The Last Navigator

Library Journal

Thomas, an experienced deep-water sailor, had long been fascinated by Micronesian navigators who, without maps, compasses, or sextants, sailed hundreds of miles between the islands of Oceania. To discover how these men traveled with only natural signs for guidance, he apprenticed himself to one of the few remaining navigators and lived with him on Satawal for many months. This autobiographical account describes his learning of navigation and the world view of a dying art. The sons of Piailug were not interested in traditional navigation in the face of modern Western alternatives. An anthropological account for the layperson (but with scholarly appendixes), this is also a story of personal relationships, of contrasting cultures, and of skills mostly unrecorded before now. For academic and large public collections, especially those on Oceania.Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ . Lib . , Carbondale