The Mirror of the Sea

If the days of tall ships and sailing fascinate and excite you, or if you simply love beautiful masterpieces of words, read Mirror of the Sea. If you like both, you'll enjoy it even more. Conrad's compilation of articles about sailing and the sea is a wonderful look at so many aspects of life on the sea, and Conrad writes in such a vivid and incredible manner that what might otherwise seem mundane is fascinating. 

From love to death, Conrad expounds on it all, using his life at sea to relate to the human condition. 

A wonderful collection of essays by a man who obviously spent much of his time contemplating the significance of his experiences at sea and, fortunately, had an outstanding ability to convey those experiences and thoughts into words which would allow readers to appreciate them into posterity.

In the chapter Rulers of East and West, Joseph Conrad tells us that the east and west winds are a struggle for sailors. These winds cause huge waves of water to splash down on ships. Often times, this would make a ship sink. The winds from the north and south tend to be more calm. The author remembered a voyage when the ship was caught in a storm made by the east and west winds. The crew on the ship hoped that the weather will clear up and it instantly did. In the chapter Overdue and Missing, the narrator visits a space where he can see the names of all the ships he have known before. Sometimes, there would be names missing from the list because the ship did not make it to its destination. This is when a ship is considered “overdue”. If a ship still does not make it to its destination, then it is considered “missing.” Sailors are always worried about their ship sinking into the water. In the chapter Emblems of Hope, the author talks about an anchor which is a piece of metal shaped like a hook to stop a ship from drifting off. Joseph admires how a tiny anchor can do such a big job, however, an anchor is not always reliable.