No comments about A Passion for Danger: Nansen's Arctic Adventures.

1 comments about Alejandro Malaspina: Portrait of a Visionary.

1. 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.

No comments about Undercurrents: Episodes from a Life on the Edge.

1 comments about David Douglas: Explorer and Botanist.

1. The adventures of an ardent plant lover/collector during the 1820s and 1830s. David Douglas documented, collected, and returned to England over 200 new species of plants commonly found in contemporary gardens. The Douglas fir, arguably the most significant timber source of the 20th century, is named for him. He walked more than 10,000 miles during his travels across North America enduring many hardships while experiencing an unexplored wilderness. His interaction with native peoples demonstrated his inate skill as a diplomat.
   His wonder at the marvels of nature will resonate with any plant lover.

1 comments about Here comes Calamity Jane.

1. This great little book tries to separate myth from fact about Martha Jane Canary, but much of the truth about Calamity Jane will never be known for sure. Irma H. Klock goes through the stories about Jane and tells us what is known and what is just wild tales.
   
   The book is full of great pictures of Jane, as well as Deadwood. A time line of her life is also included.
   
   Anyone wanting to learn about this fasiciating woman would love this book.

No comments about Fifty Six Hours.

No comments about Rough Riders: Hawaii's Paniolo and Their Stories.

2 comments about Whoa You Donkey . . . Whoa!.

1. A series of short stories linked chronologically about a modern day lady prospector and her donkeys, mining and treasure hunting from Alaska to the Mexico border. Misadventures with characters like Soapy the mine dog, Klondike Mike, Texas Jack, and Sandilee the biologist. Great reading material for bathroom or outhouse.



2. A delightful read introducing elements of geology, mining, animal husbandry and especially high adventure and humor in the hard scrabble life of a female prospector.

No comments about Cavalier in the Wilderness: The Story of the Explorer and Trader Louis Juchereau de St. Denis.

5 comments about The Oregon Trail (The Penguin American Library).

1. This is an excellent book giving the reader a first person view of the Frontier in the 1840s. The details make the reader feel as if they were living the adventure themselves.
   
   If you are looking for a book that tells of a journey on the Oregon Trail, this is NOT the book for you. A better for the book title might have been "A Summer On The Frontier: Life Among The Indians and Explorers." The author follows the Oregon Trail until he reaches Fort Laramie, and then spends the rest of his time among the indians who inhabited the plains and badlands at the time.
   
   If you are looking for vivid picture of life among the indians, buffaloes, and explorers, this IS the book for you!



2. I ordered this book based on the film, " The Oregan Trail," which I enjoyed watching. The book is a good follow-up to the movie, making much of the content even more real for me.



3. Parkman's travelogue on the Great Plains is a major work of life among the Native Americans. His descriptions are honest and capture a society that was fading even while he was writing. The book had a major impact on the way that non-westerners saw the Great Plains. This was both good and bad. Parkman wrote through the lens of a Boston aristocrat and was full of prejudices against those who did not meet his standards. This was dangerous in that many who read about the "backwardness" of the Native Americans used this as justification for "civilizing" them. Although this was probably not Parkman's intention, it was a consequence of his writing. In addition, he promoted the hunting of buffalo for sport, which led to the decimation of the buffalo heards on the Plains.
   
   Another major issue with this book is that, in spite of its title, it is not about the Oregon Trail. Parkman went no further than the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and he did all in his power to dissociate himself from the pioneers moving along the Oregon Trail. If you are looking for a history of the trail, this book will not satisfy your needs.
   
   However, in spite of the misleading title and the prejudices that surface throughout the book, it is still a fine piece of writing that opens up a world that has been lost to today's readers. Read it and enjoy your travels into another time and place.



4. In a day when "historians" make comment on the long dead or events from the confines of their apartments, Francis Parkman is the person who actually experienced the history he wrote about. There is no political correctness in Parkman and he describes savages, French, frontiersmen and Mormons exactly as they were without apology.
   This work is a masterpiece everyone should read and be a guidebook to modern historians who spend more time working a political end and getting in the way of history rather than letting history tell it's truthful tale.
   Parkman is not just the historian or recorder of events. He is the bard of Sioux myth, the geologist, biologist and countless other things describing flora, fauna and weather. He is complete in having that air of Boston social elite in beginning his journey and returning from the plains an American having tasted, smelled and breathed the savage world and revealed the eastern thoughts on how that world would evolve for the next 60 years.
   Parkman is remarkable and the best compliment for this book is to recommend that readers search for other Parkman histories to read as they are real.
   I am currently in his wonderful Montecalm and Wolfe series on the history of Canada which actually created America. If you have children, share Parkman's history with them as he will make it come alive for them.
   As you can see by all of the lengthy reviews, Francis Parkman invokes a great deal of thought and emotion in his histories which transfers to the reader.



5. The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman is an account which further enforces the history of the Oregon Trail we had learned about in [U.S. History] class. The book portrays what it must have been like to travel on the Trail, never knowing what the next day would bring. The buffalo hunting which took place throughout the book became monotonous and boring after the first exciting few, but other than that repetitiveness, the journey was well depicted. I especially enjoyed Parkman's in-depth descriptions given to the reader of the people he meets on his journey and his observations on their actions as well. His vivid imagery of scenes from nature such as animals, prairie landscapes, and the weather, place the reader right next to Parkman in his adventuresome expedition. There are some dull, repetitive points in the observations made by the author, but aside from that his autobiographical telling of his journey is unforgettable.