There are few, if any, books about nineteenth century piano tuners. Their lives might be expected to be unexciting and their experiences unremarkable. But the life of Robert Wrede, especially as told in his journal, was far from dull. In the three years he documents (October 1837 - January 1841), he travelled from England to Cape Town, Sydney, to the young Melbourne, and to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), Adelaide, Surabaya, Singapore, three cities in India, and a number of small islands in between. He was almost lost at sea on several occasions, and suffered numerous horse riding or carriage...