounters with armed slicksters are a fascinating commentary on dustbowl America.
This book cannot be recommended enough - not just for sailors, but for anyone interested in a ripping yarn.
HARDBACK VERSION
A hardback version is due for release in 2007.
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