The incredible adventure of Annie Ricketson's years at sea, as told so simply in her journal, is impressive even by today's standards. Very few women in the 1870s would have chosen to do what Annie did. The idea of leaving family and friends for nearly three and one half years to sail to areas of the world which were not even listed on a map must have been daunting, but to do this as the only woman on a ship where some of the crew may have resented a woman onboard, and others may not have had the highest character references, was absolutely courageous. Annie sailed on the A. R. Tucker with...