Riddle of the Sands
Sir: Having read Benny Green's comments on The Riddle of the Sands I suggest, with respect, that he has missed the point. He might be writing about a different book to the one which I, and hundreds of sailing men like me, have read and re-read over the years. To us the unconvincing plot and idealised characterisation are completely subsidiary to the exploits of Dulcibella.' We have an account of a cruise so well described that it can be relived over and over again with vicarious enjoyment and the assistance of the appropriate charts. The book is indeed accurate and detailed enough almost to serve as sailing directions for this intriguing cruising ground. It is therefore as a classic of sailing literature and not as a character study or political tract that the book has achieved immortality.
T. A. A. Hunter, The Masons' Arms, Lockeridge. Marborough, Wilts
Previous page
