This book is a wonderful slice of historical adventure and about the only American whaler to hit the reef in Palau Islands of Micronesia. I have visted the sites depicted in the book including discovery of a tripot from the wrecked ship, the Mentor. The descriptions of tattooing in the book were used by Herman Melville in his book, Typee. This narrative gave rise to the general view and interest in fabled remote islands. The narrative was widely popular in 1836.
