It took me a while to get through Monsoon Seas, but that should not be taken as an indication of general dislike, just distraction.
The book was published in the mid-20th century, and it's an interesting concept: the history of an ocean. Though histories of places aren't uncommon, they tend to be places that are much more concrete (literally) than a body of water. A history of Rome or New York is probably written every few years as the cites develop. But a history of an ocean seems a far more fluid (pun intended) story.
We began with the earliest days of the ocean's formation and move through its various explorers, with the primary focus being on sailing ships and how their change and development over time allowed the Indian Ocean to be traversed in different ways and directions in different seasons. Entertaining sections are also given over to pirates, shipwrecks, and military vessels and actions. There was one slow section in the middle that wasn't really my jam; I'm not particularly interested in Arab, East Asian, Persian or north African history, so the early explorers makng their way from there to there in their junks and dhows and proas didn't particularly interest me.
Once we got into the European exploration, I picked up speed again. The Portuguese were the real dreamers, certain that there was a way to the Far East around the southern tip of Africa. They were the first Europeans to "discover" so many places, but they lacked the wherewithal to hold their conquests for long against the more powerful Dutch. Very belatedly joining the party were the British, and finally the Americans, just before steamships took over. The famous sea captains are obviously mentioned, but some lesser known and fascinating ones, such as
Affonso d'Albuquerque, are as well.Viliers was born and grew up in Australia but settled in England at the end of WWII. He appears to share my same prejudice in favor of European history, in his case to an extreme. Though he is clearly appreciative of some of the styles of boats I cared less about, he had this to say about them - and their operators - in the end:
"Through Bartolomeo Dias and Pero de Covilhao, Europe had acquired a new dimension. The economic and social structure of the Middle Ages were alike at an end, and the Modern Age was about to begin. ... The Moorish flank was turned. It had taken a long time, but at last the way was open for European ships to sail to the Indian Ocean. They had had to be better vessels than the monsoonal dhows and junks, to sail so far, and they had to be commanded and manned by able and resolute men. It was inevitable that control of the new ocean would pass into their hands. The Asiatic powers had not had the vision, the knowledge, or the organizing ability to keep the Europeans at bay. Now it was too late."
Well, okay then.
Getting into the more recent centuries, he thinks wonders of the graceful East Indiamen and the purpose-built-for-speed American clipper ships. There's also a charming appreciation for the WWII landing craft which, as their name indicates, were built to land on beaches, not cross oceans. But they, as with so many people and things during wartime, did what they had to do, even if it was never what they had planned. (The inclusion of this little tidbit makes a lot of sense when one learns that Villiers himself, then a lieutenant, was responsible for the mostly-safe passage of a convoy of landing craft across the Atlantic ocean.)
Despite his sometimes heavy hand, I found it to be an overall enjoyable and definitely educational read. Recommended for anyone with an interest in oceans, exploration, and/or sailing ships.
