The book is most interesting, entertaining, touching, and, at times, quite exciting. I hope it is widely read. I liked everything about it: the descriptions of life at sea and all the ports of call, following the author's growth into adulthood, his keen observations, enthusiasm, humor and modesty, the photos, and his forthright and delightful writing style. The historical moment was of course particularly fraught - the last days of the British in India, the growing menace from Germany and then the war itself.