5 comments about Brazilian Adventure (Marlboro Travel).

1. This is certainly not an adventure book in the classical sense. The style of writing does not allow for it. Buy it for its British humor and charm, not for adventures which don't take place.



2. I bought this book because I am fascinated by South America, the Amazon River, etc..and also because this looked like a real life adventure book searching for clues into the dissappearance of Major Fawcett.
   
   This book starts out slow because of the british style of writing in the early 20th century. For me it was too "flowery" and maybe that is not the right word. I nearly stopped reading the book because of it, but I didn't. Thankfully, the last half of the book, describing the race back to civilization, was much better.
   
   This book is okay, but nowhere near great



3. I brought this book for my Brazilian trip this past Dec. I found this book slow and boring in the beginning. This may be due to the fact that the author used lot of what I assume to be late 19th and early 20th century references which I have no idea about and the British writing. But after half way through, I learned to read past the subtle British writing and concentrate on the story and this make the book more enjoyable.



4. Every so often I have to buy a new copy of Brazillian Adventure because I lend my copy to someone and they flatly refuse to return it again. This is one of the most engaging and good-humoured travel books ever. It was Fleming's first adventure and his first book - yet it became a classic work going into several editions early on and being used in schools as a study piece. It is seriously well written, and seriously engaging.

   It starts with his blandly describing how he got involved in the expedition in the first place- answering an advertisement in the paper to go on a 'Fawcett hunt" (as he later called it). He thought he would go on a grand expedition to find the missing explorer Colonel Fawcett and get a little hunting done at the same time. There have been numerous books and studies done on the disappearnce of Fawcett in Brazil in the 1920's - to this day no one quite knows what happened to him, and as it turns out the expedition that Fleming was joining was not going to throw new light on matters either.

   In fact the trip deteriorated badly the moment they hit Brazil, and Fleming's dry wit turns it all into a hilarious read - although it must have been desparately uncomfortable for them all. The expedition Leader was incompetent, the expedition split into two warring factions and they all ended up in a race back down the Amazon to try to get the banks in time.

   Peter Fleming, in case you didn't know, is the brother of the 'James Bond' author Ian Fleming - a talent for writing seemed to run in the family. Peter continued his travels and writing career but I think this first book is the best of them all. There is also a wonderful biography on his life available but I think that is now out of print.




5. This is contemporary American adventure: buy an SUV, watch game shows based on Lord of the Flies, try the risotto recipe Martha Stewart used on her ascent in the Himilayas. Please! Brazilian Adventure is the real thing for those who don't own their own snowshoes. Sure, the author and his companions set off with pith helmets worthy of Ralph Lauren and more elaborate gear than they'll ever use; true, Fleming is something of a good old boy circa 1932 Oxford style. Skin to be shed. When reality hits, which it does early in the adventure and continues to the bedraggled end, he rises to the occasion. The narrative is suffused with clear-eyed wit, honesty and optimism. I hope there are other Peter Fleming books out there.

No comments about People: Amazing Stories of Survival.

1 comments about Soul Snatchers: A Quest for True Human Beings.

1. I finished this book in four days, and what a terrific journey the author takes us on. From the deserts of New Mexico, where he gets guidance from a 102-year-old Native American named Nino Cochise, to the Swamps of Florida, where he meets a most unusual evangelist and has encounters with things he cannot explain, to the wilds of Washington State, where he and his team experiment with a method known as "dowsing" to attempt to track the Forest Giants, Robert W. Morgan has had a life's journey most would be rather envious of. He has met with Native American elders, elderly cowboys who were around in the time of the Wild West, disbelieving skeptics, scientists and other luminaries, and over his life's journey, he has experienced unusual phenomenon, which may or may NOT be connected to the Forest Giant People (Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Omah-ah, Dsonoqua and many other variations of names for these unique beings). Morgan writes in a style of absolute comfort and a sense as if he is sharing private secrets around a campfire. The only rating I can give on this book is an 11 out of 10!!!!!! GET THIS BOOK!!!!!! It is available at Product Listing - and is terrific for Summer reading, or for curling up beside a roaring fire in colder weather.

5 comments about The Birthday Boys (Bainbridge, Beryl).

1. Bainbridge's hair-raising fictionalized account of Captain Robert Scott's doomed1912 venture to the South Pole begins with the glory and giddiness of their send off and ends with disappointment and slow death. Five men reached the pole and Bainbridge chooses these five to narrate, in turn, a section of their journey - during which each has a birthday, his last.
   
   Taff Evans, the only non-officer, opens the book with his account of drunken parties and celebrity treatment. His hero-worship of Scott and glory tales of previous adventures contrasts with the bitter fears of a wife chary of being left destitute with children in a grimy slum. Taff is gritty and honest, roaring with life and humor.
   
   Too bad Bainbridge's officers didn't have a little more of that rough and ready ebullience. Subsequent narratives - of the ocean crossing, setting up advance camps, scientific side trips, the numerous setbacks, disasters, equipment failures and human endurance - are all told by men with stiff upper lips.
   
   Their idea of rousing good fun is a drunken scrimmage which ends with them all half naked. They avoid coming to terms with poor preparation and the disastrous equipment choices by blaming bad luck and admiring each other's bravery and fortitude in the face of each new disaster.
   
   Bainbridge is a marvelous writer who brings the horrifics of cold and inadequate preparation vividly to life. Her point is to show the human waste engendered by the British code of honor and this she does. Yet, because of Capt. Scott's voluminous notes, recovered after his death, this is a story that's been often told. Nothing beats the nonfiction version for sheer excitement and heart break.



2. I would give this book infinite stars when it comes to storytelling, but only one or two when it comes to facts. That aside, this is a great book, humourous, witty, and insightful. This book gives one itimate knowlage of the characters, which is rarely accomplished by other books of this genre. I very much enjoyed the first chapter, narrated by Taff Evans, finding it very well writen and in character. What I liked most about this story was its sense of voice. As the author swiched between characters, the reader recieved an excellent retelling of the facts from one of five very different points of view. Ultimately a very fulfilling read.



3. Bainbridge does a fine job dramatizing the deaths of the five doomed members of Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic Polar Expedition, in five separate chapters, each written in the voice of a different one of the five men. Bainbridge is obviously well-versed in the details of the true story, and the book hews closely to the facts of the case.

   She's at her best in articulating the sort of self-absorbed England-forever attitude of the officers, but her depiction of ordinary seaman Edgar "Taff" Evans falls short; he speaks with almost the same Oxbridge vocabulary as his captain.

   Despite this weaker one-fifth of the book, the book overall is quite appealing in the way it conveys a strong sense of the physical place, Antarctica. You can just imagine the sharp intake of frozen air into your lungs as you fall down a crevasse to the end of your harness, waiting for your companions to pull you back to safety.




4. Her prose is economical and expressive to the point that other talented writers now strike me as using too many words. What's more, Bainbridge's imagination is stunning. Although I understood that I was reading a 'fictional' account of the failed Scott expedition, I kept finding myself thinking that I was there, witnessing what happened, peering over a shoulder as someone wrote in his journal...(!) She's that good. I'm a historian, and I find B's imagined re-creation of what happened on the Scott expedition (which is based on her expert command of the historical sources) completely convincing, and powerfully moving. What a genius!
   Bravo, Bainbridge.



5. This woman is one of my favorite writers. I have just finished her "Watson's Apology" and found it wonderful as well. But I always use a caveat with Ms. Bainbridge, as I do with Ian McEwan: she is an acquired taste. "The Birthday Boys" is no exception to the rule.
   
   To begin with, as with many of Ms. Bainbridge's novels, this is based on true events. In this case the ill-fated Robert Falcon Scott expedition to the South Pole in 1912. Scott and four of his crew died on their way back from the Pole itself which had already been reached by the intrepid Roald Amundsen two weeks prior. What Bainbriddge does is invite herself and us into the minds of the five men who died, and each of the interior glimpses and monologues takes place on the event of each one's own birthday, and reviews various aspects of his life including how he is feeling that day. Scott, who died last we must suppose, is saved for last.
   
   It is a bold and marvelous literary concoction of fact, fantasy, and intellectual probing coupled with an almost uncanny peek into the hearts and minds of the men who cannot, of course, be interviewed and what they truly thought can never be truly known. Yet I have accepted these portraits as actual "interviews." Each of the men is given a full literary treatment, a complete characterization. It takes a lot of courage to do what Bainbridge does (she does it in "Watson's Apology" as well): she tells us things she cannot possibly know for sure and leaves it at that. Many people try to do that today, they pretend they are writing history when in fact, they are writing fantasy. Bainbridge doesn't pretend to be doing anything but writing about people and what she thinks or imagines they might have been thinking at any one time. She is the best at this conceit that I have ever read.
   
   I had the advantage of already having read Cherry-Garrard's rather lengthy tomb: The Worst Journey In The World, so I was aware of the characters, of who they really were and what their various jobs were. That may or may not be essential. I will have to let the reader figure that out. They may stand on their own as literary concoctions, fanciful imaginaries floating at the margins of consciousness, or, as in my own case, rock-solid portrayals of real people I had already read about extensively.
   
   She's a bold writer, and, I think, it might require a bold reader to take this on. But it's wonderful if you just go with it and accept what's there.
   
   Four Stars from me is the same as Five Stars. I always save that fifth star for something I have yet to see. So consider this a Big Pick from yours truly.

No comments about Joseph Conrad: Master Mariner: The Novelist's Life At Sea, Based on a Previously Unpublished Study by Alan Villiers.

3 comments about Captain John Smith: Jamestown and the Birth of the American Dream.

1. I read "Captain John Smith" after reading Price's "Love & Hate in Jamestown". Both books I enjoyed tremendously. What I liked about Captain John Smith, and one could have presumed this by the difference in titles, is that it educates the reader about Smith's life before Jamestown. I was amazed by his encounters with the Turks and shortly thereafter his escape from slavery. We also learn about the relationships Smith built and skills he acquired before boarding the Susan Constant. Smith's adventures before Jamestown give him much more credibility as a leader once he arrives in the New World.
   
   As a side note do NOT watch the movie The New World. It will cloud your mind with inaccuracies. I thought the movie was poor enough to turn off part way through.



2. I had not given Pocahontas much thought, till I had heard that the great Terrance Malick was going to make a movie based on her life. I eventually watched "The New World" and was just knocked out. What a hauntingly beautiful film. I just had to know if this was historically accurate? In the DVD of the film there is a great special section where you see to what lengths Malick went to recreate "Jamestown". The feel and look of authenticity is complete on all levels, so it would seem, except....the actual story. I read through a few web sites that comment on the film; the views of some native American's (quite understandably upset....) put me in touch with the Hoobler book. Took it out from the library and read it. I was knocked out for the second time. What a triumph of hard investigative work. They uncovered material that has not seen the light of day since written, some of which dates to Smith's own hand. The upshot of this is that while "The New World" is a fantastic film, it is alas not historically accurate as far as the relationship between Smith and Pocahontas. This does not detract from the film as such; it is entertainment and not someone's scholarly PhD disseration. Yes, Malick strangely opted to craft the script along the lines of American folklore, which insists that there was some sort of love affair between the two. No, there is not a shred of reliable historical evidence that this ever came about.
   
   The best thing to do is to watch the film and then read the Hoobler book. If you accept the reality that the film does a superb job of recreating the look and feel of Jamestown but does not tell the exact story, then the discord between what is entertainment and what is history can be properly framed. An excellent book well recommended to those who are interested in the founding of America.



3. This is a concise collection of Smith's adventures that is interspersed with Smith's own words. The piece is well organized and written, and most importantly provides insight into the mindset, motive, and philosophy of Smith and the early American settlers. It certainly provides the reader with a greater understanding of how America has become what it has. And how it will continue be the land where individual spirit is rewarded.

5 comments about Amerigo: The Man Who Gave His Name to America.

1. It has been proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that Christopher Columbus (aka, Cristobal Colom) was indeed a venetian... of converso-jewish-catalan extraction. Neither he nor his heirs seemed to mind Vespucci's "usurpation" which, by the way, has also been proved to be a fabrication. See excerpt below.
   
   AMERIGO VESPUCCI BY FREDERICK A. OBER
   The name America thus got placed upon several maps as an equivalent for what we call Brazil, and sometimes came to stand alone for what we call South America, but still signified only a part of the dry land beyond the Atlantic to which Columbus had led the way."
   That there was no evil intention on Vespucci's part is amply proved by the fact that, while he himself lived four years after the Introductio was published, a certain contemporary of his, one Ferdinand Columbus, who was most acutely interested in seeing justice done the name and deeds of his father, survived Vespucci twenty-seven years. He not only saw this book, but owned a copy, which, according to an autograph note on the flyleaf, he had bought in Venice in July, 1521, "for five sueldos." This book is still contained in the library he founded at Seville, and as it was copiously annotated by him, it must have been carefully read; yet,
   [Pg 249]
   though he has the credit of having written a life of his father, Christopher Columbus, he makes no mention whatever of the "usurpation" by Vespucci.
   Ferdinand Columbus knew the Florentine, and was an intimate friend of his nephew, Juan Vespucci; yet the question seems never to have arisen between them as to the great discoverers' respective shares of glory. The explanation lies in this fact: that Vespucci's name had been bestowed upon a region far remote from that explored by his father, who had never sailed south of the equator. Notwithstanding the good feeling that prevailed between them, however, long after Ferdinand's death, when the name America had become of almost universal application, the veteran Las Casas, in writing his great history, marvels that the son of the old Admiral could overlook the "theft and usurpation" of Vespucci. The old man's indignation was great, for he was a stanch friend of Columbus, and revered his memory. He made out a very strong case against Vespucci--being in ignorance of the manner in which his name came to be given to the lands discovered by Columbus--and when, in 1601, the historian
   [Pg 250]
   Herrera, who made use of the Las Casas manuscripts, repeated his statements as those of a contemporary, all the world gave him credence.
   Vespucci's name rested under suspicion during more than three centuries, and was not even partially cleared until 1837, when Alexander von Humboldt undertook the gigantic task of vindication. It was not so much to vindicate Vespucci, however, as to ascertain the truth, that Humboldt made the critical and exhaustive examination which appeared in his Examen Critique de l'Histoire de la Géographie de Nouveau Continent.
   Even Humboldt, however, did not secure all the evidence available, but by the discovery of valuable documents the missing links in the chain were supplied: by Varnhagen, Vespucci's ardent eulogist, by Harrisse, and finally by Fiske. The last-named truthfully says: "No competent scholar anywhere will now be found to dissent from the emphatic statement of M. Harrisse--'After a diligent study of all the original documents, we feel constrained to say that there is not a particle of evidence, direct or indirect, implicating Amerigo Vespucci
   [Pg 251]
   in an attempt to foist his name on this continent.'" And moreover, "no shade of doubt is left upon the integrity of Vespucci. So truth is strong, and prevails at last."
   This is the conclusion arrived at by the impartial historian, who, without disparaging the deeds of Columbus, without detracting in any manner from his great discoveries, has restored Amerigo Vespucci to the niche in which he was placed by the German geographers four hundred years ago, and from which he was torn by injudicious iconoclasts, fearful for the fame of Spain's great Admiral.
   It is enough for Columbus to have discovered America; it was far more than Amerigo Vespucci deserved to have this discovery given his name, by which it will be known forever; but this honor, though unmerited, was at the same time unsought.



2. Vespucci will never be as well-known as Columbus, but Fernandez-Arnesto's portrait gives a face to the man who gave his name to America.
   
   This slim biography of Amerigo Vespucci makes the most of a maddeningly slim body of primary materials. The author relies on contextual criticism and cultural and family resources to flesh out the story of a minor merchant of Florence who ends up in Seville in the service of the Spanish throne, much like his countryman Columbus.
   
   But unlike Columbus, Vespucci wasn't a navigator. He was basically a supplier of navigators, until he found himself on two (or three, or four; the sources conflict here) cross-Atlantic trips to the Novus Mundi which he reported to his adopted country in a slim volume of the same name attributed correctly--the author concludes--to Vespucci.
   
   The assignment of the feminine Latin version of his name (following the model of Africa, Asia, and Europa) to the coast of the eastward-jutting edge of the future Brazil was made by cartologist Waldseemuller on his famous map of 1507, based on the reading of Vespucci's reports and the incorrect conclusion that Vespucci preceded Columbus on the new continent. The usage spread, so that by the time Waldseemuller discovered his mistake and reverted to the term "Terra Incognita" in 1513, it was too late to change the name that had spread from a corner of the southern continent to encompass the full continent both North and South.
   
   As Fernandez-Arnesto argues, the naming may be for the best, given the negative historical freight associated with Columbus (evangelism, imperialism, colonization, massacre) and the relative obscurity of Vespucci which has enabled his name to be associated with the values of democracy, liberty, and opportunity associated with the United States of America that dominates the northern continent.
   
   Fernandez-Arnesto concludes with an interesting question and the brief beginnings of an answer worthy of its own book-length study: why was it that Atlantic exploration was driven by citizens of the land-locked Mediterranean (Columbus and Vespucci the best-known representatives) in the service of the Atlantic-facing nations?



3. A very difficult to read history of a Tuscan who left little and often questionable records. A mishmash of tidbits to fill in for the lack of documentation. Aside of the arbitrary adoption of his name to decribe a new continent there is little to be said of this imposter.



4. After reading this thoroughly researched and highly academic work on the naming of the America's, it is a wonder that in 1507 a few geographers were duped into fixing Amerigo Vespucci's identify to this hemisphere. One panel member in particular later regretted the designation after the specifics came in about Vespucci as the discoverer of the "New World".
   Amerigo was a con-artist, plagiarist and fabricator of events. Many of his writings were structured after and emulated Columbus, Ptolemy and others. Also, one must ask themselves how many voyages did he actually partake in. Was it two or three? Or was it four? Vespucci failed in a number of life's endeavors, except that of selling himself. This he was good at.
   Without a doubt the advanced vocabulary may hinder some readers.



5. Felipe has done an excellent job of writing a concise and beautifully articulate account on Amerigo, the man who gave his name to America. However, I think the subtitle should perhaps be- The man who finagled getting his name stamped upon America.
   
   This biography offers a wealth of information about Renaissance Florence, Seville and the famous characters of history that many know; yet, few seldom realize how much they overlapped each other. Due to a limited amount of factual documentation on Amerigo, Felipe needed to fill a book with additional facts, yet it was not done to simply fill out a volume, but rather to fill out the times, the mindset, and the world of Amerigo and his famous contemporaries. This includes Columbus, the Medici family, Toscanelli, Ferdinand and Isabella, as well as important men like Gianotto Berardi, the banker who along invested his life and financial resources for Columbus, but met financial disaster instead.
   
   Amerigo happened to work for Berardi, and after this financial debacle, he was forced to make an occupational shift in direction. That journey took him westward, in the footsteps of Columbus and eventually led to worldwide fame, as his name supplanted the New World's rightful hero to indelibly mark two huge continents.
   
   We as Americans shall always ponder our nation blaringly sounding the name of the Italian adventurer Amerigo Vespucci, while lamenting that it should have been Columbus or Columbia or something similar. More astounding still is how Ferdinand and other monarchs were incapable of silencing Amerigo, or any other claimant from attaining such a colossal honor. The chain-reaction of publishers jumping on the profitable bandwagon all contributed to the most colossal domino effect in mapmaking history, one so strong that even kings could not prevent. The name America would prevail for eternity.
   
   The only disappointment was the very last pages where the author expressed some personal opinions about Western Civilization. He criticizes the Mediterranean Europeans as being lazy dregs that inherited almost everything from Asian influence, including the desire to explore. This is very shortsighted, for it negates the thousands of brilliant men that shaped our advanced civilization, which no Asian entity has ever matched. Meanwhile, the desire of Europeans to explore was limited due to the immense variety of peoples within the Mediterranean sphere. The Mediterranean coastal nations were a mixture of various Caucasians, from Portugal to Germany to Norway to Italy, along with a variety of North Africans, Arabs and Asians. This volatile area boomed in advances thus negating the need to go anywhere else. However, once the Muslims sacked Constantinople the need to trade with Asia prompted the desire to find another route, hence the age of exploration.
   
   That aside, overall, "Amerigo" is a very worthy read.

No comments about Warrior Of Light - The Life Of Nicholas Roerich (Masters of Life Series).

No comments about The Hernando de Soto Expedition: History, Historiography, and "Discovery" in the Southeast.

3 comments about The Humboldt Current: Nineteenth-Century Exploration and the Roots of American Environmentalism.

1. In an era of specialized science, when most practitioners of the field attempt to understand the mechanisms underlying natural phenomena down to the last detail, it may be difficult to have a grasp of the big picture and embrace a holistic approach to nature and the universe as Alexander von Humboldt did in his time. Indeed one major premise of Aaron Sachs' book is that with increasing specialization that the progression of science entailed went the likes of Humboldt, his contemporaries, and the scientists, explorers, and adventurers who he inspired. Yet there still are scientists who can not only manage to provide a holistic framework to their specialties, but also look beyond their area of focus and appreciate other areas of interest to almost the same level of dedication. Thus we have Jane Goodall, Oliver Sacks, Jared Diamond, and the late Stephen Jay Gould and Carl Sagan, to name a few. The spirit of Humboldt lives in the mind of the Renaissance man and woman who are willing to share and communicate their interests to a larger audience, most of whom may not have the time, background, and resources to have similar pursuits.
   
   Because Sachs writes well, the book is hardly the dense material you would expect from work about 19th century exploration and the roots of the American environmentalism. From Humboldt to J.N. Reynolds, from Clarence King to John Muir and George Wallace Melville, we find that their mystical and spiritual experiences from their work and exploration alternated with the mundane struggles of getting the funding and validation of their endeavors and the respect from their peers--and merely getting on with their personal lives. The conditions under which their lives ended were far from ideal, but they never questioned or regretted their passions. The 19th century might have provided the last opportunities for what we now consider the romantic quest for adventure, but political situations were always in flux and the competition for recognition was fierce. And then the Humboldtian way of scientific inquiry was threatened by the increasing specialization of science.
   
   When Clarence King and John Muir climbed the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, there was not a single road that traversed the mountain range. The Sierras were open wilderness remote from centers of civilization. But, to this date, one can still get lost or harmed in this wilderness with lack of preparation or plain happenstance. Likewise, one can get lost, in the figurative sense, in the mystical experience from the magnificence of these mountains. The spirit of Humboldt lives in those who endeavor to appreciate the connectedness of the natural world and the universe. The book provides a human context to this type of experience that hikers, naturalists, and lovers of the natural world, scientists included, have.
   
   One of my favorite parts of the book is an excerpt from Emerson in The Journals and Miscellaneous Notebooks of Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Is it not better to intimate our astonishment as we pass through this world if it be only for a moment ere we are swallowed up in the yeast of the abyss? I will lift up my hands and say Kosmos".



2. After glancing at the previous review, I decided that I must weigh in on this book. I read The Humboldt Current right after it was published. I found it effective on various levels. First, it allows us to understand Humboldt and his desire for a unified view of the natural world. Second, it takes us on a journey into early geographers and explorers in America, many of whom followed Humboldt's ideals. Third, in the conclusion, Sachs raises a host of important issues for present-day environmentalism. Readers should also know that Sachs writes in a sprightly, engaging fashion. If on occasion, his prose runs away from him, it also brightens most of the pages along the way.



3. the subject - Humboldt - is a very interesting character and is duly praised by the author; but when the latter enters into the philosophical and literature realm, it's too much! it's not what I expected- after all he and I are scientists- and the book becomes boring.