Globe Corner Blogs

I know it is not the most “sophisticated’ way to evaluate a book, but if the book is so engrossing that I miss my stop on the subway…I consider it to be really good. Sea of Glory by Nathaniel Philbrick is one of those books. I am only halfway through the book, but it caused me to do some exploring of my own this morning as I totally missed my subway stop and ended up in a part of Boston I have never been to before.

Philbrick tells the story of the voyage of the U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838 – 1842 led by Charles Wilkes; an exploration of the Pacific Ocean. Growing up on the Pacific Ocean, one would think that I would have heard of or possibly learned about this historic feat. But I really don’t recall ever hearing about Charles Wilkes, and I lived in a town where all the schools were named after Pacific Northwest explorers. (I went to McLaughlin.) In this book, Philbrick explains why the U.S. Exploring Expedition–who mapped nearly all of the Pacific Ocean, named Antarctica, and collected a sizable collection of exotic specimens that became the foundation of the Smithsonian Institution–is basically unknown. Just don’t pick it up if you have any pressing engagements.

Read more: Adventure, Book Reviews, Exploration, Hidden Treasures, Nathaniel Philbrick, Oceans, Pacific Northwest


Lisa can usually be found staring longingly at the Eastern European shelf at the Globe Corner Bookstore. However, she really wants to go to Colombia.

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