I was watching TV this morning, and there was a kids program on that was showing whales slapping their tales on the water and thrusting their heads out of the water. I was thinking about how amazing (or terrifying) it would have been for someone, a sailer from far away, seeing something like that for the first time.
So, I’m wondering if people can suggest old texts of “firsts.” By this, I mean any interesting instance where someone from one part of the world is experiencing something, as one of the first from his respective region, in another part of the world (good or bad). I’d assume Marco Polo’s writings are one example.
I know this is vague, but it’s just an idea that popped into my head.
Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) was the man for documented firsts - first modern westerner to travel to Mecca (The Pilgrimage to Al-Medina and Meccah), first European to visit Harah, in Somalia.
A wonderful character - notable for translating the Karma Sutra and The Perfumed Garden.
If you don’t mind fiction, James Clavell’s Shogun is based on William Adams who was the first British person to reach Japan. His Wikipedia article has books about his life but I don’t know if any of them are well written. Shogun is an excellent book and captures the differences between British and Japanese culture very well. He has a few historical inaccuracies but nothing too bad.