Das Buch des Meeres: Tage- und Skizzenbücher großer Seefahrer

by Huw Lewis-Jones

Das Meer ist eine endlose Quelle der Faszination, zugleich berauschend, geheimnisvoll und beängstigend, ein Ort des Schreckens und Staunens. Zu jeder Zeit sind Menschen in See gestochen, um neue Länder zu entdecken, Handel zu treiben und Abenteuer zu erleben. Offiziere und einfache Matrosen, Köche und Walfänger, Chirurgen und Künstler, Entdecker und Globetrotter hielten ihre Eindrücke an Bord mit Stift und Pinsel fest. Die in diesem Buch enthaltenen stimmungsvollen und charmanten Skizzen und Zeichnungen fangen den Reiz des Meeres hervorragend ein. Mit dieser Sammlung von privaten Aufzeichnungen, Logbüchern, Briefen und Tagebüchern folgt man den Reisen unerschrockener Segler, von den kargen Polarwüsten bis zu den paradiesischen Inseln der Südsee. Man taucht ein in spannende, nicht immer erfolgreiche Expeditionen, nimmt Anteil an den oft harten Schicksalen und lernt mit den Protagonisten fremde Kulturen kennen.
Die Zeit, in der eigens Expeditionszeichner auf Reisen mitgenommen und Erlebnisse in Tagebüchern dokumentiert wurden, ist längst vorbei, und so sind diese Skizzenbücher ein einzigartiges Dokument von fast 500 Jahren Seefahrtsgeschichte.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Art, Travel, Nautical, Nature

304 pages, Hardcover

Published May 19, 2020

About the author

Huw Lewis-Jones is a British historian, editor, broadcaster and art director. Formerly a historian and Curator of Art at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Lewis-Jones left Cambridge in June 2010 to pursue book and broadcasting projects. He is the Editorial Director of the independent publishing company Polarworld.

Lewis-Jones is now working on an exploration of classic mountain photography and a large photography project for the national charity the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. His most recent books as an author are a new history of the South Pole and an Arctic travel narrative for television with popular BBC presenter and adventurer Bruce Parry.

Lewis-Jones' first book was Face to Face: Polar Portraits, an account of historic and modern photographic portraiture, published in 2008. British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes wrote its Foreword. The book was The Sunday Times 'Book of the Week' and a 'Book of the Year' in The Observer and received much praise elsewhere. It was also published in Italy by De Agostini and in Germany by Geo and Frederking and Thaler. The Explorers Journal described it as 'one of the most stunning books of photography in recent times'.

The next in his series, Ocean Portraits, a celebration of the sea told through rare historic imagery and modern maritime photography, was released in the United Kingdom in late 2010 by Conway, an imprint of London-based publishing house Anova Books. It is understood there will also be French and German language editions. Its Foreword was written by pioneering yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Described by Wanderlust magazine as a trove of 'portraiture at its best; personal, insightful and delightfully intriguing', it was selected by The Guardian as one of 'the year's best photography books'. Lewis-Jones has now completed Mountain Heroes: Portraits of Adventure, with a significant international team of authors and mountaineers including Doug Scott, Sir Chris Bonington, Stephen Venables, and the celebrated National Geographic photographers Gordon Wiltsie and Cory Richards. It won the Adventure Book of the Year at the World ITB Awards in Germany.

He is also the author of children books (Blue Badger, Bad Apple, Croc o’Clock, etc.).

Reviews

[JaumeMuntane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si "Exploradores. Cuadernos de viaje y aventura" era una absoluta joya, el presente "Navegantes. Diarios y cuadernos de bitácora" es su perfecto compañero. Preciosamente editado, es un placer recorrer sus páginas que reproducen diarios y cuadernos de bitácora de viajeros de todos los tiempos. Un libro que es una mezcla genial de pasión por la historia, el mar y el arte. Disfrutar de las reproducciones de los diarios y cuadernos de bitácora, con esplendidos dibujos, que contiene este libro merece la máxima puntuación posible.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful book of various sketches made by people traveling by sea to faraway lands. filled with fascinating insights of ocean travel in a time of new discovery, too. this would be a great choice for homeschooling families as a supplemental text.

[Jorge García · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro es una preciosidad, con las fotografías de los diarios y los dibujos e ilutraciones de los viajeros y marinos. Va acompañado de pequeñas historias que nos ilustran sobre la vida y aventuras de estos hombres y mujeres navegantes. Qué más se puede pedir.

[Kerree Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody beautiful book! If you love all things nautical, get it! Get it now!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most breathtaking and visually alive book about sea travel and the incredible journals created by the artists/captain artists/scientist artists who were on the voyages. These men and women, with paints and charcoal, captured shipwrecks and battles as they were actually occurring, so be prepared to witness (and grasp bravery that no longer exists in the world of exploration. There is also a massive amount of talent on every page. Additionally, reading the book and enjoying the art will only lead you to seek out the artists' individual work, so you can read all about the adventures in their entirety. In this day and age of lousy cell phone history-collection, to see real art made from so long ago, capturing everything from polar journeys to dangerous encounters in the Caribbean, marks this book a winner.

[Neil Crowle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. It deals with a number of people (some well-known, some not) who went to sea and recorded their experiences in journals and sketchbooks. The work is lavishly illustrated with images from the sketchbooks, which are highly interesting.

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of images, stories and extracts from actual sketches. It's insightful for the sailor's way of life and the things they thought about. It's a private glimpse, and that's the great part about it in many respects.
A very cute and likeable book.

[Eliza Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a collection.

[MARTIN JOHN CORFE · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been a delight, artists and sailors known and unknown with so many super pictures.

[Allegra Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these pages of journals and sketchbooks by sailors. This volume is gorgeous. The images are beautifully presented, and the commentary is illuminating. This book swept me away.

[Benazir · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an inspiring book filled with so much history. Loved reading every page of it.