No comments about Sir Peter Blake: An Amazing Life.

3 comments about Henry Hudson: Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World's Least Understood Explorer.

1. This is a marvelous book about one of the least-known of the great explorers.
   
   As Corey Sandler says, very little is known about Henry Hudson except for the period included within the five years of his four voyages. And much of what is on the record is based on the testimony of the mutineers who were out to save their own necks.
   
   Instead, what the author has done is write a fascinating biography of the PLACES Hudson explored: Svalbard near the north pole, Novaya Zemlya above Russia, the Hudson River, and northern Canada including Hudson Strait, Hudson Bay, and James Bay.
   
   He uses the logs and journals of Hudson and some of his crew to put things in context, and then tells us the stories of some of the most amazing places on the planet.
   
   This is a most unusual book, a great read. And it delivers exactly what it promises: "The Tragic Legacy of the New World's Least Understood Explorer." Every page brought a new perspective on history for me. I highly recommend this book.



2. If you're considering buying this book you should know what you're in for. If you're expecting a biography of Henry Hudson you'll be disappointed. There is very little on Hudson in this book. What you get is a high-level overview of what Hudson is thought to have done and a whole lot of ramble on Corey Sandler's experiences visiting the places Hudson visited.
   
   There's not a whole lot that's known about Hudson. What there is comes from a few brief surviving documents. You get the text from those documents word-for-word with little if any interpretation from the author. That's the real disappointment of this book. If I wanted to read the text of the original documents I'd look them up myself online. What I wanted was expert interpretation and the telling of the story that these documents seem to describe.
   
   Sandler writes from Nantucket, an island he shares with the great historian Nathaniel Philbrick. But where Philbrick excels at taking scant information and turning it into a fascinating story, Sandler dumps the source information on the page and then rambles on about his own experiences in visiting the same places 400 years later. Unfortunately, it's just not very interesting. Thought you'd learn about Hudson's trip up the river that bears his name? You're going to get a little of that and then a whole lot of information on General Electric, PCBs, the environmental movement, and Pete Seeger.
   
   An earlier reviewer characterized this book as being 1/3 history. I'd put it more at 1/10th. By the end of the book you'll know little about Hudson, but all about Sandler's political views, summer camp experiences, family, feelings, travel preferences, and a whole lot of other personal detail. If that's what you're looking to read about, you'll love it. But if you read the title and thought you were instead going to read a biography of Henry Hudson, you'll be disappointed.



3. I am going to give this 5 stars. I'll list why in a second just let me tell you a few of my issues. First Sandler doesn't seem to interview that many people concerning the Clearwater Sloop, the Hudson River Keeper or the many, many other environmental organizations dedicated to keep the Hudson clean. He also brushes over the Storm King case. Sandler does not mention the Indian Point nuclear power plant.
   
   Ok now that's out of the way let me explain a bit why this book is excellent.
   
   First of all its one-third history, one-third travelogue and one-third PSA for keeping all the places Henry Hudson visited clean. The history part is fairly typical in that we don't know much about Hudson; he may have been a bad captain nothing that new or exciting. But overall it's still interesting and a good introduction for those unfamiliar with Hudson.
   
   Then comes the travelogue sections. These are really interesting mostly because of all the unique people the author met on his travels. In reading the book the former director of Clearwater, Andy Mele, comes off as a pretty genuine guy. He's not a crazy tree hugging hippe but just a regular guy that wants to do some good. Most of the environmentalist people come off this way. Some people may not like this but honestly try spending a night near the Hudson...smell that? Yeah, that's the river. I did enjoy Sandle's search for Hudson's monuments and as he mentions in the introduction the most obvious ones are the Hudson River and New York City.
   
   The best parts are the sections that are basically the PSAs about environmentalism. There are numerous digs at GE for dumping PCBs and our society in general. Having lived for four years about 100 yards from the Hudson I must say it's easily one of the greatest sights in the world. But its also one of the biggest dumps too. I think it's terrible that the river is so polluted that you can't go for a swim or eat a fish from there. I had a picnic with my girlfriend one day in Hyde Park right on the river and it was pretty easy to spot all the trash washed up on the shore. Ok enough gushing as Sandler does a much better job explaining this then I do.
   
   In conclusion just read the book. It's excellent.

No comments about Die Trying: One Man's Quest to Conquer the Seven Summits.

5 comments about Tuva or Bust!: Richard Feynman's Last Journey.

1. I am a confirmed Feynman fan and even met him a couple of times. I was eager to learn more about him and his travels. The subtitle promised details of his "last journey", which, it turns out, he never made. Instead, I was bored with insipid details of the author's attempts to arrange a trip to the USSR and other assorted junk. It did not even spend much time on Tuva itself, but on unrelated trivia. It was apparent that the author was immensely more interested in the trip than Feynman, and that even he wasn't interested enough to stay at it to fruition. The author trades on the Feynman name to shamelessly promote the book and con the reader into plodding through endless drivel. Don't bother.



2. It was all just accidental. I stumbled upon this book through a documentary that I rented, called Ganghis Blues. I like all types of music and thought "A documentary about Blues music, cool..." After realizing what a fortune of life I had found in this movie, I was drawn to everything TUVA. SO, to the book I go. The book of course came before the documentary, and obviously was an influence in the boys who produced it. When was the last time a book did something for your soul? This one touches your soul, your heart and your longing to achieve a goal or live out a dream. Aaaah. I loved it.



3. If you are a fan of Richard Feynman, the nuclear physicist that dreamed of going to Tuva, you will just love this video. If you know nothing of Mr. Feynman, you will still enjoy it. It tells the story of Paul Pena's visit to Tuva in a delightful way. You will like seeing the culture of these peaceful, music-loving people.



4. I would never had read this book had I not recently had the chance to see Huun Huur Tu, a throat-singing voice from Tuva. But now that I am fascinated by this little-known, remote area along the Russian-Mongolian border, I found this book very entertaining. It chronicles the enormous challege of trying to visit such a remote land in the days before Glasnost and a fascinating cast of characters at its heart.
   I think my only complaint is that the book loses steam at the end, which I guess is understandable, given the fate of its main protagonist. But overall, it is a wonderful testament to a group of brilliant folks, who spend years trying to follow through on a quest.



5. A peculiar book: Ralph Leighton's TUVA OR BUST isn't really about Richard Feynman, who, the more one reads about him, begins to seem a genius, yes, but more than a little insufferable. He does instigate this whimsical notion of visiting Tannu Tuva (which had become Tuvinskaya of the U.S.S.R. [the book takes place from the late 1970s to Feynman's death in 1989]), but the ball is picked up by Leighton, and Feynman is merely a supporting actor in the book.
   
   The quest carries itself through many frustrations, mostly having to do w/ the hermetic paranoia of the Soviet Union, which seems to work like an enormous rural county: If you know someone, then things can be smoothed out; if not, then the official channels will be little help.
   
   I'm not sure why anyone would read this book. There's no reason to if you're interested in Feynman, because, besides his concoctions to fit in at Esalen, amongst the New Age mumbo-jumbo, his mind is absent from the book. His personality & his drumming are there on occasion, but Feynman's thinking, no.
   
   Leighton is not intrinsically interesting, and though a fluent writer, gives little sense of character. All the foreigners are forgettable, so the index is very handy. When a name turns up on page 150, say, then one can look it up to see which person this is.
   
   As one reads, one begins to have the same thoughts about oneself that one has about Leighton's attempts to visit Tuva: Why am I going on?. Moreover, I think that one comes up with the same answer: Just to get through the damn thing. By the time that Leighton reaches Tuva (without Feynman, who died just a smidgen too soon), the appearance is anti-climactic, and the land is colorless: A Nevada trailer-park suburb, but with yurts instead of double-wides.
   
   TUVA OR BUST! becomes a critique of bureaucracy. The slow, spirit-killing, mind-numbing bureaucracy of the Soviet Union ensured that Feynman would die without reaching Tuva. Our world, in which stupid little men can control our lives, is death to the spirit, and is death to the spirit of Feynman, insufferable though he may be, and inexplicably kow-towed to by everyone (you get the feeling that Feynman never opens a door for anyone or shuts one for himself).
   
   TUVA OR BUST!, in its pedestrian prose, preaches, unwittingly, I think, for a freedom for whimsy, for the spirit, for the individual. At the same time, excepting the author and his male friends (his wife is also colorless), the book has no individuals. So, by the end, nothing: No Tuva to speak of, no more Feynman, nothing but an accomplishment to scratch off the list.

3 comments about To Africa with Love.

1. "Passion" is the best word to describe the level of commitment of the Foulkes family to serve as medical missionaries in Zambia. The depth of their sacrifice, the length of their desire to reach people with the Truth, the height of their faith in God, and the width of their love for God's people were passionate. I could not put the book down, and when I had finished, wanted to share the book and its message with others. This family touched my family deeply, even before the book, as my grandmother had been a prayer warrior for them while they were on the mission field.



2. This account of a mission established, accomplished and continuing is not only inspiring but dynamic in overcoming obstacles and rejoicing in successes. It challenges one's faith
   to endure and soar through Christ's help. Difficult to lay the
   book down!



3. This book really inspires me to be a better person for Christ by helping others. I won't ever be a doctor and probably can't ever visit Africa, but this book takes you there without ever leaving your home. What Dr. Foulkes has been through losing some of his family and staying in Africa to make sure the people were brought the message of Christ is truly heart touching. I think this is a wonderful book and recommend it others.

1 comments about Hawthorne.

1. James says of his book on Hawthorne that it is not a biography but rather a critical essay. Edmund Wilson says of it that it is still one of the finest literary biographies ever done on an American writer. As William Howells in his somewhat chiding but appreciative review said of it James is perhaps a bit harsh on his 'native ground'. James makes mock of Thoreau and does not have the kindest words for Emerson. The book contains the famous passage of 'Nos' in which James lists all the elements of a country which make it suited to produce the highest culture. He notes that America is without 'sovereign' without castles, without courts, and without Ascot and Epsom. The implication is that there has not been enough history in America ( until that is James time when the 'Civil War' changes everything) to produce the highest form of Literature.
   Yet James has great appreciation for the singular genius of Hawthorne. He considers him to be the greatest imaginative writer that America had produced. He too is appreciative of the character of Hawthorne about which he has extremely kind words.
   James in a sense indirectly in this work written by the way for a British publisher and audience is defining and defending his own absconding to Europe for the greatest part of his literary life. Here perhaps Howells criticism of him touches not on the wisdom of that decision but of that snobbish failure to recognize that the ordinary hurly- burly of American daily life, could become as it already had in the great work of Whitman Melville Thoreau Emerson subject of great Literature.
   In any case reading this work one comes into contact again with the masterful voice and style of James, whose long sentences rich in perception and fine moral distinction prove to kind of refined literary delight that his master Hawthorne too exemplified.

No comments about Lindbergh Looks Back: A Boyhood Reminiscence.

1 comments about Snowmobile Adventures: The Incredible Canadian Success Story from Bombardier to the Villeneuves (Amazing Stories).

1. This book is essentially the story of four pioneer Canadians who made history in the early days of snowmobile. They are Joseph Armand Bombardier, Yvon Duhamel, Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve. All four are important figures of that industry for they created, developed and shaped the machines the way we still know them today. The book is short and makes for an entertaining read. I learned a lot of things while reading it and it made me realize how big the sport is in North America.
   
   The story starts with the life of J.A. Bombardier who left us a legacy that extends way beyond his own wildest dreams. But Aksomitis makes it clear for us that he did not invent the snowmobile. Like Galileo who had not himself invented the telescope, but by turning it to the sky for the first time changed our view of the universe for ever, Bombardier and his revolutionary Ski-Doo design altered decisively our perception of winter. The rest of the book summarizes the careers of three racing legends.
   
   Half a dozen pictures illustrate the book and a good bibliography can be found in the back. The writing style is descriptive and fast paced. I read the book in the middle of summer and it made me look forward to next winter! The reason I dropped a star is simply because I wanted more. The book could have been easily twice it's current size if the author had elected to give us more details and explanations. It would have made my pleasure last longer.

3 comments about Ralph Edwards of Lonesome Lake.

1. I have read both books about the Edwards family & each has it's own merit. The main thing is that they tell the story of an extraordinary individual that wanted to carve out his own place on earth without the help of hardly anyone & certainly not the help of any government. He also saved a specie from almost curtain extinction, the Trumpeter Swan, and that alone should make him a hero to anyone who has ever seen one of these magnificent birds. After reading this book & " Grass Beyond the Mountain" I went to this Area of B.C. & came away with renewed respect for these people.



2. This book is a sequel to "Crusoe of Lonesome Lake" by Leland Stowe, a quite successful book published in the late 1950s where the fascinating life of Ralph Edwards is biographed. Edwards, who can only be described as a 20th century pioneer, single-handedly carved out a homestead in the Canadian wilderness, nearly a hundred miles from his nearest neighbor.
   
   Although this book was interesting, the above-mentioned prequel by Leland Stowe was far better. In fact, in many ways I wish I had not read this one because Edwards' exploits ended on a high note in "Crusoe" whereas this book seemed to tarnish my image of the bigger-than-life Edwards portrayed in the earlier book. But, I realize that most people who read the prequel will want to know what eventually became of Edwards in his latter years, and this book answers many of those questions. I would simply admonish anyone who reads this book to absolutely get the prequel. If you read this book alone, you are getting far less than half the story of a remarkable man's life. "Crusoe" is much better written and considerably more moving.



3. Ralph Edwards of lonesome lake is a book about carving out a life for ones family in a remote wilderness. This book is such a contrast to our technical world with cell phones, internet, e mail "Big Box shopping" malls. Our lives are so full but really so empty. I felt an extreme feeling of sadness after having read this book. Ralph Edwards and his wife are now dead after having lived a hard but full life. We all struggle through life with different goals and yet we all have to face death. I felt the sadness of Ralph Edwards when he realised that he was too old to be independant and look after himself. This book has to make us all stop and concider what we are doing and what is the purpose of life. What could possibly be more important than these questions?

2 comments about Captain Marryat: Seaman, Writer and Adventurer.

1. Every biography, if not of the encyclopedic type, has some profile, an outline of goals the author wants to reach. Often it is necessary to limit the scope of work, because there are other vast volumes on topic already written, and at the same time the topic allows for specialization. Unfortunately, the book by Tom Pocock does not venture in any kind of specialization, and instead, on less than 200 pages it attempts to present a uniform portrait of Captain Frederick Marryat. As the title suggests, an attempt is made to cover his literary heritage, his enormous seafaring experience, his political and military engagement, and of course worldwide travels. My disappointment is unbounded, really, and let me argue why this is the case.

   To start with the most serious source of incompleteness of this volume, let me say that it does not offer any insight into the literary heritage of Captain Marryat whatsoever. From time to time, the author mentions that at this or that point in Marryat's life he was writing, published, or tried to publish this or that novel or a diary. Merely a line or two at most is devoted to the subject. For all it is worth, the whole content on literature is limited to one page in total. At the end of the book there is a list of the books written by this ingenious man. Pocock does not add anything worth writing home about about these books. I can't doubt that he read them, but if he did, he didn't show it. And this in the light of the fact that Marryat was the most popular writer in Europe of the 1830s! Marryat influenced many noble authors, starting with Melville and Conrad-Korzeniowski and ending with contemporary nautical fiction writers like Pat O'Brien, not to mention his indirect influence on anyone who has tried his pen in the field of adventure, maritime or not. Marryat and Dickens were great friends who supported and consulted each other in the time their lives overlapped, and the biographer merely focuses on the sociopolitical aspect of this friendship, as if he was not aware of profound literary influences which flowed both ways, and spread like an eagle over the whole Continent of writers, not to mention America. I hoped, in vain, to learn more than I had known beforehand about the connections between writers, Melville, Verne and Conrad-Korzeniowski in particular; I hoped to receive at least minimal treatment and analysis of the particular works of Marryat. I got none. The man basically gave birth to nautical fiction as we know it today, he created several immortal literary archetypes, he had a unique perspective of a naval officer, a writer and a brilliant social observer, and his diaries from travels to America and Canada deserved analysis "deeper" than just a brief quote or two. He wrote about children, about animals, and finally, in his literature of adventure as it was, he incorporated a wide array of themes, ranging from horror, mythology and magic to heavyweight topics of religion, the Holy Inquisition, warfare, exploration and competition. The potential reader of this volume should give up any such hopes. This book offers nothing of the kind.

   Apart from writing, Marryat was a politically and socially active man, and even here the book fails, despite some coherent efforts on part of the author. In a dry style of a scribble, the biographer merely notes the events, as they came, only occasionally venturing into some analysis of what happened or did not happen and why. The biographer wrote other volumes, including books on Nelson, and I couldn't get rid of the impression that in the case of this book he simply recycled an old formula, and tried to fit an Alpha and Omega of a man like Marryat into a narrowly defined scheme. This couldn't have worked, and it didn't. Complete chunks of Marryat's lifetime were ignored in this way, while others were overblown out of proportion. Indeed, decency is a lost art on the part of the biographer, as the following fact indicates in light of what I have written about so far and what I chose to be silent about out of empathy. In at least two instances, if I remember well, Tom Pocock writes a small essay on the fact that one of his own ancestors knew Marryat, and desperately tries to input some meaning into the oh-so-distant relationship between the two men. Marryat, if asked, wouldn't remember the ancestor in question, but we are show otherwise. This is simply scandalous. To ignore half of Marryat's life in order to make space for this? Excuse me? This biography is outrageous, and although if you know nothing on the subject, it will be of some use, dishonest as it is, at the same time it is a complete waste of money otherwise.




2. This thoroughly enjoyable biography has only one drawback - its brevity. Though Marryat is largely known at present as a children's writer, his reputation in his own time rested on a series of adventure novels for adults based on his own very exciting career - he can fairly be claimed to have single-handedly invented the genre of naval fiction and to have set the pattern for Forrester, Kent, Pope and O'Brien. His own life - though cut off relatively early - was as exciting and varied as anything in his fiction: starting with near suicidal action under the legendary Cochrane, at sea almost constantly in the later years of the Napoleonic Wars in opposition to the French and Americans, returning home to develop a signalling system and commence a literary career and later returning to action in Burma, his service there involving the Royal Navy's first use of steamships in action and initiating the decline of the sailing navy in which Marryat had grown up. Marryat seems to have had a natural affinity for action - as a literary lion touring the United States in the 1830s he took time out to help put down a rebellion in Canada, and was once prosecuted for brawling in the streets of London - and his zest for life comes across well in Mr.Pocock's biography. Until Dickens arrived on the scene he was the foremost popular novelist in Britain, and even thereafter was a prominent figure in London literary circles - as he had been at Court earlier. He carried a raffish air of the Napoleonic and Regency periods into the growing respectability of early Victorian society and the account provided here of his discovery by an irate husband in an American lady's hotel room, and of the ingenious manner in which he appears to have extricated himself, hints at even more scandalous events that can only now be guessed at. Throughout the book Marryat comes across as a larger than life character who must have been a delight (and an exasperation) to know and a good man to have by one's side in a tight corner. One regrets however that this biography does not dwell more on the quality and content of Marryat's literary output and provide a better guide to the reader who would like to explore it further. This, and the brevity, aside, this is a most enjoyable book and can be highly recommended to anybody interested in the age of fighting sail, the advent of steam or the early Victorian literary scene.