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For centuries, the sea has been regarded as a male domain, but in this illuminating historical narrative, maritime scholar David Cordingly shows that an astonishing number of women went to sea in the great age of sail. Some traveled as the wives or mistresses of captains; others were smuggled aboard by officers or seamen. And Cordingly has unearthed stories of a number of young women who dressed in men's clothes and worked alongside sailors for months, sometimes years, without ever revealing their gender. His tremendous research shows that there was indeed a thriving female population--from pirates to the sirens of myth and legend--on and around the high seas. A landmark work of women's history disguised as a spectacularly entertaining yarn, Women Sailors and Sailor's Women will surprise and delight.… (more)
User reviews
A standout is the story of nineteen year-old Mary Patten, the wife of a ship captain who became ill in 1856 while sailing from New York to San Francisco. The first mate was unable to navigate, but Mary's husband had taught her how on a previous journey, so rather than pull into a foreign port and cause her husband's employer to face a heavy fine, she took the wheel, navigated the ship for 4 months and completed the voyage.
Also surprising is the number of women who were able to collect a sort of pension from the Royal Navy after being discovered and removed from duty. It seems that in many cases, if a woman could prove that she had served honorably, even though in disguise, she received her pay for services rendered.
There were a few times I felt like the author was going off on a tangent, and a few chapters felt very out of place and dropped me out of the information flow in a bad way. And I felt this book suffered from a severe lack of a conclusion. I wasn't expecting a reiteration of facts, but maybe some final thoughts or conclusions? But the final chapter just ends with no wrapping up at all.
A fairly good book on the subject matter on hand, one that doesn't have a lot of material out there that I can see, anyway. Very readable but does suffer some flaws. Recommended, though, if you're just looking to learn a few things from the era.
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910.45 |