1 comments about Teachings Around the Sacred Wheel: Finding the Soul of the Dreamtime.

1. From the first book I've read of Lynn V. Andrews works, starting from Woman of Wyrrd and not in order, Medicine Woman, Crystal Woman, Star Woman, Jaguar Woman, and all the others, I find that I could not put any of her books down until I got to absorb every detail and experience. She has brought me enlightenment by awakening my eyes to significant events and similar situations that equate to mine. In this book, this teaches us about our animal spirit, the south, west, east and north wheel where she had described from Star Woman that east represents the rational thinking while the west is the emotional, the south; physical and the north, the spiritual and enlightenment. There is so much to learn from each of her books and this one is no exception. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for the truth within us.

5 comments about The Heart of the World: A Journey to the Last Secret Place.

1. 
   I just started to read this book but found that this guy is getting involved in smuglling rare animals in Nepal. Read all the follwing news about this writer. And lets boycot his book!!
   
   1) Police recover illegal treasure trove from house of National Geographic writer
   
   KATHMANDU, May 23 - The Metropolitan Police Crime Division Hanumandhoka Friday said that a police investigation unearthed a large number of wildlife items and artefacts of archaeological significance at a house rented by an American national at Baluwatar in the capital.
   Working on a special tip-off, a police team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Sher Bahadur Basnet on May 17 raided the house of Rajesh Maharjan which was rented by US citizen Ian Baker and recovered the items from the house.
   
   A police statement released during a press conference in the capital today said that the police team recovered the illegal items from Maharjan's house at Kathmandu Metropolitan-4 in Baluwatar.
   
   The statement added that after the recovery Maharjan informed the police that Baker had also stored more items at a rented house owned by one Khewang Norbu in Naxal.
   
   The police have also sealed off Norbu's house.
   
   Police informed that Baker, who has been living in Nepal for the last 24 years, had stored statues of archaeological importance, vestiges of various wild animals including skin, skeleton and statues in the Baluwater residence.
   
   The police have arrested Maharjan, while Baker is still at large.
   
   Reportedly, Baker was a features writer for the National Geographic and News Week magazines.
   
   2)
   Illegal items hoarded by American seized
   
   KATHMANDU, May 23 - Metropolitan Police Crime Division, Hanumandhoka confiscated dozens of illegally possessed artifacts, idols, wood craft and huge materials of endangered wildlife from the rented apartments of US citizen and legendary writer Ian Baker, who is also a contributor to National Geographic and several other magazines.
   Ian Baker, who has been reportedly staying in the country for over 24 years, was found to illegally possess a huge collection of archeologically important materials, including skeletons, statues and skins of wildlife in his two rented apartments located at Naxal and Baluwatar in the capital.
   
   Acting on a special tip-off, a police team raided a house of Rajesh Maharjan at Baluwatar where police recovered a huge cache of such materials.
   
   Police said they arrested house owner Maharjan, who told them that Baker also possessed illegal materials in another rented house at Naxal.
   
   Following the information from Maharjan, who is said to be an aide of Baker, police sealed the house. With the help of experts from Department of Archaeology and Kathmandu District Forest office, it was revealed that those materials were archeologically important, some even dated back to prehistoric times.
   
   On Thursday, police also seized dozens of artifacts, statues, skeletons, skins of wildlife, among other things. Senior Superintendent of Police Upendra Kant Aryal, chief of Metropolitan Police Crime Division, said the recovered materials were one of the largest collections ever confiscated by the police in the country.
   
   However, police said they were yet to ascertain the intention behind collecting those materials. During interrogation, Maharjan told that Baker had gone to Thailand after storing those materials in the house. Police said Baker has been absconding since police raided his two apartments.
   
   The country's law has banned people from possessing, buying and selling archeologically important materials. On the other hand, the CITES (Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild flora and fauna), to which Nepal is a signatory, also terms buying and selling wildlife body parts illegal.



2. Ian Baker, explorer and Buddhist scholar, narrates a sequence of incredible journeys to the Tsango Gorge in Tibet, the hidden and inaccessible Beyul Pemako.
   
   The book can be read on many levels: as an engrossing adventure; the depiction of a man's passion, determination and endurance to achieve a goal in the face of incredible hardships; rarely described Tibetan customs; and the contrast between the spirituality of the Tibetans and the materialism of the Chinese who were penetrating the area at the same time as the author.
   
   The thread that weaves the narrative together is the inner journey that unfolds as Baker traverses the sacred geography of the area as revealed by Buddhist texts, Tibetan lamas and the experiences of the author and his team. Backed by historical textural references and oral traditions, the author encounters the living, pulsing presence of this landscape in the form of the body of the dakini goddess Dorje Pagmo and her energy centers or chakras. He and his team successfully access the throat of the goddess, the hidden gorge with its long-sought waterfall.
   
   After his arrival at the waterfall, his journey culminates in a visit to the sacred site of Gompe Ne on the banks of the Tsampo River where he enacted, as countless pilgrims before him have, a birth-death-resurrection using the sacred geography of the site.
   
   I was constantly reminded of experiences in the Andes, especially Peru and the Andean Path, where the exchange of energies between man and the natural world and its sacred landscapes create spiritual alchemy and inner spiritual transformation.



3. A fantastic book for readers who are interested in learning about Tibetan Buddhism, the Tibetan culture and the Tibetan way of living, and readers who enjoy visiting and / or reading about exotic places on earth.
   
   I picked up this book right after a trip to Tibet with my 4-year old son and truly enjoyed reading it. It took me deeper into the land that I had just visited by illuminating a bit about its history, its incredible natural beauty, its people's belief system and, most importantly, the interconnectedness of all. It is a well written book and Ian Baker has done an outstanding job of getting the reader very close to the actual experience.
   
   Connecting with nature is certainly a powerful way to get connected in life and, once connected, the ultimate discoveries are often of the hidden secrets in one's soul.
   
   If you are not convinced about reading this book, I highly recommend viewing the related photos on hollot's site (find the site by doing a search on "hollot + sardar" since amazon does not allow posting URL's).



4. The Heart of the World: A Journey to Tibet's Lost Paradise takes you on a journey into canyons when no one as recorded before...breath taking..



5. The Tsangpo river cuts the eastern Himalayas to join Brahmaputra in the jungles of Assam. Intrepid British explorers have chartered most of its course during the glorious days of the Raj - leaving unexplored ~10 mile stretch of an inaccessible 'Tsangpo gorge'. Because the altitude difference between Tibet and India cannot be accounted for by the known flow of Tsangpo, the Brits hypothesized that this stretch of the river contains a large waterfall (or a series of them). This book describes several expeditions undertaken 1990-2000 by Baker and his colleague Hamid Sardar to solve this geogrpahical enigma.
   
   Both adventurers speak Tibetan and have a working knowledge of Tibetan tantra, both completed silent meditation retreats in isolated caves and both practiced with 'tantric consorts', Tibetan & Indian women placed on special diets (consisting of rose leaves and gold) trained to help men achieve a 'union of male and female principles in order to recognize the ultimate Emptiness of all phenomena." While Baker tittilates the reader here, he never delivers real information.
   
   Baler obtained a number of esoteric texts from lamas familiar with the Tsangpo territory - the texts detailed magical places throughout the gorge, incantation 'keys' necessary to 'open' those places, the nature of 'deities' residing in them and the value of their help to realization of the fact that 'nothing inherently exists on its own'. Heh. These texts, as well as subsequent Baker's narrative, reveal that the valley has ALWAYS been known to and lived in by Tibetans and local Monpa & Lopa tribes; it was never unknown, never had to be discovered and the rivalries driving American and Chinese expeditions to chart the river portrayed in the book seem pointless and even slightly comical. As well as poignant: expeditions (including Baker's own) were quite content leaving ailing and weak members behind to fend for themselves. Personally, I found the obsession with 'discovering' and 'exploring' a bit disconcerting. Why do we have to document, photograph, chart etc. every nook and cranny on this planet? Why can't we let it be? let local people be? What is the confusticated point?
   
   Baker insists on describing every single leech-infested forest and swamp on their way, every impassable boulder, pass, rivulet, stone or log which, with 500 pages, merge into a general picture of hardship, malaise, effort, hunger, leaking tents and, above all, sheer survival luck. There were so many cases where the 'pilgrims' appeared to wander aimlessly, in the dark or fog, having lost their native guides only to find them at the end of the day, against all odds huddling around a fire, that one is forced to contemplate the possibility of divine guidance.
   
   I would mention the fascinating account of 'poison cults' in local villages, and of small Tibetan monasteries and hermitages, scattered throughout the most inaccesible parts of the valley..., the gift of psychedelic mushrooms to a Tibetan hermit monk, and the touching relationship that developed between the Chinese liason officer, 'Mr. Gunn', and Occidental adventurers. Between the lines we can also read about havoc that local Monpas wreak upon local fauna (with mass-killing of rare animals such as the takin buffalo and tigers) and the much more serious Chinese depredation consisting of systematic mechanized exploitation of Tibetan natural resources and destruction of the environment (not to mention cutural genocide). Perhaps understandably, Baker wants to preserve his future access to Tibet.
   
   The greatest weakness of the book is that we learn little about Baker's own practices and realizations. We learn a lot about leeches and orchids, but what was going on with the lama's daughter mentioned early in the book? what about the tantric consorts? what (if any) spiritual realizations and benefits did Baker and Sardar derive from obsessive backpacking along the Tsangpo...? We also don't learn who financed these expensive yearly expeditions. Why are there no photo's of the supposedly discovered waterfall? Why can't the waterfall be seen from sallites or googleEarth? The apparent fear of personal disclosure detracts from the value of the book.
   
   Nevertheless, the book is well written and I enjoyed reading it. One cannot escape the notion that Baker and Sardar exemplify some of the best traits of 'man' - courage, resourcefulnes, commitment to spiritual growth and to having a good time.

5 comments about Columbus in the Americas (Turning Points in History).

1. This is a terrific history of Columbus' four trips to the Americas taken mostly from his journals and other contemporary accounts. It is better than good for several reasons.

   First, it is novel in that it describes the first voyage beyond the histroy we get in grade school. It describes Columbus' luck as well as his skill which when combined enabled him to make the journey and how he kept the crew thinking that land was always just over the horizon. He establishes every sailor of the time knew the world was round - the fear was the unknown size of the sphere and what lay beyond the horizon.

   Next, it describes Columbus' next three voyages. I had seen maps showing them, but never read any accounts.

   Perhaps the most interesting part of the book, though, was Mr. Least-Moon's accounts of how Columbus treated and perceived what he named Indians. The author puts these acts and attitudes into the context of the impending slaughter by the Spaniards of the Indians in the name of Christianity. The most remarkable aspect of the author's accounts and comments is that he makes the observations without a hint of political correctness or bias. His nearly emotionless rendition makes the reader's own conclusions more poignant.

   This book is a terrific historical account of events about which most of us only have a superficial knowledge. It is strongly recommended.




2. As an introduction to the voyages of Columbus, this book by William Least Heat-Moon serves the task well. In its brief 180 pages, an overview of where and when Columbus travelled is well chronicled.

   There are perhaps too many people who know of Columbus only that "in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue". Yet Columbus did more than just sail. Although he never discovered America and constantly thought he had arrived in Asia, he nonetheless served as the spark to the later journeys that would fully reveal the New World. Unfortunately, both his journeys and those of his followers would do much to injure the indigenous people with the introduction of disease and slavery.

   If you are searching for a primer on Columbus and the New World, Least Heat-Moon's book serves that purpose well. If, however, you are looking for something of greater substance, look to other sources.




3. I received this book "Columbus in the Americas" as a present and enjoyed it very much. I previously read Heat-Moon's Blue Highways as well as River-Horse and this is a quite a departure from those books. Frankly I enjoyed Blue Highways and River-Horse more because Heat-Moon has such a great way of telling stories of his experiences. With Columbus he had to rely upon historical fact and obviously could not put in the first-person details that makes the other books so wonderful.

   Considered on its own merits though, Columbus is an excellent interpretation of his voyages. The book has emphasis on the qualities Columbus had that make reading of his accomplishments worthwhile even 500 years after the fact. This book has stirred my interest in learning more about the life and times of Columbus.




4. Given the recent uproar over traditional accounts of Columbus' "discovery", it is particularly refreshing to read so balanced and unpoliticed a narrative as this, especialy from one who's ancestors were among the "discovered". This story comes as close as I could imagine to taking the reader aboard on all four voyages.



5. Least Heat-Moon has turned in a small book about several voyages of discovery that continue to the present. Like the author's own voyages, we are properly briefed in the historical context, brought into the narrative of a 15th Century ocean crossing, shown glimpses of what we as a species believe is real, then are left to discover how we feel about what we are shown and who we are. This timely account of the voyages illustrates the cupidity of the discoverer and includes the author's macabre wit and razor sharp sense of historical irony. Not to be missed, while we wait...

3 comments about By His Own Hand?: The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis.

1. By His Own Hand? is a valuable addition to the Lewis and Clark literature. The centerpieces of this slim volume are two extended essays, one by James Holmberg of the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, the other by John D.W. Guice, professor of history emeritus at the University of Southern Mississippi.
   
   In "The Case for Suicide," Jim Holmberg does an excellent job of setting out the evidence that Meriwether Lewis committed suicide in the early morning hours of October 11, 1809. The strength of Holmberg's essay is the overwhelming support of documentary evidence that the people closest to Lewis, including William Clark and Thomas Jefferson, believed he was in a suicidal frame of mind. Holmberg also points out that the supposed tradition of murder did not begin until the 1840s, many decades after Lewis died, when the residents of the area formed Lewis County and began to embrace the legacy of their most famous, if deceased, resident. William Clark's son, Meriwether Lewis Clark, may have also played a role in attempting to rescue his namesake from the stigma of suicide.
   
   By contrast, those who believe Lewis was murdered have never been able to muster much evidence against any of the many suspects and rely heavily on the dubious supposition that Lewis simply wasn't the type to commit suicide. There are big holes in all the murder theories. Fictional accounts such as Frances Hunter's "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark" can fill in such gaps, but no documentary evidence exists that can do so in real life.
   
   Yet Guice's essay, "Why Not Murder?" is more valuable than the confused tales of murder in the night might suggest. Guice points out that, starting with Thomas Jefferson, there has been a long history of retrofitting Lewis's life and actions to point to a suicidal nature. Scholars often point to Lewis's 31st birthday journal entry. Written literally as the Expedition was poised to become the first Americans to cross the Continental Divide, Lewis seems to lament the fact that he's never accomplished a doggone thing in his life. But is this really evidence that Lewis was self-destructive or a raging depressive? And how about the missing journals, or Lewis's failures in politics after the Expedition? Might there be explanations other than mental illness?
   
   Guice does a good job of showing that when interpreted through the assumption of suicide, Lewis's foibles seem much more ominous than they would otherwise. He also points out that the suicide tradition is based largely on hearsay, and calls for an exhumation of Lewis's body to search for forensic evidence that might settle the question once and for all. He notes that over 200 Lewis relatives signed a petition asking the National Park Service for permission to examine the remains, but the NPS denied the request.
   
   I also appreciated Guice's defense of Vardis Fisher, whose Suicide or Murder? (1962) doesn't always get the respect it deserves. Fisher did yeoman's work in compiling the stories about Lewis's death, and his work on the subject remains the most complete on the subject.
   
   There are some good primary source documents included in By His Own Hand?, and an excellent round-up of the arguments by Jay Buckley of Brigham Young University. This anthology is highly readable and well-edited and will be enjoyed with anyone with an interest in Lewis's sad fate.



2. You talk about true crime, this puts them all to shame. Or was it a crime? For almost two centuries scholars, criminologists, medical professionals and a host of other sleuths have tried to determine what caused the death of Meriwether Lewis of the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition. Was it a suicide, a homicide, or an accident? The shooting on October 11, 1809, in an Inn along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee has created much controversy, speculation, legends, and myths and yet the mystery has not been solved. Or has it? This book is the first to analyze the evidence and, within the full historical context, consider the murder-versus-suicide debate. Four historians outline the facts and present the evidentiary problems; make a case for suicide...and murder; assess the strengths and weaknesses of both arguments; and present a document section from which the reader can examine the available key evidence. What ultimately caused the death of Meriwether Lewis? YOU decide.



3. BY HIS OWN HAND? THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF MERIWETHER LEWIS surveys the evidence in the strange death of explorer Lewis, who was found dead from two gunshot wounds while staying at an inn in Tennessee. Who fired these shots may never be fully known, but BY HIS OWN HAND takes a healthy stab at a case with no eyewitnesses. Contributors here are all historians of the West and conduct investigations making the case for different results, with editor Guice dissecting the suicide argument and outlining inconsistencies in the theory.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

4 comments about Personal Narrative of a Journey to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent: Abridged Edition (Penguin Classics).

1. I bught the book, and was expecting it eagerly.
   Once it arrived I realized I had make a mistake by not realizing it was just an exceprto from the real deal.
   
   Only a small part of the trip is described and nothing in the parts I was interested is even mentioned.
   I hope the other parts will come at any time soon.



2. Much as I'm glad to have at least some of von Humboldt's very important travel writings availible, this edition is sadly emasculated.
   
   While it does include the initial Amazonian phase of Humboldt's South American expedition, the narrative is cut short at mid-point, von Humboldt's stay in Cuba. It's inconceivable to me that the editor would have omitted all of the author's writing on his exploration of the Andes, and in particular the volcanoes of South America.
   
   Those excluded descriptions are not only fascinating to read today, but were also what most inspired readers in von Humboldt's own day. As a matter of fact, von Humboldt's account of the Andes so inspired the 19th-century imagination, that the era's greatest landscape painters, such as Frederic Church, actually travelled to South American specifically to witness and depict the vistas which von Humboldt had recorded in print. The integral von Humboldt, in contrast with the one presented here, wanted not simply to view and record exotic cultures and climates, but far beyond this to attempt as much as possible to experience the totality of the Cosmos in microcosmic form. The closest von Humboldt came to this impossible experience was his rapid ascent of the large volcanoes of South America, insofar as in this manner he could pass, virtually, through all the Earth's various climates in a single day--an astounding and Romantic feat completely unavailable to anyone using this edition as an introduction to von Humboldt.
   
   But none of the above can be glimpsed even remotely by the reader equipt with only the Penguin edition. Because of the premature truncation of the text, one entirely loses sight of von Humboldt's overarching project, which was not merely a geographical descripton of the Earth's surface, but rather a geodetical construction of the World as an organic Unity. Thus abbreviated, von Humboldt appears scarcely different from his Enlightenment precursors; we lose all view of him as writer who has passed through defiles of Romanticism. Not the real von Humboldt at all.
   
   Rather than making one rash cut down the middle, the editor would have served the reader much better by extracting key episodes from von Humboldt's entire journey. As I said above, something is generally better than nothing at all. But in this particular case, not much better.



3. Alexander von Humboldt (of the Current fame) was a famous polymath during the age of enlightenment. Like many noblemen, he used his money and leisure time in esoteric pursuits, such as collecting flora & fauna and trying to find the deeper meaning of it all.

   This particular volume has been well-translated from the original - there is none of that stilted 'I haf von the Cherman translated been' style - it reads conversationally (assisted by the editing-out of long passages where Humboldt takes one of his many diversions) yet it also gives us an idea of what the man was really like. There is an extensive set of notes at the back, not just references, but elaboration of the point, which I found very illuminating.

   His travels to South America span 5 years, during which time he collects and measures EVERYTHING - for at this time in history, no-one knew what was going to be pertinent or useful to science or economy. There are some amazing descriptions where he was the first educated person to see places; the problems of travel in uncharted, trackless & mountainous country make terrific reading. We may scoff at the zeal of the man, but if Hiram Bingham hadn't done the same, we wouldn't have the fantastic ruins of Macchu Picchu to study.

   We also learn of the relatively tight circle of 'scientists' at that time - almost everyone knew everyone else, either via letters, Society writings or personal contact - and they knew it all; there was as yet no division between geology, biology, zoology etc - it was just 'Natural Philosophy' and one studied the lot (of course some dedicated themselves to a favourite pursuit). What is amazing to us now is the most simple things were unknown; for example, a sailor at death's door deep in the bowels of the ship, 'miraculously' recovers when taken on deck, out of the fetid miasma of the orlop - well, who wouldn't?... There are many similar incidents.

   Slightly heavy going at times, because of the writing style of the period, it is nevertheless chock full of interesting snippets and amazing discoveries, giving a great insight into the mind and motives of a typical adventurous philosopher of the time. *****




4. I have to admit that just as I was starting to savour this thin slip of a book I found that it was, indeed, mere selections. The whole narrative is actually three volumes, over four hundred pages a volume. I was left with a craven empty feeling like a fiend for his needle. Humboldt's writing presages Thoreau and through him ponders the transcendent raptures of the natural world. Reading through the visit to the Caribs reminded me of my visits to the Grenadines where their presence is still redolent in the shadows under the almond trees. I felt that I had imbibed the same air as Humboldt.

No comments about The Heroic Present: LIFE AMONG THE GYPSIES.

5 comments about The Discovery of Slowness.

1. My encounter with this book was a bit magical. I arrived at a B&B in Vail and one of Mr. Nadolny's other books was on a table in the common area. I asked about it, and the proprietress said Mr. Nadolny had left that morning and had given her the book. I read it, loved it, and sought out his other works.
   
   My favorite review of this book describes it as "a utopia of character." Truly it is. Yes, it's a nice little biography of an interesting life, but it is so much more. Sir John Franklin realized that each individual has his or her own "speed" in perception and action. Throughout his life, he observed himself and others objectively and developed his own "systems" for the most beneficial application of his own uniquely slow processing of impression and responses. He compensated with rigorous planning, precision, and observation - and by appreciating and effectively leading those who were faster.
   
   Why is this interesting? I believe it is so because in our own times, everything moves way too fast for most of us...and those of us who might be naturally slow in the manner of Franklin suffer most from it. If Franklin were a boy today, he would likely be put on Ritalin, or diagnosed with "Sensory Integration Disorder" or some such thing, possibly placed in a "special" class at school...and his uniqueness would be deemed pathological and buried.
   
   Franklin's qualities, and his persistent but self-accepting stuggle with them, made him the best of leaders and a deeply moral man. Rereading this book, I am led to realize that my own "true inner speed" is perhaps as slow as Franklin's, and that much unhappiness comes from not operating at that speed. This is painful - we can complain about our over-stimulated, over-informed, over-hurried times, but that is futile unless one decides to retreat completely to our own Walden.
   
   Franklin found two things paralyzing: self-pity, and what he called "disapproval," meaning disgust with circumstances he could not change. So he resolved to avoid these and concentrated on his "systems." It worked...perhaps some of us can do the same. And if we are parents, we must make sure we understand and respect our children's "inner speed."
   
   In sum, read this book - and do so more than once to absorb the nuances.



2. I read "Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit" when it came out in German in 1983, and loved it. Unfortuntately, it was a borrowed copy, and I kept looking for it among my collection of German books when I often referred it to others.
   
   Now I again had an opportunity to refer to it while reading Patricia Wood's new (and first) novel Lottery, which is also about a very slow person, Perry, who gains respect and friendship after what could have been the devastation of winning the Washington State Lottery. Perry is also a sailor, and Perry, like Franklin, has learned to be an "auditor" and a listmaker, to turn slowness into his strength.



3. In recent years, polar exploration has regained much attention; particularly so the voyages of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Relatively little, in comparison, is known about Sir John Franklin, who after several expeditions to the Polar Sea lost his life shortly after having discovered the North West Passage in 1847.

   Working from Franklin's own accounts, other historic sources and several scholarly treatises, German author Sten Nadolny in 1983 published an award-winning and (at least in Germany) highly successful novelized biography of Franklin. But "The Discovery of Slowness" (German title: "Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit") is no mere rendition of the facts of Franklin's life, fascinating though they may be. Nadolny sees Franklin as a proponent of the idea of giving to all persons and things their own time; of not being unduly rushed, nor influenced by outside factors over which one has little (if any) control: then and now, an unusual concept in a world growing faster by the day.

   Growing up in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, Nadolny's Franklin is a perpetual outsider, seemingly handicapped by his slowness, which renders him defenseless against spiteful attacks and unable to follow anything occurring at an even moderately fast pace, including speech. Early on, John thus turns his desires to the sea, which he perceives as a dark and boundless ally. He tries to run away to a nearby port, but is recaptured and sent to boarding school. There, an enlightened teacher eventually shows interest in him after having discovered that "the student F." (as he entitles a treatise based on his observations) is not simply slow but rather, takes particular care in observing things, and anything once lodged in his brain will be lodged there forever.

   To deal with the difference between his own pace and that of the world around him, Franklin adopts a number of varying techniques: A stare enabling him to bypass quick action, memorized phrases to cover the breaks he needs in longer sentences, and a mental sorting system to distinguish issues in need of immediate address from those requiring long-term care. And as he grows older, his behavioral patterns progressively shape his outlook on the world and personal philosophy.

   On his teacher's recommendation, Franklin is allowed to board his first ship at age fourteen. A few years later, he joins the Royal Navy and, rising through the ranks, witnesses the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen, the Battle of Trafalgar, and a campaign against American forces before New Orleans, during which he is wounded. Having already participated in the 1801-03 expedition to Australia led by his uncle, renowned navigator Matthew Flinders, Franklin receives his first commission for a voyage to the North as the commander of one of two ships sent to explore the Polar Sea north of Spitzbergen in 1818. However, both ships are damaged by the drifting floes of a large ice field and forced to return home.

   Unsatisfied, Franklin requests - and eventually receives - a commission for a second voyage, this time a land expedition; his first attempt to discover the North West Passage. For its sheer gripping storytelling, this 1819-22 trip is one of the highlights of Nadolny's book; particularly the return journey, which confronts Franklin's crew with sorrow, hunger and death, from both starvation and murder. (No recommended bed-time reading if you value a good night's rest.) Yet, having first suffered humiliation due to what the Admiralty considers a "failed" trip, Franklin's no-frills account of the expedition garners him unexpected fame and fortune; and eventually a commission for a further journey to the North, which due to its thoughtful preparation and the extensive cartographic material and observations it yields is considered a success, although it, again, does not result in the discovery of the North West Passage. Franklin is knighted, his fame and fortune grows - but for the moment, no further voyage to the Polar Sea is in sight.

   Somewhat reluctantly, he thus accepts the appointment as governor of Van Diemen's Land (which he will rename Tasmania, for its discoverer Abel Tasman); telling himself that a governorship - even of a penal colony - is not substantially different from commanding a ship. Like at sea, Franklin attempts to divide responsibility between himself and his "second(s) in command," taking personal charge of all matters requiring long-term care and leaving the issues requiring fast, immediate attention to his chief subordinates. Here, however, he is not dealing with loyal men who understand his philosophy: His personal secretary Maconochie is a pseudo-reformist radical; colonial secretary Montagu a crony of the local elite without any sympathy for Franklin's reformatory measures, whereas Franklin's efforts to better the fate of the convicts and aborigines reflect the humanistic qualities of a man whose empathy for all human beings and keen interest in science has developed over a lifetime spent in the company of sailors, explorers, American Indians and Inuit, through war and peace, hunger and satisfaction.

   Facing opposition from the local ruling class and the politics of royal secretary Lord Stanley, Franklin is finally recalled in 1843. Upon his friends' intervention, he is granted an audience with prime minister Sir Robert Peel, who offers him the newly-created position as royal supervisor of educational affairs; but realizing that Peel merely wants to capitalize on his apparent reluctance to take action, not implement any true reforms, Franklin declines. At last, he is granted another commission for a voyage to discover the North West Passage: his last journey, during which he (and his crew) have to realize that there is one who is more patient than even the most patient of humans - death.

   "Thou ... art passing on thine happier voyage now towards no earthly pole," reads part of a poem by Franklin's cousin Tennyson, printed on his Westminster Abbey memorial. Franklin was certainly not the only polar explorer to whom these words could be applied. As Sten Nadolny's book shows, he is as deserving of renewed attention as are his brethren in spirit; and not only because much yet remains unclear about the exact fate of his last expedition.




4. I like taking this book out for a long night stroll. Maybe it's lightly raining, of course it's dark with only street lights to light up the words on the page. It moves me through and through Lord! Child! it shorely am good it good it good! it so damn good!



5. this book is unusually thruthful and gripped me from the beginning to the very end - maybe because of the fact that I have something in common with Franklin. So convincinglty written , I'd like to have met the protagonist !

5 comments about Sea Salt: Memories & Essays.

1. Sea Salt is a different diving book. It's a collection of memories and essays by a man who has been diving for over 70 years. Seventy years! He's seen it all. Born in 1922, Stan Waterman grew up the son of a wealthy cigar manufacturer and is one of those rare individuals who, throughout his life, did as his dreams and love of the sea commanded him to do. Including such things as leaving his fiancee and her mother behind on a vacation trip when the lure of crewing on a fishing boat for several weeks became too strong. Or, on his honeymoon in the Mediterranean, going his own way exploring islands when he was "ready for a little of my own space and the adventure of lone travel." But Waterman is so disarmingly honest, so intent on telling his story, no holds barred, that we cannot help but root for him and his way of life. And that life, after a start in blueberry farming and a brief foray into running his own dive boat in the Bahamas, was spent on, around and under the sea, doing underwater filming all over the world whenever possible, and touring the country speaking and showing excerpts from his films during the winter. He still does that. And he still sponsors live-aboard tours.
   
   Stan Waterman is one of the pioneering underwater videographers and photographers, and he was among the first to swim with sharks without the safety of a cage. He made groundbreaking films, such as the classic 1971 documentary Blue Water, White Death. He directed the diving photography of the movie The Deep. He won five Emmys for production work for the ABC show American Sportsman. But either he is so self-deprecating in his accounts, or so unaware of his own accomplishments, that he never exudes the scientific self-importance of a Jacques Cousteau or even much lesser diving luminaries. Instead, Waterman portrays himself as a free and often bumbling spirit who is frequently in over his head. One who is flawed, always open to indulgence and adventure, and always full of good humor. There are no dry lectures on diving history and theory. Careful yet passionate in his pursuits, Waterman still gets seriously bent when he and his family lived in French Polynesia for a year in 1965, but escapes without permanent harm. He goes with the flow, even takes on mercenary assignments such as promo films for oil company rigs. He is unprejudiced, guided by his enthusiasm, and thus able to relate a great variety of different experiences.
   
   As a result, Waterman comes across as a lovable, unique, worldly gentleman full of stories of the sea and its creatures large and small. One who pursued his own interests with abandon, spent half his life away from home and his wife (who was not a diver and didn't join him on any of his dive trips until his 80th birthday) and his children. Yet, he also never seems without deep love for his family, never abandons them to find his inner self, and is always the good guy, though at times taking liberties and a good dose of freedom.
   
   Sea Salt is a compilation of loosely knit thoughts and recollections, some relating to diving, some about the origins of particularly interesting mementos, a number of vignettes of times gone by and colorful people met and known, and even such snapshots as a brief chapter on a girl that once caught his fancy. It's an old gentleman sitting down, over a tumbler of Vodka or two, and reminiscing, wondering how it all happened, and not believing his own good luck (and bad -- Waterman's mansion filled with history and memories burned to the ground in 1994). It's being proud of his children, of both spending much time away from his family yet also having amazing adventures together. How does a man do all that? How can he hold a family together? How can a man be both as self-aware, strong-willed, independent and proud, and as self-deprecatingly gracious and kind? Sea Salt provides the answer.
   
   This rather remarkable book is organized into three parts.
   
   The first is a collection of 20 memories from Waterman's life, ranging from his youth as the pampered son of that wealthy older father in a grand mansion on the coast of Maine, to adventures throughout the world and the seven seas. Waterman never beats around the bush in his descriptions that are often, well, "salty." He doesn't pull any punches -- perhaps the privilege of a man who has seen and done it all. And is sort of surprised to still be there to tell it all.
   
   The second is 33 essays and articles most of which were published in Ocean Realm magazine between 1986 and 2001. They represent more or less self-contained essays, positions, memories, adventures, and thoughts in general. Here you read much about sharks, the central theme of his professional life. Waterman is fond of saying that sharks put his children through college. He also has strong feelings about how they should be treated (with respect as creatures that are neither friend nor foe), and about the folly of ever more absurd "shark feedings" to provide photo ops for dive tours. He is not afraid to admit mistakes. He does not rewrite history. He never makes himself look the hero. He never lectures. He's just himself.
   
   The third and final part is entitled "Letters Home." It is a brief collection of letters Waterman wrote to his wife Suzy. This section deals a lot with getting older, and what diving means to a man who's done it all his life. The big stuff no longer holds fascination as Waterman turns to the small things out there, the endless world of macro shoots, where tiny creatures fill the lens of his camera.
   
   There are also 32 pages of photos, most in vivid color and showing Waterman and his exploits. This old gentleman may be affable and self-deprecating, but he does like the limelight. And if he truly dislikes the cocktail parties and book signings after his presentations, as he alludes to early in the book, it certainly doesn't show in real life.
   [...]



2. A great book for those of us who have dreamed of leading a more adventurous life and leaving the mundane behind. Here is someone who actually had the courage to do it.
   
   The book is well written. The srories are great. There is a little bit too much reptition.



3. Stan Waterman's book, like the man himself, is a unique treasure. A raconteur of the highest order, Mr. Waterman is a tough-as-nails adventurer tempered by gentility and grace, and his prose drips with an eloquence that steps lightly across the line between hard-core adventure writing and fine literature. There are fine stories; there are stories finely told. Rarely are the two combined as Mr. Waterman has done.
   Clay Coleman
   Author: The Certified Diver's Handbook



4. Stan Waterman is a legend in the scuba diving and underwater filmmaking communities. This book is a collection of his articles and essays. His articles range from humorous to cautionary, but all are compelling. Waterman's writing is enthusiastic and full of excitement. Scuba divers must read this book. But, I think those with an interest in adventure travel will also enjoy it.



5. A diver of legendary skill, a filmmaker, an explorer, a poet, and an observer of the world in which he has had both adventure and challenge, Sea Salt: Memories And Essays is a compendium of Stan Waterman's personal stories and experiences ranging from the destruction of his home on the coast of Maine by fire in 1994, through his discoveries of treasures and artifacts from beneath the sea and travels around the world, to his encounters on the Aegean Sea, the Amazon, Polynesia, the Solomon Islands, Aldabra, Cocos Keeling and the Turks. That's just the first half of his memoirs. The second half is a collection of his writings primarily drawn from his contribution to "Ocean Realm" magazine in the 1990s where he encountered whale sharks in Australia, sea creatures in the Caribbean, and stories from his various expeditions around the globe. Part travelogue, part autobiography, Sea Salt: memories And Essays is especially welcome reading for the armchair traveler during those long cold winter nights at home.

5 comments about Finding Amelia: The True Story of the Earhart Disappearance.

1. Ric Gillespie has clearly presented the never-before accumulation and coordination of the many aspects of AE's last flight. The radio messages especially, received after her disappearance, when compiled as Gillespie has done, point to a quite different conclusion than the US Navy/Coast Guard one of 1937. Any student of AE's disappearance needs to study this book.



2. This book covers Amelia Earhart's final flight in far greater detail than any other book. The author has obviously done his research. I would recommend also buying Amelia Earhart's shoes to read after you are done with this one. It starts where this book leaves off, detailing research as to where exactly she landed. The authors of that book and the author of this one belong to the same organization (TIGHAR) which has research the Amelia Earhart disappearance for years.



3. I first became interested in the Earhart mystery after seeing a National Geographic special on the subject. Wanting to learn more I decided to purchase this book.
   
   The main premise of the book is that Earhart crash landed her plane on Gardner Island (south of Howland Island) and for a time survived. This book is fascinating reading because the author spends the majority of the book taking the reader through the exhaustive search conducted after Earhart failed to arrive at Howland Island and presents evidence that radio siganls likely from Earhart, converged on a spot near Gardner Island. A CD with supportive evidence is included with the book
   
   I find the theory presented by Mr. Gillespie as a very plausible explanation of Earhart's disappearance. The only other alternative being that Earhart ran out of fuel and ditched at sea.
   
   As one reads this book, the depth of the tragedy becomes apparent because if the radio transmissions were from Earhart, then there existed a window of opportunity to rescue her.
   
   Overall, Fascinating reading and well presented.



4. The subject of Amelia's last flight is smothered in rumor and theory. The great thing about this book is that the author presents the facts in detail. Lots of footnotes and a comprehensive collection of all the known tidbits. You can draw your own conclusions on the basis of those facts you happen to believe. An honest presentation of facts about the missing pilot and navigator, what an idea!



5. By limiting himself to what is truly known, the author builds an excellent case for how he thinks Amelia died. The book is thoroughly researched and written like a detective story. Several involved parties come off poorly, most of all Amelia, whom the author reveals as a poor pilot and a publicity seeker. Also coming off poorly is the United States Navy, though not for want of trying. Radio communications in those days was simply awful, and the use of Morse code necessitated brevity. However, as Einstein said, things should be as simple as possible but not simpler, and the Navy made its communications simpler than they should've been. As a result, not everyone was singing from the same hymnal and confusion reigned. I won't go so far as to say this is the "definitive" work on the subject, but it comes mighty close.

5 comments about Adventures in the Ditch: A Memoir of Family, Navigation, and Discovery on the Intracoastal Waterway.

1. I thoroughly enjoyed Adventures in the Ditch. Crisp writing and well-drawn characters make Jon Coile's memoir a must-read for anyone with even a hint of familial dysfunction. I bought this as a gift and kept it for myself. Bravo!



2. Adventures in the Ditch is a compelling story of family relationships tested to the limit on a journey on the Intracoastal Waterway. Written in an engaging, self-deprecating style by an experienced naval officer, the book chronicles a trip, alternately nail-biting and hilarious, on the "Ditch," and introduces a roster of fascinating characters, from the author's aging father, to a brash co-worker with dreams of adventure, to an old salt whose expert advice saves the day at a critical moment. Along with the fun and family insights, the author provides technical asides, so well constructed and beautifully explained that he thrilled this non-technical, non-boating reviewer. This book launches readers on a terrific journey with a skilled captain; step aboard!



3. In today's hectic world most of us will not take the time to chart an adventure, plan extended time with our closest relatives let alone write about it to memorialize the event. So for the rest of us we can sit back and enjoy the keen writing and touching discovery of this extremely moving book!It makes you want to re-live parts of your life, ask questions and push boundaries. The author finds out about who he can trust, where he came from and to expect the un-expected. Challenges against Mother Nature and human nature make this book wonderful!



4. I really enjoyed Adventures in the Ditch and heartily recommend it to all mariners, lovers of sea stories, and anyone who appreciates tales of fathers and sons coming together while facing adversity.
   
   Coming from a long line of watermen myself, and growing up on the water, I've always loved a good sea story, and this book really delivers in spades. As a short-range sailor, the detailed, firsthand accounting of the trip really helped me experience the amazing Intracoastal Waterway vicariously, and has inspired me to follow in Coile's wake.
   
   Jon Coile also does a wonderful job of conveying all of the excitement, frustrations, fears, joys, and humor everyone encountered on board Griffin, and tells a great story for those not experienced on the water as well. Some of the colorful people they encounter along the way reminded me that there is a whole other America out there, just begging to be explored by anyone willing to take on the challenge.
   
   Adventures in the Ditch is a fun and easy read, and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did.



5. I don't always have the resources nor the gumption to do the things I dream about. Consequently, I live vicariously. Jon Coile allowed me to go on a motorboat voyage down a stretch of waterway I'd heard about and seen only in bits and pieces. The Intracoastal Waterway looks straightforward on the maps, but Jon's yarn spinning reveals that adventures are never as simple as they look. It's only 1250 miles along the Chesapeake bay to Miami, but it's not the mileage, but the quality of the mileage that keeps you engrossed. I rode the Griffin, a seven ton, 31 foot motorboat on a six month journey. Each leg took less than two weeks, but it seemed many times that she would not make it at all. The Griffin had to winter in Florida before Jon could make the return trip.
   Adventures in the Ditch is not just a story about boating, but more about human interactions. The southward trip was a family adventure. Jon's octogenarian father, Russell, was the center of attention until his brother, Andrew, slipped and required so many stitches on his head, they resembled the lacings on a football. Wendy, Jon's wife came to the recue and provided the "crew power" required to take the boat the rest of the way to Florida.
   The return trip was a two-man adventure. Jon's buddy, Tom, an ex-special forces "nothing is going to stop me" type of guy, joined him to bring the Griffin back, despite a broken propeller.
   The author is a compelling story teller and keeps you engrossed. You wonder what unexpected disaster occurs next and how you're going to surmount the challenge. Vicarious living or not, boating is not an armchair experience.
   The book is for the boater and the boater-wanna-be, like me. Adventures in the Ditch is a book you can't put down until you complete the journey.