Half Moon

Half Moon

by Douglas Hunter

I do try and read ALL of the book recommendations that I am given, especially when they give me the book.  I thank Olivier Berthe, FFIR at Lafayette Hall, for providing me the book I just finished, Half Moon, by Douglas Hunter.  Hunter tracks the history of Henry Hudson on his journey, sponsored by the largest trading company (VOC) from Amsterdam, to map the waterways of America in an attempt to gain more trading ports for future outposts.  Hunter is not afforded the journals of Hudson, who captained the boat, the Half Moon, as the journals were lost, but he uses the first mate Robert Jute as a resource.  Hunter goes through journals and information from other sources to piece together the 1609 voyage to North America. The first part of the book was rather dull.  The historical perspective of what was happening with various voyages and what Hudson would have learned before his trip was quite detailed but didn’t keep my interest.  The second part of the book was very interesting as it followed Hudson’s journey into Manhattan and up the Hudson River to my home town of Troy, NY!  I learned a great deal about the route, which I have taken many times during the course of my life.  When I was younger, my family had the opportunity to take many trips down the Hudson, under the Verrazano Bridge, and into the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Cod/Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.  A great book for anyone interested in history and how Hudson made it through the tide changes and the shallow parts of the river named after the voyager.  Enjoyed it!