October 22, 2019

The Mystery of "Poetry and Mystery of the Sea"

October 22, 2019/ Marc Cappelletti

“What is there more sublime than the trackless, desert, all-surrounding, unfathomable sea?”

The line above kicks off “Poetry and Mystery of the Sea,” or “Grandeur of the Trackless Sea”—it depends on where you find it. At first, I wasn’t even sure who wrote it. Frank Goodrich’s 1858 travel history, Man Upon the Sea (Or A History of Maritime Adventure, Exploration and Discovery) simply says it is “Dr. Greenwood’s.”

Who is Dr. Greenwood? Didn’t say.

October 08, 2019

8 Travel Tips from an 1881 "How To Travel" Guide

October 08, 2019/ Marc Cappelletti

As with every historical travel book I find, the particulars and prose place the reader in another time, yet people will be people.

This pocket-size piece, How to Travel: Hints, Advice, and Suggestions to Travelers by Land and Sea All Over The Globe by Thomas Knox was published in 1881. The version I found at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia was distributed by The Erie Railway, which included advertisements in the back.

March 04, 2019

Along Alaska's Great River by Frederick Schwatka - First Edition

March 04, 2019/ Marc Cappelletti

Today, I met Frederick Schwatka, an Army lieutenant and explorer who, in 1883, floated with six other men down all 1,300 miles of British Columbia’s and Alaska’s wild, unforgiving Yukon River on a purpose-built river boat.

Did I say boat? I meant raft— a simple, unwieldy, 16’x42’, almost silly-looking log raft rowed at max speed 1-mile-per-hour (hold onto your fur-lined hats!)—for one of the most important river journeys in western exploration.

October 02, 2018

Holding History: 1744 Printing of The Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels

October 02, 2018/ Marc Cappelletti

“Feels pretty complete,” I said as I held the ten-pound, nine-hundred-page beast of a book. Published in 1744 as the definitive collection of world travels, The Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels Consisting of Above Six Hundred of the Most Authentic Writers…(the title goes on forever)…by John Harris, is a fascinating read. While the theme of The Principal Voyages and Discoveries came courtesy of the Wu Tang Clan’s C.R.E.A.M. (cash rules everything around me), this tome leans more towards “knowledge is power.”

September 26, 2018

Holding History: The 1589 Printing of The Principal Navigations, Voyages and Discoveries of the English Nation

September 26, 2018/ Marc Cappelletti

Before we even get started on this book’s content, I have to finish writing the title: The Principal Navigations, Voyages and Discoveries of the English Nation Made By Sea or Land to the Farthest, Distant Quarters of the Earth at Any Time Within The Compass of these 1600 Years.

September 25, 2018

Holding History: The 1784 Printing of Captain James Cook's Voyage to the South Pole and Round the World

September 25, 2018/ Marc Cappelletti

"There's just something about a book in your hand" went to another level today as I read through a 1784 printing of A Voyage Towards The South Pole and Round the World by Captain James Cook.

August 29, 2018

Holding History - Ernest Shackleton and the Special Edition Heart of the Antarctic

August 29, 2018/ Marc Cappelletti

“Men go out into the void spaces of the world for various reasons. Some are actuated simply by the love of adventure, some have a keen thirst for scientific knowledge, and others again are drawn away from the trodden paths by the “lure of little voices,” the mysterious fascination of the unknown.”