Between the Covers: ‘A Sense of the World’

“I felt an irresistible impulse to become acquainted with as many parts of the world as my professional avocations would permit… and I determined not to rest satisfied until I had completed the circumnavigation of the globe.” — James Holman Around nine months ago I vowed to spend the time before my trip reading only books about travel, either travel narratives or, in this case, the biography of one of history’s most famous travelers. I scoured my shelves and located a book I had bought about 10 years ago: Jason Roberts’ A Sense of the World: How A Blind Man Became History’s Greatest Traveler. It is the fantastic story of James Holman (1786-1857). “Fantastic” because this man, who went blind in his early 20s and was near-crippled by rheumatism brought on by his Royal Navy years at sea in cold climes, had a fantasy: to circumnavigate the globe. And he succeeded. I may be blind to some things but I am blessed with only slightly myopic vision and I promise I will take in all the sights I can squeeze into one day, or a luxurious two, in each port. I will try to capture what I see in photos to share with you here. I hope you’ll enjoy my sense of the world… # http://jasonroberts.net/a-sense-of-the-world/from-the-author/