A story about an expedition in the 19th century. One of the survivors of the expedition comes back with two 'Esquimaux', like trophees. Well, that is the 19th century for you!

Release planned for Wednesday, February 11, 2004 at N/A in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

The book is going to a Bookcrossers meeting. If there are no takers, I will release it at the central station in Utrecht.

The fourth book I caught out of BookCrossers' release pile at the meeting. I like your shelf!

Oh, a gem from Bookcrosser's pile! No doubt I will enjoy it.

Well, here is what happened. I read this book in December 2004, just before going off to some tropical destination. I enjoyed the cold, the ice, the permafrost, and the daily life of the Inuit even more because of that. Esquimaux, is how they wrote it, back in 1855.
The book grabbed me from page one. Erasmus is standing on the dock at the Delaware river, overseeing the storage of goods in a ship he is about to sail the arctic with. He is a perfectionist; he is terribly nervous. Here's something from page two:
"Their companions, invisible in the hold, waited for directions - waited, Erasmus feared, for him to fail. He was forty years old and had a history of failure; he'd sailed when hardly more than a boy, on a voyage so thwarted it became a national joke. Since then his life's work had come to almost nothing. No wife, no children, no truly close friends; a sister in a difficult situation. What he had now was this pile of goods, and a second chance."
After reading ten pages I went to sleep and dreamt of wooden ships and inventory lists.

I loved this book. The intricate story, the injustice, the way the white people treated other tribes as inferior, the political machinations, the role of publicity, the personal developments; there is no end to the richness of this book. I promised it to iiwi, who was very eager to read it.

And then I lost it. I went on holidays, I came back, it was gone. Promised to iiwi, but gone. I was so embarassed I did not even journal it.
Only today I found it again!

And today Biba remembered me I wanted this book. :) I still think its going to be a good read, so on the shelf of BC books, that already is grown to two shelves.

I still have it, it's still tbr.

It;s going to be read, starting tonight.

The ice is strong and powerfull, yet man are weak creatures, driven only by the glory that will be received at homecoming with a trophy, two esquimaux from the land of the ice. 19 century people have an excuse, that was just the way they thought the world was. But what can we say about ourselfs, making television about Kenian families 'from the bush' visiting a bungalowpark in Holland, laughing when they wear three wintercoats over eachother because they have it deadcold here, displaying dead, stripped people in a museum, for arts sake, or going on a wild safari "meeting real Masai"?

One way or the other I am always drawn to adventurers, people going to desolate places. And to the desolate places themself. I loved the ice, the desolation, the emptiness. And I know I would not survive a week there.

I am not sure yet what I am going to do with the book.

RELEASE NOTES:

Op de Bookcross-meeting, vanaf 14.00 uur, in café Greve. Lees je dit, dan ben je van harte welkom!

Eens kijken of de BC-ers in zijn voor een ijzig verhaal!

found it at the Greve Meeting and will release it some day at OBCZGouda

it arrived at OBCZGouda today!

a great read, very well researched, an interesting insight into the social structures of 150 years ago.

CAUGHT IN GOUDA ZUID HOLLAND NEDERLAND