About this book
One man, a sailing vessel, and a voyage around the world: what does it take to keep going alone?
In Sailing Alone Around the World, Joshua Slocum tells of his solo voyage around the globe. The journey gives this personal account its scope; the man undertaking it gives it its heart. Adventure and biography meet in a story of sailing alone and holding to a purpose.
Slocum’s unshakable determination stands at the center of the book. A voyage around the world is an immense undertaking, but here it belongs to one person. That contrast draws you close: the vast reach of the journey set against the resolve of the man who makes it.
What you’ll discover
- A world-spanning adventure Follow a solo sailing voyage whose course reaches around the globe.
- The man behind the journey Meet Joshua Slocum through his own account of an extraordinary personal undertaking.
- Determination at the center Explore a story that brings unshakable resolve into the heart of adventure.
- The pull of solitude Consider what it means to undertake so vast a journey alone.
- A purpose held firm Find the appeal of a clear goal pursued with unwavering determination.
Who will love it
Readers who love sea stories, true adventure and solo challenges will feel at home here, along with armchair travellers, sailors, history fans and anyone who enjoys a witty narrator with a sharp eye for people.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A wreck in a field becomes a ship
- Alone across the Atlantic to Gibraltar
- Pirates, shipwreck and Southern ports
- Tacks, rifles and the Strait of Magellan
- Driven toward Cape Horn by a storm
- Across the Pacific to Robinson Crusoe's island
- Australia, Tasmania and the Barrier Reef
- Indian Ocean islands and the road to the Cape
- The road home and what he thinks of it
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 8 h 3 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 6 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Allein um die Welt in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Allein um die Welt
by Joshua Slocum · 1900
A sea captain rebuilds a rotting sloop and sets out alone to sail around the world.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Imagine sailing around the whole world with no crew at all. In 1895 Joshua Slocum, a Nova Scotian sea captain with no ship to command, sets out from Boston in a small sloop called the Spray.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A wreck in a field becomes a ship
Slocum is born in Nova Scotia into a family of sailors and boatbuilders. He works his way up from ship's cook to captain. When his last vessel is wrecked off Brazil, he finds himself ashore in Boston with no command.
Then an old whaling captain tells him a ship is waiting in Fairhaven. She needs some repairs, he admits. Slocum finds the Spray, a very old sloop propped up in a field far from salt water.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Allein um die Welt
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Sailing Alone Around the World about?
It is Joshua Slocum's own account of sailing around the world by himself in the sloop Spray, from Boston in 1895 to Newport in 1898, with stops in many ports and storms along the way.
Is Sailing Alone Around the World a true story?
Yes, it is a true memoir by the captain who made the voyage. He tells it in a lively voice, with humour and some tall tales, and the dates, ports and routes follow his real journey.
How did Slocum build the Spray?
He rebuilt an old sloop given to him at Fairhaven, Massachusetts. He cut an oak for the keel, steamed ribs, planked her with Georgia pine and fastened her with about a thousand bolts, in thirteen months.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing





















