Book Description

Writer and media personality George Plimpton not only tells Shackleton's story, but recounts his own recent adventure following Shackleton's footsteps through the bleak, beautiful seas, and islands at the bottom of the world.

A groundbreaking series of illustrated biographies, A & E Biographies combines the smart, concise approach of the hugely popular A&E Biography television series with the illuminating visual approach of DK Publishing to present the lives of history's most colorful figures.

Television's longest running, single-topic documentary series Biography on A&E Network is not only one of the most successful shows -- it is one of the most popular. Biography has profiled more than 900 people in its fifteen years. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Photos But Tainted Text
My high opinion of the TV show "Biography" and of DK books dropped after I read this annoying book. As the book's promotion says, George Plimpton chronicles his 2002 trip to Antarctica and interweaves personal comments with text about Shackleton's incredible story. The problem is Plimpton's comments and photos of himself refect self-absorption and often are irrelevant to Shackleton's amazing story. In a bizarre move, Plimpton fails to mention the book "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing -- which is the "bible" of the Shackleton story -- but he mentions lesser works. The excellent photos in this book prompted me to give it two stars instead of one.

A BIO AS APPEALING AS ITS SUBJECT AND TV SHOW!
Like the TV series on which they are based, the series of
"Biography" books are accessible approaches to the men and
women on whom they focus. (They are also a great marketing idea.
Give that boy/girl a raise!) Each volume is written by a
well-known and/or respected author; "Ernest Shackleton" was penned by George Plimpton, who traveled across Antarctia aboard an icebreaker to better capture Ernie's spirit for this bio. The books are pithy and pleasing, highlighting and spotlighting (in concise detail) its subject, and not shrinking away from controversy or scandal. The photos are terrific; the layouts are done in that appealing, yet not over-the-top, DK style. Think of these books as printed soundbytes that are as interesting and insightful and welcome as their small-screen counterparts. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Left for Dead is a deeply personal story, told in first person by a variety of people who contributed to the survival of Beck Weathers during the Everest accident of 1996 that left nine climbers dead. It goes past the tragedy to discuss why Weathers got involved in climbing in the first place, his lengthy and painful recovery, and the all-important relationship with his wife, Margaret (commonly referred to as Peach). Without Peach's hope and tenacity, it's likely that rescue efforts would not have been continued, and Weathers may never have recovered from the hypothermic coma and its dreadful results. The story of their relationship--they were estranged at the time of the accident--is told from both perspectives, and his obsession with mountains seems almost like another family member. The overall tone is straightforward and conversational: children, pets, and clothing feature as prominently as reconstructive surgery and heroic rescues. But no matter how plainly they are told, the events of that climb are sure to bring tears. Rob Hall's last conversation with his wife, climbers disappearing into the storm, Anatoli Boukreev's rescuing three people, and Weathers and climbing partner Yasuko being left for dead are just a few from a long list. Still, you'll find yourself laughing just pages later, when Weathers gets his rescue team to sing "Chain of Fools" while hiking back to safety--you can imagine Peach being in full agreement of that song's appropriateness. The Everest deaths affected people around the world, and this chronicle of one survivor and his family is a hopeful reminder of the good that can result from such tragedies. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (69)

Not that bad of a book
I just finished the paperback. Actually I could not put this book down. I stretched it to 10 days and have ordered another round of Everest books (being a fellow Everest junkie like all of you.) The first Everest book I read was the superb "Into Thin Air." Since then, I have been finding all the subsequent Everest books on Amazon.

The only complaints I have about this book is the lack of high quality photos (paperback version), the only photo's being grainy blk & whites group shots of Beck Weathers and friends. The other is that there is a rather large section of the book going into deep detail on Beck's family tree. I skipped that part and went on to experiences Beck had on the other 7 summits of the world and the narrative was worth the purchase price ( I had bought "The 7 Summits" and the narrative was so bad, I could not finish that book...and what an interesting subject. Too bad that book wasn't written by a good ghost writer.)For Everest junkies, this book is very well written and gave me some insights into my own marriage. Beck has had a life-long mid-life crisis it seems and Everest finally purged the demons from his life. I hope he lives a long happy life.

"this book is boring me ****less." - a comment to my wife
To be perfectly clear, I am glad I read this book. The problem is that I'm only glad to have read about 20% of it, the rest is stuff that I frankly could care less about. Now, there are people would appreciate the soap opera Weathers describes as the relationship between he and his wife deteriorates. You can find these people in the trash-novel section of your local booksture. The folks who browse the mountaineering section of said bookstore are more interested in the 20% that I was referring to above - The actual experience on everest and its aftermath, which is presented honestly and is quite intriguing. Even gripping. It has value. It is worth the $7. It is the reason why I gave this book two stars, not one. However, the majority of this book is a chore to read.

Not much of an Everest book
I read this book and was severely disappointed in the story. I've read a lot of the accounts from the 1996 tragedy and Beck Weathers story was particularly fascinating. I truly expected someone who came back to life to really have something good to say, lessons learned, but that was not what I got out of the book. He does not seem contrite that he left his family alone most of the time for years for his climbing pursuits, comes back half dead needing them desperately. The book makes me think he'd do it over again and did not learn much from his ordeal. His wife seems extremely bitter (probably not unjustified).

High Expectations, Low Returns
The subtitle is "My Journey Home From Everest" which should actually be the title. By page 99 out of page 340, Mr. Weathers is out of the mountains trying to cope with being back in civilization after going through lleh.

I didn't read the subtitle when I was buying the book and was expecting most of the book to be about his time on Everest. Unfortunately it wasn't to be. By page 160 when he is battling with his psychological demons, a problematic family life, etc., it was time for me to put the book down and move on to other books. While he was successful with most of his battles and no doubt is inspiring, he uses his Mount Everest experience to springboard into his personal spiritual battle.

If you want to read this book, read it as a spiritual conquest by someone who happens to climb mountains.

Do not read this book as a mountaineering book.

I have listened to a speech that Mr. Weathers gave to the American Bar Association and think the world of him and what he went through on the mountain. Unfortunately I think very little of his book here. :-(

expected more
Somehow, Beck Weathers managed to write a book about the tragic climb and descent and death and coming back to life atop Everest totally boring. Enjoyed Beck and Peach's chapters on their cats more than anything. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Well worth reading!
St John (Jack) Philby, father of the famous -or infamous- Kim, got to know Ibn Saud during World War I as a British civil servant based in Baghdad, working for Sir Percy Cox. From their first meeting, Philby was enormously impressed with Ibn Saud, then struggling to affirm himself as one of several princes in Central Arabia. He took an instant liking to him, and this was the beginning of a life-long association. Over the ensuing years,Philby developed the feeling that the British Government was not treating the Arabs fairly and in addition was supporting Ibn Saud's rival, Sherif Hussein of Mecca and his sons, mainly through the support that one of these derived from T. E. Lawrence, in some ways Philby's rival. This eventually led Philby to resign from the civil service and establish himself in Arabia as one of Ibn Saud's senior advisers.
The book is well researched and well written. It takes you through the birth pangs of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Irak and covers a span from World War I to the reign of Ibn Saud's successor, King Saud. It also tells in a riveting way about Philby's desert exploration ventures, most notably in South Arabia's Empty Quarter and its borders with Yemen and the British Protectorate of Aden.
The author brings to life Philby's character, his peculiar family life and, most interestingly, his conversion to Islam.
I have found this book essential for a better understanding of Arabia and of Islam.
On the negative side, the printing of this edition -in a non-English-speaking country- leaves much to be desired: there are far too many typos which take away some of the reading enjoyment. Also, the maps are succint and could have been somewhat more generous. These two factors account for my holding back the 5th star! ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a gripping account of the career and achievements of one of the most intriguing figures of world exploration and British naval history – Captain James Cook. Born in 1728, the son of a farm laborer, Cook, through sheer determination, keen intellect and consummate skills as a seaman, rose to honors and recognition in his own time and to a unique and enduring prominence in the history of navigation. The book retraces Cook’s three voyages, ending with his tragic death in Hawaii in 1779. It also assesses his unique contribution to exploration and discovery, to seafaring, science and medicine.

Bill Finnis draws on his own knowledge and experience of sail for his special understanding of the adverse weather conditions, mountainous seas, diseases, poor food and harsh discipline which threatened the lives of eighteenth-century sailors. It took extraordinary courage to sail for months on end through uncharted waters, aboard crowded ships, relying almost entirely on the skills and knowledge of the sea possessed by the captain, his officers and crew. One can almost feel the spray and taste the salt as this fast-moving narrative unfolds. This superbly illustrated book offers a unique understanding of the personality and achievements of Captain James Cook, seaman and scientist. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This man can write.
There are those who are quite able to transfer their research into the written word in such a way that the reader is fully able to enjoy the fruits of their work - and there are those who are not. Thankfully, Bill Finnis belongs to the former group.

"Captain James Cook - Seaman and Scientist" arrived through my letterbox just as I was departing for a week's diving on one of the many Safari Boats found in the Egyptian Red Sea. I always take a good book on such trips and this one proved to be an excellent choice.

This is a hardback book measuring approx. 11in x 8¼in, containing almost 250 pages of text with just the right amount of charts, sketches, portraits and photographs in support. The book begins with a chapter headed "Setting the Scene" and that is precisely what it does. Drawing on his own vast experience of the sea, the author explains the prevailing wind conditions in the Pacific Ocean before reminding us of the contributions made by a host of individuals - many of us will remember from our school days; Magellan, Drake, Anson, Bougainville, Dampier and Cartaret - to name but some.

So, having been reminded of what has gone before in terms of world exploration we are now treated to an exposé of Cook's early years and how he came to be apprenticed to a small shipping company in Whitby on the Yorkshire coast. Then, after some 4 years - and just as he is offered his very first command of a merchant ship, he elects instead to widen his horizons by joining the Navy.

What follows is an immensely readable accounts of Cook's life and, of course, his death. Along the way, we learn of the difficulties associated with determining longitude and how this led to errors in fixing the precise positions of islands being charted by various explorers. We also learn how William Bligh - later to become that famous Captain Bligh of Mutiny on the Bounty fame, accompanied Cook on his last voyage. Perhaps, after learning so much about navigation from the great man himself, it was little wonder that Bligh survived that epic voyage in a small open boat after having been evicted from his ship.

Elsewhere, we learn how Cook had conducted a detailed survey of the Coast of New Zealand during 1769-1770. I particularly liked the comment whereby, in 1943 US Forces were based in that country and decided the charts should be brought up to date. Their own survey of the New Zealand coastline revealed several apparent errors made by Cook. Some years later, with the benefit of satellite position fixing, it was found that the US Forces were in error and Cook had been right asll along.

In summary, this book contains 250 pages of historical detail written in a style which makes it hard to put down. It is a fascinating account of one of history's most fascinating men and the reader will not be disappointed by either the content or the way in which it is presented.

NM ... Read more

Book Description

He was a hero to environmentalists and the patron saint of monkeywrenchers, a man in love with desert solitude.A supposed misogynist who counted women among his closest friends.A writer who attracted a cult following but was often uncomfortable with it.James Cahalan has written a definitive biography of a contemporary literary icon whose life was a web of contradictions.Edward Abbey: A Life sets the record straight on "Cactus Ed," giving readers a fuller, more human Abbey than most have ever known. For Abbey fans who assume that his "honest novel," The Fool's Progress, was factual or that his public statements were entirely off the cuff, Cahalan's evenhanded shows that Abbey was neither simply a countercultural cowboy hero nor an unprincipled troublemaker, but instead a complex and multifaceted individual whose legacy has only begun to be appreciated. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A very thorough, fair, and well-written biography!
I love how this book taught me so many things about Abbey's life that I never knew before, and how he brings in Abbey's voice by quoting him so effectively. It's an important book because it digs beneath the myth of "Cactus Ed" to the real man and the working writer, and it makes me want to go back and reread Abbey's books. Another good feature is how Cahalan makes Abbey part of his broader historical scene by bringing in related historical events, not only in environmental history but also Vietnam and other events that many might not know also interested and influenced Abbey. This was fun to read! Both Abbey fans and readers new to him will like this book.

Comprehensive to a Fault
As mentioned in an earlier review this book features a comprehensive Edward Abbey bibliography. The problem is that the author has read all of these books and has decided to include every single detail about Abbey's life, no matter how insignificant. The problem is that Cahalan seems to know a lot about Abbey without actually KNOWING anything about Edward Abbey. The result is copious run-on sentences and thirty page chapters about unimportant periods of Abbey's life. This book quickly becomes laborious to read due to these faults and the excessive amount of gratuitous quotes. It is not for the casual Abbey fan. One could argue that the positive reviews are all probably from hard core Abbey fanatics while the lukewarm ones are from those who do not practice fanatical devotion to the cult of Cactus Ed. It delivers on its promise to destroy the myths about Cactus Ed. The problem is that once you learn about Abbey's character (or profound lack of character) you long for the myth of Cactus Ed.

Best book yet on Abbey
This book is the best among the several I've read on Abbey. It contains by far the most details about his life in both its glories and its agonies, and Abbey's voice rings through loud and clear all the way through, partly because Cahalan interweaves plenty of just the right quotations from Abbey's writings, both published and unpublished. It's also the only book I've read that gets the facts right: from where he was born (which WASN'T Home, Pa.), where he lived (many places, but never Oracle); who his many friends, wives, and lovers were; what he actually did and thought; and much, much more. This author has the guts to tell Abbey's whole story, not just paint a picture, at the same time that the cover and inside photographs are great. It separates the real Abbey from the mythical one, but somehow the actual Abbey--warts and all--is even more impressive than the mythical one perpetuated by other authors, including Abbey himself. The big chronological bibliography of all of Abbey's writings is by itself worth the price of this book (even if the book itself weren't also more than worth it); such a bibliography has never before been published. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover, and learned a lot from it.

A Three Star Book About a Five Star Man
I'll give
the bibliography two stars, but I doubt the author read the books he
listed.

In the book I read, the author repeatedly placed himself
between the book's subject and the reader ("I went to Abbey's fiftieth
Indiana reunion in September 1995, where he was posthumously honored,
and I expected to hear that he was an unforgettable character and
perhaps a practical joker" p21). In other places, Cahalan seems
hell-bent on making a most unlikely comparison stick in the reader's
mind--"The Abbey's unstable, obscure existence is underscored even
more sharply if one contrasts it with the "beautiful life" enjoyed by
a more famous, older Indiana county native: Jimmy Stewart." Please!
Most disturbing to me is Cahalan's failure to really dig inside of
Abbey's life to find out what makes a person write such incredibly
vivid and inspiring prose. Instead, he chose to do to Ed Abbey what
Mary Street Alinder did to Ansel Adams--attempt to smear a genius by
highlighting his sex life. Referring to one of Abbey's "friends,"
Cahalan writes the following unfootnoted sensationalism: "One of them
with medical training noted that, if Abbey had been born just slightly
later--with his peak 1970s promiscuity occurring instead a decade or
two later, at the height of the AIDS epidemic--he would not have lived
as long as he did."

Professor James Cahalan presumes to evoke the
great Clifford Gertz's phrase "thick description" as a explanation of
this biography. Well, I guess the book is thick.

Ed Abbey did say,
"One brave deed, performed in an honorable manner and for a
life-defending case, is worth a thousand books."

preparation/reflection material
Ill keep this short...Im actually 2/3 of the way thru Cahalan's book on Ed. I purchased the book for the sole purpose of filling in the "blank spots" in Abbey's life, one that I admire. The book has, in fact, done this well. But more than that, fans of Abbey's writing will enjoy the background information about each book or essay...the surprising autobiographical nature of most of his work and even insight into the personal nature of the man...more info than Abbey probably would have liked leaked out to the "masses". A very good reference book for Cactus Ed's fans. ... Read more

Book Description

Adventurous and willful, the swashbuckling Martin Frobisher was botha brave sea-commander who served Elizabeth I with distinction and a privateer whosingle-mindedly pursued his own interests. This highly entertaining biography providesthe first complete picture of the life and exploits of Frobisher—from his voyages insearch of the fabled Northwest Passage to his courageous resistance to the SpanishArmada and his exploits as privateer and sometime pirate. The book explores Frobisher'svigorous personality and its manifestation in the turbulence of his career and his impacton others. It also illuminates the robust world of maritime enterprise in England in thesixteenth century, when the shifting objectives of the Elizabethan age brought togetherfelons, merchants, and great officers of state.

James McDermott, a leading authority on Martin Frobisher and the Northwest Passage,offers a riveting account of the explorer, based on all extant manuscript and documentarysources. McDermott sets aside the distortions of Frobisher's popular reputation as a heroand offers instead a richly detailed portrait of a fascinating but flawed man whoseceaseless search for wealth and fame defined his extraordinary life. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Pirate Exploring the Absurd
At times the story of Frobisher borders on the ethereal. Fleets of Elizabethan sea-dogs sailing every year or so towards Labrador, searching for the (apocryphphal) NorthWest Passage to China, returning each time from an ice-bound continent with lumps of black granite and then funding another trip on the strength of completely bogus reports that there was gold inside the granite rocks. The expeditions serve as a parable of greed, curiousity and folly. For Frobisher, they were the high point of a chequerered naval career. A notorious privateer, Martin served in some of Drake's greatest raids on Spanish America. He also served with distinction against the Armada. The only downside to a biography of Frobisher was that he was almost totally illiterate and that therefore almost everything about him has to be reconstructed from official records or second-hand reports. This is a great life of a strange man.

Wonderul and excellent research tome
A wonderful book written about one of England's first Maritime explorers. Frobisher usually is written with such notables of the time as Drake, Hawkins and Raleigh even if his famous voyage to the Northwest was a failure. He still managed to retain his dignity and eventually became one of England's greatest sailors. Mr. McDermott's book is a wonderful and complete picture of a quite-not-so-honest Yorkshire man who rose up to become a great explorer despite his past dealings with privateering and the law. Frobisher's last biography (AFAIK) was published in 1923 (William McFee) yet Mr. McDermotts excellent research and writing clearly rates above Mr. McFee's outline of a man whose history was written by happenstance and luck. I found this book to be invaluable research of a not-so-well-known man whom I portray at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in California. Well researched and well written. A must for any 16th century maritime history fan or historian. Cheers! ... Read more

Book Description

One of America's most daring and accomplished test pilots, Tex Johnston flew the first U.S. jet airplanes and, in a career spanning the 1930s through the 1970s, helped create the jet age at such pioneering aerospace companies as Bell Aircraft and Boeing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great historical autobiography of a legend
This is a great historical accounting of the life of an American aviation pioneer. Tex Johnston's life was a colorful mix of barnstorming through the flight testing and air racing of WWII fighters, and finally the experimental flight testing of the Bell X-1 (prior to Chuck Yeager) and the Boeing aircraft when the jet age was underway. The book is a little scant in his accounting of the famous (infamous?) barrell rolls of the 707 prototype over Lake Washington, which is disappointing. Overall, a great book and must reading for any fan of the early years of experimental flight testing. ... Read more

Book Description

An intimate story of personal cost, risk, and loss in the mountaineering world.

Nobody has written more eloquently about the human side of high-altitude mountaineering than Maria Coffey. Because the mountaineering world has faced so many devastating losses recently, this is an especially timely story about the loved ones left behind to sort out their sorrow and confusion, anger and healing.

With openness and honesty, Coffey describes her love affair with elite British mountaineer Joe Tasker, who perished with his climbing partner Peter Boardman while attempting Everest's then-unclimbed Northeast Ridge in 1982. She relives her experiences, first within the hard-partying mountaineering scene and then during her long journey to understanding and acceptance of the tragedy that cost her the man she loved. She gives us an insider's view of the life of a world-class mountaineer and recounts her deeply moving pilgrimage with Boardman's widow across Tibet, a journey that retraced Tasker and Boardman's steps to their abandoned Advance Base Camp at 21,000 feet on Everest. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Lost Love
Lost Love
Fragile Edge: A Personal Portrait of Loss on Everest
Reviewed by Laura Drury

One rainy day, I curled up on the couch with a steaming cup of coffee and Maria Coffey's book, Fragile Edge, intending to spend a couple of pleasurable hours reading. As it happened, I did not stop after a couple of hours. I read the whole book that day.

From the beginning I knew that Joe Tasker, her lover and well-known British mountain-climber, had died in a climbing accident on Everest and that this had affected her deeply. Even though I knew the end of the story, Maria's conversational style of storytelling kept me glued to my seat. It was as if she were sitting in my living room, telling me all the details of her lost love.

Even so, Coffey's book is not a tragedy. It's a vicarious peek into a life of thrilling uneasiness, alternating with periods of intense passion. It is the story of how one woman coped with the strain of "the unseen menace, dormant but stirring." Maria described herself as "a climber's girlfriend, left at home, watching for mail". The many farewells were difficult for her. "There was always that wrenching in the gut when he walked away and three months of uncertainty stretched ahead like a tunnel with no light at the end." But when he returned from his dangerous expeditions, remembers Coffey, "there would be a resurgence of feeling between us, an excitement as fresh and keen as when we were first together".

This is also the story of Maria Coffey's and Hilary Rhodes' (Boardman's wife) month long trip to the advance base camp of their loved ones' last climb. They did it to find closure and say goodbye as they left mementos at a memorial cairn that had been erected for the two lost climbers. They planted a little garden of edelweiss and mosses. They mourned and grieved, then laughed and sang with their Chinese hosts. They came to terms with their loss and made peace with Everest. They decided that regretting was of no use.

Fragile Edge gives the average person insight into the world of serious mountaineering. "I was in love with a man who courted death, whose life made more sense to him if he pushed its limits," observed Coffey. In Joe Tasker's own words, "I sometimes wonder why I can't be content with Sunday rock climbs." The fatality rate among high-altitude mountaineers is supposedly one in ten. It is a world that most of us observe from the safety of our less-than-dangerous lives.

THE LONG GOODBYE...
What happens to the loved ones of mountaineers who perish while seeking to climb higher peaks or pioneer new routes on challenging mountains? The author attempts to answer this question with her well written and deeply personal account.

The author was intimately involved in the mountaineering world of the nineteen seventies and early nineteen eighties. At the time she was in the throes of an intense love affair with Joe Trasker, the British climber who perished in 1982 with his regular climbing partner, Peter Boardman, while attempting to climb the then unclimbed Northeast ridge of Everest.

The author offers an intriguing, birdseye view into the tight circle of the mountaineering elite through her relationship with Joe Trasker. The book, however, is not about climbing, per se. It is more of a personal catharsis of her relationship with Joe Trasker.

Still, this makes for an interesting read. The book is divided into two parts. The first concerns itself with the Joe that was living. The second part concerns itself with the Joe that had perished.

The first part chronicles their relationship, which was intense. It also seemed to be a little one sided. The author makes it fairly clear to the reader that Joe Trasker did not seem to have the same commitment to the relationship that the author seems to have had. Her reluctance to let the relationship go appears to have been based more upon what the relationship could have been, rather than upon what it actually was. As they say, love is blind.

The second part of the book chronicles her coming to terms with his death. She does this by joining up with Peter Boardman's widow, Hilary, and setting off on a journey to Tibet and, ultimately, to Everest in an attempt to connect to Joe one final time, as well as to seek closure to a part of her life that was no more.

Sensitively written and finely drawn, her pain is palpable and her story moving. It is, above all, a fitting tribute to Joe Trasker, the man who inspired such devotion.

A book for the "other half"
The most rewarding aspect in reading this book was the insight into what it is like to bethe partner of someone with such a single minded focus that it surpasses everything. I am that person, and it made me think twice!

It doesn't matter which one reads it first as long as you both read it!

For those left behind
This is a very good book, presenting a very different perspective on mountaineering. This is the impact that the sport / lifestyle has on those at home - the loved ones.

Maria Coffey provides a frank account of her life in and around the hard-partying, high stakes lifestyle of the British climbing community in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She falls in love with Joe Tasker, who disappeared on Mt Everest in 1982 with Pete Boardman. They were part of the British team attempting the east north east ridge ascent. Chris Bonington was part of that team.

After their death, Maria, and Hilary, Boardman's widow undertake their own journey to Tibet - seeking resolution, answers, closeness to their lovers...

She is very frank about the nature of her relationship with Tasker and her fears, his shortcomings as a partner etc. The second part is about the journey Maria takes, both physical, and emotional in dealing with the loss of a partner.

In a way, it seems Hilary was better able to deal with the emotional trauma because of the surety of her relationship with Boardman. Maria and Joe had yet to make a long-term commitment.

A frank and revealing and very personal story. If you are addicted to Everest and mountaineering books (as I am) this is a worthy one to add to the collection. ... Read more

Book Description

A modern trailblazer conquers one of the last aviation records in this harrowing, hilarious, and stirring adventureOn April 17, 2000, Gus McLeod circled the geographic North Pole in a 60-year-old, open-cockpit biplane, a goal that had eluded aviation pioneers for a century, and the climax of a two-year odyssey of harrowing physical, mechanical, and natural obstacles.

Called crazy and worse, the irrepressible McLeod formed a team that included a car mechanic, a chase pilot who had just earned his license, and an historic Stearman trainer held together with duct tape, jerry-rigged ingenuity, and snow-blind faith. This nonstop page-turner will have readers laughing out loud, crying, and shaking their heads in disbelief as McCleod and his motley troupe of quipping, quarreling characters bounce from scrapes with disaster, to soaring triumphs, to side-splitting encounters with the revolving cast of eskimos, renegades, and bush pilots that await them at each stop on Canada’s frozen tundra.

With death only a gust of frigid wind or a gallon of bad gas away, McLeod learns life-transforming lessons about the importance of family, friends, and self- identity. Defiantly out of the ordinary and rich in human dimensions far beyond a death-defying flight in the frozen Arctic, Solo to the Top of the World is a soul-stirring, heart-warming adventure for all seekers and dreamers, winged or earthbound. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Courage, laughs and wisdom from another era
How many of us have thought we were born at the wrong time? For most of us, the era of barnstorming heroes is long gone, but Gus McLeod brought those times back with his bare hands and an ancient biplane. The results are both harrowing and humorous. Gustavus balances wry wit with self-effacing humor. He also fills the story with well-observed, quirky characters (including an Inuit, rechristened Studley, who need help handling the ladies). This is a FUNNY book. My daughter said she enjoyed listening to me chuckling out loud as I read it.

At the same time Gustavus brings together bits of history and contemporary concerns to draw us into the meaning of his quest. This is a spiritual journey as well as a man against nature tale. Gustavus struggles with his identity in a society that wants to categorize him according to only part of his rich heritage, and he shows how to win some battles. He also survives against punishing odds, repeatedly tipped against him by frostbite, failing equipment, loneliness, exhaustion and unrelenting cold.

The main creation of this book is a full, complex character, a man of charm and intelligent observations. You won't meet another like him.

Great American Adventure Story
Solo to the Top of the World is a great American adventure story. This is a lively historic account of how the first person reached the magnetic and geographic North Pole in a open cockpit airplane, a 1939 Boeing Stearman biplane, respectively in 1999 and 200, after several others had failed, died or disappeared in the Arctic. The book has all the elements of a great thriller- danger, excitment, high risks, success against tremendous odds, but it is even better than most thrillers because it is true. Readers will not want to put this book down. ... Read more

Book Description

The thirst for knowledge and adventure have always been at the forefront of human imagination. In this chronicle of the life of Alejandro Malaspina, an 18th-century Italian navigator in the service of Spain, John Kendrick takes us on a voyage across the Pacific via the Philippines, New Zealand, the infant British colony at Sydney cove, and the Tonga Islands.

Malaspina’s Pacific voyage of 1789 was the last and most important of his career--a five-year scientific and political examination of the Spanish colonies in the Americas and the Philippines. On his return he was commissioned to author a report--and was imprisoned when it was judged seditious. Using Malaspina’s writings, including the journal of his great voyage and his personal letters, Kendrick makes the life of this extraordinary individual available to the English reader. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

a flat-footed biography
This is a poorly written book on an interesting subject, that benefits from the fact that there aren't other biographies on Malaspina in English, or any comprehensive historian account on the entire voyage at a comparative price range. It's neither a serious scholarly work nor an exciting biography, so it's pretty much a disappoiting book. For a much better, scholarly, publication, see "The Malaspina Expedition 1789 to 1794", published by the Haklyut Society. It has a good introduction, and the transcription of Malaspina's introduction to his never-published travel account. ... Read more

Book Description

Alaska and the Yukon. Cold. Mysterious. Distant. Imagine how empty and forbidding the region seemed in the 1930s when Bradford Washburn began a series of exploratory expeditions. With its glorious black-and-white, large-format photographs, Exploring the Unknown contains previously unpublished diaries kept during Washburn's 1934 first-ascent climb of Alaska's Mt. Crillon; the 1935 National Geographic Society-sponsored exploration of wilderness sections of Canada's Yukon; and the 1951 climb of Mt. McKinley's West Buttress. ... Read more

Book Description

1910. Including trappers, pioneers, and soldiers of the Frontier. Their hazardous and exciting adventures in the mighty drama of the White conquest of the American continent. These are stories of men who, impelled by love of adventure and fascinated by wild nature, deserted the places where those of their kind clustered together in towns, cities and small settlements, to plunge into a country peopled by men of a hostile race. Sample contents: Lewis and Clarke, the first bold explorers to reach the Pacific by the northern route; General Sam Houston, the savior of Texas; Kit Carson, the Nestor of the Rocky Mountains; Wild Bill Hickok, trapper, scout and fearless gun fighter; and much more. Illustrated. ... Read more

Book Description

This riveting true-life adventure of suspense, danger, and endurance chronicles theextraordinary journey of American Ann Bancroft and Norwegian Liv Arnesen, twoformer schoolteachers, as they set out to become the first women to cross the continent ofAntarctica on foot. With their 250-pound supply sleds in tow, they walk, ski, and ski- sailfor ninety-four days, over 1,700 miles of crevasse-ridden ice, where any exposed skinwould freeze in less than a minute, all while three million children from sixty- fivecountries tune in to their adventure via satellite phones and the Web. A record of Arnesenand Bancroft’s astounding adventure, No Horizon Is So Far is a stirringtestament to two modern-day heroes. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An average read
An interesting story but only an average read. Jumping from one author to another is distracting. There are many other books written about women doing remarkable journeys that make a better read an deserve attention.

An exciting, well-told tale
This book's account of Liv and Ann's long trek across Antarctica is riveting, and it's just incredible how much they suffered and how they managed to continue despite it. It blows my mind that they did this in their mid-forties.

One of the most admirable things about this book is how Liv and Ann come across not as cinematic superheroes but as real people, fuming about the sheer politics of just getting to Antarctica, making mistakes, bickering with each other, but still, in the end, sticking together and succeeding.

Liv's explanation (on page 21) of why she does such things is very illuminating, but you know what? After having finished the book, I still don't understand why people undertake such insanely brutal challenges. I can't imagine why anyone would voluntarily spend three months pulling 250-pound sledges across treacherous terrain in subzero temperatures. But that's why I sit at home reading books, instead of crossing Antarctica.

This book would be great for parents to read to their kids!

No Dream Is So Impossible
"No Horizon Is So Far" details Arnesen and Bancroft's expedition across the Antarctic continent. The two former school teachers set out to fulfill their lifelong dreams of crossing the Antarctic while inspiring kids to tackle personal obstacles and to pursue their dreams. The expedition team developed a curriculum that allowed students around the world to participate in their adventure while learning valuables lessons in science and perseverance. Told from both voyagers' viewpoint, the book recounts with suspense, humor and clarity the challenges and triumphs of crossing the frozen continent. Information on the business aspects of planning and executing an expedition is also included and provides, for this Project Manager, an example of astute planning by a culturally and professionally diverse team of individuals with an intense dedication to achieving the goals of the expedition.

"No Horizon Is So Far" is successful on many levels. It educates, inspires, and motivates. On the surface - and by the cover - this may appear to be merely an adventure story, but it's much more. The journey of Arnesen and Bancroft not only challenged the physical and emotional strength of the two history making women but it also serves as a metaphor for the challenges we all face in everyday life. The story is well organized and made easily accessible with clear and concise language that sets an inviting tone for the story and is open enough to allow the women's experience to be meaningful to a wide range of people. Kudos to the women for chasing their dreams and congratulations to the expedition team and supporters that helped them catch it.

A Fascinating Journey Made by Two Brave, Gutsy Women
The list of obstacles faced by those who choose to explore Antarctica is familiar enough: blizzards, bone-chilling cold, deadly crevasses, disorientation, faulty planning, and a whole lot more. The co-authors of NO HORIZON IS SO FAR added one more to that list: they are both women.

Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen were both experienced Antarctic hands. Both in fact had been to the South Pole separately before they made the 1,700-mile, 94-day trek in 2000-2001 described in this book. There had never been an attempt by two women to cross the entire Antarctic landmass, using the South Pole simply as a halfway point in a larger, longer, more dangerous expedition.

Bancroft (an American from Minnesota) and Arnesen (a Norwegian) had never met one another until they began planning this expedition. They obviously had a number of qualities in common that made them a viable two-person team. In addition to the obvious physical and technical skills, both were hugely aware of the feminist angle to what they were doing, and both were media-savvy. From the start they wanted to make a kind of worldwide educational event of their trip, involving school kids from all over the globe and actively cultivating coverage from the heavy hitters of the television talk show lineup.

They also had business skills. They assembled a small corporate backup team in Minnesota, hired a PR firm and got down to the business of cajoling financial and physical support from the likes of Apple Computer, Volvo and Motorola. In order to obtain just the right kind of satellite phone, their support staff was able to lure a three-star general off the gold course to pull the right strings. They even got themselves an audience with the Dalai Lama, who gave them a flag he wanted them to unfurl at the South Pole in his name.

The book that chronicles their trip is written alternately in the voices of the two women, with further contributions by writer Cheryl Dahle. This is a bit confusing at first because, while Bancroft's and Arnesen's contributions are labeled, Dahle's usually are not. It may take the reader a chapter or two to figure this out.

There were plenty of problems. Bancroft suffered a crippling shoulder injury that caused her pain for most of the trip. An errant chunk of ice lodged in their transmitter beacon caused a false "Send Rescue" message to be sent that induced momentary panic back in Minneapolis. The complex mechanics of ski sailing caused all sorts of delays and headaches, and the capricious Antarctic winds had a habit of not blowing when they were needed most. The food was monotonous. There were problems with the private company that was to fly them from Cape Town to Antarctica (the company tried to induce them at the last minute to transfer their whole operation from South Africa to Punta Arenas, Chile).

And in fact, the duo did not actually cover the entire distance they had mapped out for themselves. A combination of approaching winter and tough terrain forced them to call for air evacuation from a spot on the Ross Ice Shelf that was tantalizingly close to their predetermined finish line. But since the Ross Ice Shelf is actually a projection beyond the end of the Antarctic continent, they were able to claim that they had indeed traversed the whole land mass. So who would quibble? Not readers of this engaging book, that's for sure.

The personalities of the two adventurers show through nicely in their prose. Each woman acknowledges her own weaknesses and the strengths of her partner. There is however a lot of emphasis on the media-friendly aspect of the trip. Perhaps it would be unfair to claim that this dangerous expedition was conceived as a "media event" --- but that aspect was certainly a major element in its planning and execution. It also lends piquancy to the retelling of the story. For example, an executive of a major credit-card company told their fundraisers that they were not interested in helping because "we don't have any customers in Antarctica."

Bancroft and Arnesen, by contrast, made sure that they had "customers" in classrooms and corporate offices all over the world. They are a couple of brave, gutsy ladies, and they have richly earned their celebrity.

--- Reviewed by Robert Finn

Good Story
This is an interesting adventure that contains some good information. These two women had fortitude. Some information is repeated as each character tells her story. Lacks vibrant description but reads quite well. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ethiopia, 1941. Felice Benuzzi was a junior officer in the Italian Colonial Service, stationed in Addis Ababa, when the British thwarted Mussolini's ambition to build a colonial empire in East Africa. Benuzzi, along with thousands of other Italians, was captured and interned in a POW camp near the foot of Mount Kenya, where he and his countrymen languished indefinitely, waiting out the war and the desperate boredom, passivity, and isolation of prison life. "In order to break the monotony," he writes, "one had only to start taking risks again." But the isolation of the camp precluded the possibility of escape to a neutral country: "I thought, then at least I shall stage a break in this awful travesty of life. I shall try to get out, climb Mount Kenya and return here." So begins No Picnic on Mount Kenya, a first-class adventure story full of courage, humor, and exquisite detail.

Benuzzi and two fellow prisoners spent six months secretly hoarding food; sewing clothing, shoes, and tents; and scavenging for scrap metal to hammer into ice axes and crampons. After escaping, they braved the multiple risks of capture, wild animals (including elephants and rhinoceros), starvation, frigid weather, and some of the most challenging climbing conditions in Africa. The men ascended 16,300 feet to Mount Kenya's Point Lenana, hoisted a homemade flag, and then returned to the misery of the camp. Benuzzi and his comrades never cared that their freedom was fleeting: they climbed Mount Kenya to reaffirm their humanity in the face of a barbaric world war. The gallantry of this gesture sets No Picnic apart from typical mountaineering stories of risk and self reliance. --Svenja Soldovieri ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Tribute to POW's Hunger for Freedom, Mountaineering Style
As one who loves mountains and climbing, I relish great stories of exceptional mountaineering feats. At times, however, I ponder the meaning and heroics of well planned, well outfitted and well guided expeditions--even when they produce grim results. This is an almost whimsical mountaineering tale with meaning, heroics...and a lot of heart. Bored with dreary life as an Italian prisoner in a British POW camp, Felice Benuzzi's spirit is lifted as he spies majestic Mt. Kenya break through the clouds and he contemplates the idea of escaping the camp long enough to climb the peak and plant a flag. Given the practicalities of the geopolitical map of East Africa in 1941, Benuzzi realizes he has little hope of a successful escape to friendly territory. So, Benuzzi determines to channel his energy to engaging partners in his quest, storing away supplies and manufacturing within the confines of a POW camp the technical equipment to climb a very difficult peak. After six months of preparation, Benuzzi and his two partners must escape the POW camp and avoid close encounters with Africa's dangerous big game (they are in the heart of prime hunting lands) before they can even begin their mountaineering endeavor. Already weak from their life as POWs, running short of supplies, facing unfavorable weather and lacking adequate information about the mountain's topography, they are denied Mt. Kenya's highest point on the route that also denied an earlier group led by the esteemed Shipton. However, Benuzzi savored the sweet taste of success on the mountain's second highest point before returning to camp. The lingering taste of success sustained Benuzzi through the remainder of his days as a POW. Benuzzi recounts his feat with modesty, grace and subtle humor. Fun and inspiring!

Made me feel as if I were there too...
I really enjoyed this book. It sounds almost whimsical that POWs would go to all this trouble and face considerable personal danger to escape, climb a mountain, and then go right back to the prison camp, but the way Benuzzi describes it, it makes a certain sense. The painstaking process of preparing for the trip - which included all the risks and difficulties of a "typical" prison break plus the demands of an Alpine climb - is told in a matter-of-fact, rather dry fashion. (On nominating the third man for the party: "He had never climbed a mountain in his life. The only reason why we decided to try him was because he was universally thought to be mad as a hatter, and mad people were what we needed.") Benuzzi's descriptions of the scenes on the way up the mountain are glorious, and of the return to camp are funny and quite touching. A very enjoyable pocket-adventure story that deserves to be better known.

A breath of fresh air
This book is a welcome change from all the peak bagging, egoistical, mountain-conquering books out there. The author talks so poetically about the beauty of the mountain , that its hard to remain unaffected. Their mission is extremely pure and simple - to climb Mt. Kenya, although some people might say that it was an irresponsible thing to do in the middle of war .... The truth is that its a fantastic description of their whole adventure, with graphic descriptions of the jungle and how they made it with POW rations and home-made climbing gear. A true mountaineering classic !

Wonderful Adventure Flatly Told
I'm a big fan of WWII prisoner of war tales, both real (The Long Walk, Ghost Soldiers, et al) and fictional (King Rat, Bridge on the River Kwai, et al), so I was intrigued by this account by an Italian of how he and two companions escaped their POW camp, climbed Mt. Kenya, and then snuck back into camp several weeks later. Unfortunately, while their adventure was undoubtedly remarkable, it never really comes alive in Benuzzi's book. I suspect much of the problem for me is that I know nothing about mountaineering and don't particularly find it interesting. The other difficulty I had was with the flatness of the prose, whether this is due to a weak translation or to Benuzzi's writing in a foreign language I don't know, but in any event, I found it rather tepid. So while I think the whole idea of his adventure is wonderful and in rather brilliant dark humor, I didn't find the telling equally so.

What a story!
I just needed to comment that the author is my grandfather, and I am very proud of both him and his work.
He was - apart from his job as a diplomat - a passionate Alpinist. He loved mountains. It was not only to relieve the boredom of POW life that he and his two friends made the climb, it was also because they fell in love with Mt Kenya the first time the clouds finally cleared and they saw it...
He spent a large portion of his life working to protect Antartica from development and other human intrusions.
He was a great man, and he wrote a wonderful book. Look for an upcoming T.V. documentary on their climb; it should be interesting. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive biography of one of Australia's greatest explorers, Matthew Flinders, details everything from his first sight of Terra Australis at 17 to receiving command of HMS Investigator to explore and chart the entire Australian coast years later. Compellingly written, the biography follows Flinders's high adventure with obstacles including a rotting ship in the perilous, little-known labyrinth of the Barrier Reef, bouts of scurvy and dysentery, shipwreck and imprisonment, and a nine-year absence from a beloved wife. ... Read more

Book Description

It started as a daydream. Poring over a map of the world at home one quiet Saturday afternoon, Ewan McGregor - actor and self-confessed bike nut - noticed that it was possible to ride all the way round the world, with just one short hop across the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska. It was a revelation he couldn't get out of his head. So he picked up the phone and called Charley Boorman, his best friend, fellow actor and bike enthusiast. 'Charley,' he said. 'I think you ought to come over for dinner...'

From London to New York, Ewan and Charley chased their shadows through Europe, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, across the Pacific to Alaska, then down through Canada and America. But as the miles slipped beneath the tyres of their big BMWs, their troubles started. Exhaustion, injury and accidents tested their strength. Treacherous roads, unpredictable weather and turbulent politics challenged their stamina. They were chased by paparazzi in Kazakhstan, courted by men with very large guns in the Ukraine, hassled by the police, and given bulls' testicles for supper by Mongolian nomads.

And yet despite all these obstacles they managed to ride over 20,000 miles in four months, changing their lives forever in the process. As they travelled they documented their trip, taking photographs, and writing diaries by the campfire. Long Way Round is the result of their adventures - a fascinating, frank and highly entertaining travel book about two friends riding round the world together and, against all the odds, realising their dream. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

get the printed version....
As much as I prefer ebooks over cumbersome, clumsy printed books - I recommend that readers purchase this in printed format. The printed book has loads of color and b&w photos that are NOT included in the ebook. There are a few maps but the Itinerary listing is completely blurry no matter the setting on the eReader.

It's still a great book though and I highly recommend getting but only get it in eBook format if you don't mind missing roughly 25% of the material in the printed version. ... Read more