Sailing alone around the world is a sailing memoir by joshua slocum in 1900 about his single handed global circumnavigation aboard the sloop spray slocum was the first person to sail around the world alone the book was an immediate success and highly influential in inspiring later travelers. The first illustrated edition of the classic sailing memoir by joshua slocum the first man to circumnavigate the globe alone sailing alone around the world is joshua slocums memoir about sailing alone around the world aboard his sloop spray the book was an immediate success when it was first published in 1900 and was highly influential in inspiring later travelers to do the same. Joshua slocum was the first man to sail single handedly around the world he was a nova scotian born naturalised american seaman and adventurer and a noted writer in 1900 he wrote a book about his journey sailing alone around the world which became an international best seller he disappeared in november 1909 while aboard his boat the spray. Sailing alone around the world is a firsthand autobiographical story of joshua slocum the first man to sail singlehandedly around the world the book first published in 1901 would be considered an old book if not for the fact that by any other measure it is a timeless story