Rockwell Kent (1882–1971)

N by E is a near perfect reading experience: a fascinating story, a captivating writing style, consistently beautiful and abundant illustrations, and all brought together in a striking hardcover edition. Rockwell Kent, to paraphrase a common description of the wolverine, was 500 pounds of attitude in a 150 pound body. He was most imposing when he encountered (or fomented his own) adversity. This 1929 voyage from Nova Scotia to Greenland in a 10 meter boat, in the company of a shipmate that show more he held in utter contempt, provides ample adversity for Kent and his writing to come alive. Here he describes the night watch:

Invariably as the darkness came, the sky was overcast with fog or cloud; and instead of exulting in the splendor of starlit heavens I shivered through interminable hours in the contemplation of nothing at all, yet ever straining my mind toward the annihilation of time and the achievement of some helpful disbelief in the reality of my bodily misery. It was cold - oh, bitterly!

Once they "hit" Greenland, the story and the writing wane, in fact his interactions with the Greenlanders, seen through a modern lens, leave one feeling somewhat uneasy.
Nevertheless, with its mix of prose and pictures, the book is a wonderfully immersive experience. As Kent serves up meals in stormy seas, jury rigs broken gaff jaws, learns on the fly to navigate unerringly across the foggy expanse of the Labrador Sea, and all of this in addition to writing, painting, drawing, and even playing the flute, one is awed by how capable and gifted a man he was. Truly, as has been said about him, he was someone with a way of "getting things done". show less

Rockwell Kent… sound familiar? Chances are you’ve seen his illustrations in a classic edition of Candide, Moby Dick, or Beowulf. He was a well-known graphic artist in the nineteen twenties, thirties and forties. His illustrations were bold, heroic, monumental…usually woodblock prints in black and white; he also painted. He designed colophons that you would likely recognize, for at least three publishers: Random House, Viking, and Modern Library. His reputation suffered in the fifties show more as he became a target of McCarthyism.

What surprised me is that Kent was an author as well. Pure happenstance led me to discover N by E, browsing the shelves at Chop Suey Books. Illustrations occur on nearly every other page. I purchased it even though it has absolutely nothing to do with Iceland--except that Greenland is pretty darn close, and that’s what this book is about.

Kent embarked on this particular sailing adventure on a whim. A friend of his remarked, “…my son is going to sail to Greenland in a small boat.” Rockwell: “God!—May I go with him?”

Kent was forty-seven when he sailed from Nova Scotia to Greenland with two “seasoned” sailors whose ages added together totaled less than his own. And yet he entrusted his life to these two young men, in a small, 33’ cutter, in very dangerous waters. He was the navigator—a skill he had recently learned but hadn't practiced yet.

It is surprising that the intrepid trio made it to Greenland, but not surprising that they shipwrecked off its coast. N by E has all the best characteristics of a compelling adventure story: danger, exotic scenery, excitement, intense beauty, surprise. Edward Hoagland’s foreword accurately describes the book as having a “scary, exuberant edge”. Kent’s prose is simple and clean, vigorous and romantic. His illustrations have a childlike appeal, due to the sweet innocence
and joy his figures radiate, and the awesome beauty of his art. The interwoven Eskimo legends and poems are endearing.

Perhaps even more than an artist, social reformer, or author, Kent was an adventurer. He was a free-spirited, impulsive individual. Danger seemed to invigorate him, and he didn’t appear to have that healthy dose of fear that helps most men live long lives. Kent wrote and illustrated several travel books of his adventures sailing and mountain climbing in remote areas: Tierra del Fuego, Alaska, Newfoundland.

'When Kent died, The New York Times described him as "... a thoughtful, troublesome, profoundly independent, odd and kind man who made an imperishable contribution to the art of bookmaking in the United States." ' wikipedia

N by E can be read on several levels: enjoy the text simply as an accompaniment to the stupendous illustrations, read it as the incredible adventures of a man old enough to know better, or as a beautiful fable. show less

This is a recounting of a tranquil fall and winter spent on a remote Alaskan island in 1918-19. The party consisted of a father and his 9 year old son, both named Rockwell Kent. Not much happens, but they are just so happy fending for themselves during their wilderness stay that it makes for a pleasant read. Although Kent's art in this book is generally not as strong as it is in other works like N by E, some of the illustrations give the book an enchanted feel, particularly the fabulously show more detailed map of their island in the front and back endpapers. The overall mood conveyed by the book is one of peace, likely a rare and precious gift in those years: "It was for us life as it should be, serene and wholesome; love - but no hate, faith without disillusionment, the absolute for the toiling hands of man and his soaring spirit." show less

In the closing months of the Great War during the autumn of 1918, an artist and his 9 year-old son turned their backs on "civilization" and spent about 6 months on a remote island in Alaska. The father painted and read Homer while the son chased foxes and ran around in the snow exploring the island. It's a beautiful little book that captures the mood of the time and place. It reminded me of going with my father to a fishing camp in Canada years ago (the camp we went to was built in the show more 1920s). By this time the recent improvements of the small marine outboard motor, and the airplane, made it possible for more people to travel the waterways of the northern wilderness without mounting a long expedition and so began a new tourist industry of which Kent was among the first wave.

The book is illustrated by Kent including a Robert Louis Stevenson-like map of the island and surrounding areas with hand written notes, it's evocative of adventure. It's a real place that is easily found just outside Seward on Google Maps. I listened to the book read by David Wales of LibriVox and it's also freely available on Internet Archive. show less