A Sense of the World

Jason Roberts’s A Sense of the World is a spellbinding and moving rediscovery of one of history's most epic lives, James Holman.

National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist

“Vastly entertaining, always informative, and often astonishing.” —San Francisco Chronicle

He was known simply as the Blind Traveler—a solitary, sightless adventurer who, astonishingly, fought the slave trade in Africa, survived a frozen captivity in Siberia, hunted rogue elephants in Ceylon, and helped chart the Australian outback. James Holman (1786–1857) became "one of the greatest wonders of the world he so sagaciously explored," triumphing not only over blindness but crippling pain, poverty, and the interference of well-meaning authorities (his greatest feat, a circumnavigation of the globe, had to be launched in secret). Once a celebrity, a bestselling author, and an inspiration to Charles Darwin and Sir Richard Francis Burton, the charismatic, witty Holman outlived his fame, dying in an obscurity that has endured—until now.

Drawing on meticulous research, Jason Roberts ushers us into the Blind Traveler's uniquely vivid sensory realm, then sweeps us away on an extraordinary journey across the known world during the Age of Exploration. Rich with suspense, humor, international intrigue, and unforgettable characters, this is a story to awaken our own senses of awe and wonder.

“A Sense of the World gives us a man who embraced wanderlust at a time when the continents and oceans were much, much bigger.” —New York Times

“An eloquent and sympathetic biography. Roberts’s vibrant prose and meticulous recreation of Holman’s world offer modern readers a chance to see what Holman saw as he tapped his way around the globe.” —Washington Post