Typee, By Herman Melville

I'm being a little redundant here, referring you to Librivox again, but I just finished "reading" Typee yesterday, and wanted to recommend it.

I've listened to a few Librivox recordings, and they're all good, but it's a special treat when they offer a book done entirely by the same narrator, rather than different voices for different chapters. Not only that, this narrator, Michael Scherer, is especially good at what he does. He has narrated many books, and donated the Typee recordings to Librivox.

Here's the book description from the Librivox site:

Typee is Herman Melville’s first book, recounting his experiences after having jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands in 1842, and becoming a captive of a cannibal island tribe. It was an immediate success in America and England, and was Melville’s most popular work during his lifetime. It was not until the end of the 1930’s that it was surpassed in popularity by Moby Dick, more than thirty years after his death. The story provoked harsh criticism for its condemnation of missionary efforts in the Pacific Islands. Many sought to discredit the book, claiming that it was a work of fiction, but this criticism ended when the events it described were corroborated by Melville’s fellow castaway, Richard T. Greene, who appears in the story as the character Toby (Summary by Michael)

I love books of a seafaring nature, and especially true life stories. I came to love the Typee people, and envy anyone who had been captured by cannibals.

For another Librivox sea tale, see Treasure Island.