Gavin Young continues his life-long fascination with travel and his love of the sea in this magical evocation of the world of Joseph Conrad. Conrad's career as a sailor provided the material for much of his writing, his voyages as first mate or master of various trading vessels in the 1870s and 1880s immortalized in such classics as Lord Jim and Almayer's Folly. This book retraces his steps, chasing the shadows of Conrad by sea, land and river, visiting ports and islands, from Singapore to the Straits of Makassar. He takes in local legends, stories and songs heard on the way.