The Logbook of the Captain's Clerk: Adventures in the China Seas

by C.N.R. Rao

This Lakeside Classic describes the American expeditions of the mid-nineteenth century that culminated in the establishment of diplomatic and trade relations with Japan.

Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, U.S.N., accepted the difficult task of opening Japan to the West. Where others had tried and failed, Perry succeeded through a combination of meticulous planning, a show of force, and excellent diplomatic skills. With the Treaty of Kanagawa, Perry set in motion the process whereby Western ideas, commerce, and trade eventually penetrated Japan.

The reality of this accomplishment was, however, more complicated and Perry's success less certain than a simplified history might imply. Our book, The Logbook of the Captain's Clerk, Adventures in the China Seas, is an eyewitness account. John S. Sewall, our author, relates the voyages of the U.S.S. Saratoga, a warship that set out from the United States on a routine assignment to the Far East and ended up as part of Perry's American Squadron.

425 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao, also known as C.N.R. Rao, is an Indian chemist who has worked mainly in solid-state and structural chemistry. He was awarded the Hughes Medal by the Royal Society in 2000, and he became the first recipient of the India Science Award, instituted by the Government of India, for his contributions to solid state chemistry and materials science, awarded in 2004.