If the 25 Indian mariners aboard the Ever Given, stuck in the Suez Canal since last week had any downtime at all they were probably not reading sea stories. Rather, while senior officers filed paperwork, others worked with salvors to free the ship, and unlicensed ratings scrambled to assist, they probably used whatever bandwidth and free moments were available to them to contact loved ones at home and wondered — in an industry already hard hit by COVID-19 travel restrictions — how this turn of events will affect their eventual relief dates.

The rest of us “armchair navigators” watched the drama unfold and felt some relief when the ship was finally free. Maybe we were inspired to dive into some maritime literature to get learn more about life at sea. Here is Chair of Cal Maritime’s Culture and Communication Department Colin Dewey’s “highly subjective and personal selection” of some fiction (and non-fiction) titles that offer “realistic” glimpses of the global maritime industry and the life at sea — “and some that are just great fun.”

Mostly fiction: 

  • The Ordinary Seaman (1997) by Francisco Goldman 
  • The Shipping News (1993) E. Annie Proulx 
  • The Call of the Sea (1966) by Jan de Hartog 
  • Ultramarine (1929) by Malcolm Lowry 
  • Mardi, and a Voyage Thither (1849) by Herman Melville 
  • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 

 

Mostly non-fiction:

  • Capitalism and the Sea (2021) Liam Campling and Alejandro Colás 
  • The Deadly Life of Logistics (2014) by Deborah Cowen 
  • Fish Story (1995) by Allan Sekula 
  • The Mirror of the Sea & A Personal Record (1988) Joseph Conrad, ed. Zdzislaw Nadjer 
  • Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (1987) by Marcus Rediker

 

Bonus: Keelhaulers Recommend

The Cal Maritime community shared the following other great reads. Head over to our social media to send in your own recommendation!

  • Two Years before the Mast (1840) by Richard Henry Dana
  • Tankers Full of Trouble (1994) by Eric Nalder
  • Looking for a Ship (1990) by  John McPhee
  • The Sand Pebbles (1962) by Richard McKenna
  • The Influence of Sea Power on History (1890) by Alfred Thayer Mahan

ABOUT CAL MARITIME
Established in 1929, California State University Maritime Academy is the only degree-granting maritime academy on the West Coast. Located in Vallejo, California, the campus offers undergraduate degrees that prepare students for careers in engineering, transportation, international relations, business, and global logistics. Cal Maritime also offers a master’s degree in Transportation and Engineering Management, as well as a number of extended learning programs and courses.