A Sense of the World - by Jason Roberts (Paperback)

About the Book

In an era when the blind were routinely warehoused in asylums, James Holman was studying medicine, fighting the slave trade in Africa, hunting rogue elephants, surviving a frozen captivity in Siberia, and circumnavigating the world alone in the 19th century.

From the Back Cover

He was known simply as the Blind Traveler. A solitary, sightless adventurer, James Holman (1786-1857) fought the slave trade in Africa, survived a frozen captivity in Siberia, hunted rogue elephants in Ceylon, helped chart the Australian outback--and, astonishingly, circumnavigated the globe, becoming one of the greatest wonders of the world he so sagaciously explored. A Sense of the World is a spellbinding and moving rediscovery of one of history's most epic lives--a story to awaken our own senses of awe and wonder.

Review Quotes

"Holman's life as told in this biography reads like a dare to get out of the house and live!" - NPR's Holiday Book Roundup
"Paints a convincing and well-researched picture of Holman's early life...Holman's first trip, to Russia, is particularly well-drawn." - The Economist
"Painstakingly researched. Worth reading." - Irish Times
"This excellent biography owes much to the wonderful balance the author achieves between detail and evocative description." - ABC Magazine (UK)
"Fascinating...rich...I don't expect to read a better [book] soon." - Weekend Australian
"(a) talented and committed writer." - Raleigh News & Observer
"This warm-hearted and sensitive account should give Holman his due: a place in the pantheon of great travelers." - The Guardian
"A tribute to an inspiring figure who, despite his blindness, was a far-sighted traveller." - Bath Chronicle (UK)
"Enthralling...inspiring A moving, mesmerizing biography." - Time magazine
"Roberts's book is an excellent read.... An author with an enviable ability to tell the tale. - The Spectator
"(A) meticulous recreation of Holman's world." - Miami Herald
"Roberts is a beautifully assured writer." - Seattle Times
"An imaginative journey (told with) enviable tact and skill." - Daily Telegraph (London)
"Vibrant prose." - Washington Post
"Roberts has achieved much. His research is meticulous and...a person lost to history is now rediscovered." - Denver Rocky Mountain News
"A remarkable job of resurrecting Holman from obscurity, painting a portrait of a complex and compelling persona." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Jason Roberts should be proud of his achievement in this sensitive and imaginative book." - Times Literary Supplement (London)
"Roberts wisely tells this extraordinary story without embellishment. The tale will fill you with wonder. In a word: remarkable." - Melbourne Herald Sun
"Gives us a man who embraced wanderlust at a time when the continents and oceans were much, much bigger." - New York Times
"Enthralling. A masterpiece of biography, travel writing and medical journalism." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Extraordinary...beautifully produced...Roberts made his hero one for the history books." - Buffalo News
"Astounding. That James Holman managed to perceive so much of his world is a triumph only slightly grander than that of Jason Roberts, two centuries later, recreating that world so vividly, accurately, and compellingly that you feel that you are not reading a life, but seeing it." - Mary Roach, Stiff and Spook
"Enthralling...inspiring A moving, mesmerizing biography. . . . He, and readers everywhere, owes Roberts thanks for leading him back into the light." - Time
"A well-written popular history that will appeal to an audience interested in stories of individuals triumphing over physical difficulties." - Library Journal
"Holman's remarkable life story, coupled with Roberts' extraordinary gifts as a storyteller, make this a fascinating read." - Contra Costa Times
"An admirable work, testament to the determination, resourcefulness, and skill of not only its subject, but also its author." - Boston Globe
"Through meticulous research...with intrigue and humor, Roberts brings Holman fully to life." - Daily News
"Vibrant...evok(es) with grace and wit the tale of this man once lionized as "The Blind Traveler." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)