Slow Boats to China - Softcover

Young, Gavin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 057125103X ISBN 13: 9780571251032

Publisher: Faber and Faber, 2011

Synopsis

Seven months and twenty-three agreeably ill-assorted vessels are what were required to transport Gavin Young, by slow boat, from Piraeus to Canton. His odyssey teemed with excitement, adventure and colour. Gavin Young's account memorably distils the people, places, smells, conversations, ships and history of the places he encountered in what is his most famous book. The sequel, Slow Boats Home, is also reissued in Faber Finds. 'An unusual and fascinating book.' Hammond Innes, Guardian 'Storms, fleas, pirates, bad food and bureaucrats ... My Young suffered what he did to entertain us.' Anthony Burgess, Observer

About this title

Book Description:

It started as a simple idea, an adaptation of the old dream of running away to sea: take a series of ships of many sizes and kinds; go where they lead for a few months; see what happens. Inspired by memories of his childhood on the inhospitable Cornish coast, discouraged from planning a route by unhelpful travel agents and unreliable shipping guides, Gavin Young embarked on a game of traveller s roulette. Starting at Piraeus, with Canton as his final destination, he would board any vessel moving in the right direction: tanker, freighter, dhow or junk, visiting as many ports of call as possible in between. It took seven months and twenty-three vessels to complete the journey, and in spite of frustration, anxiety and near despair, this extraordinary account sparkles with colour and excitement, through encounters with pirates, unspeakable food and lasting friendships formed. A joy to read, engaging, civilized, sharply observant, richly descriptive and sometimes hilarious . . . a genuine modern adventure story Graham Lord, Sunday Express An unusual and fascinating book Hammond Innes, Guardian

About the Author:

Gavin Young (1929-2001) was a journalist, writer, and briefly a member of MI6. As a journalist, he was most associated with the Observer, being in the words of Mark Frankland's obituary 'a star foreign correspondent'. When disenchantment with journalism set in he turned to the writing of books. The two most famous ones are Slow Boats to China and its sequel Slow Boats Home. He himself had a particular affection for two later books In Search of Conrad (winner of the Thomas Cook Book Award) and A Wavering Grace. These and Beyond Lion Rock, From Sea to Shining Sea, Return to the Marshes and Worlds Apart are all being reissued in Faber Finds.

About this edition

• Publisher: Faber and Faber
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 057125103X
• ISBN 13: 9780571251032
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 504