A Voyage Round the World

The Blind Traveler, James Holman, was a British adventurer who undertook a number of lone journeys unprecedented through history in their distance and methodology. Not only was Holman rendered totally blind from the age of 25, he also suffered from severe pain and restricted mobility. He was a pioneer of "human echolocation", using the sound of a tapping cane to negotiate his way across the planet. Journalist William Jerdan wrote that "From Marco Polo to Mungo Park, no three of the most famous travelers, grouped together, would exceed the extent and variety of countries traversed by our blind countryman." After an initial frustrated attempt to make a circuit around the world, Holman set out again in 1827. Such attempts by a solo traveler were virtually unheard of in the day, let alone by a blind one, but Holman successfully achieved his incredible journey. His remarkable account was published in four volumes, of which this is the first. Holman's inspiring life and travels are also the theme of Jason Roberts' recent book A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler.