No comments about The story of old Fort Loudon / by Charles Egbert Craddock.

No comments about Pedraluarez Cabral: His Progenitors, His Life And His Voyage To America And India (1914).

1 comments about I Am Just Going Outside: Captain Oates - Antarctic Tragedy.

1. This book is disappointing mainly as it draws many conclusions not based on fact, but by the author's supposition - in a court of law it would be called hearsay, but in writing its called sensationalism. The book starts off well giving a good account of Oates' early life, his dominating mother and his action in the Boer War. Once it gets into the part of his life where he joins Robert Falcon Scott's expedition to Antarctica, the author overdoes the Scott vs Oates story. Many of his opinions about the relationship between the two are just that - personal opinions with no conclusive evidence to support them. A caption under a photo of the men in the Terra Nova wardroom hints that Scott is staring at Oates' with a look of derision in his eyes - how the author can tell where Scott's eyes are focused is beyond me. It's such an old photo his eyes could be looking anywhere. There are many other factual concerns such as this which really gives the book a feeling that author has something against everyone but Oates. I think the author wants us to believe there is a serious rift between Scott and Oates only because he believes there is one. Many of the comments from the men's diaries are taken out of context and used to make a point where further elaboration might have shown the truth.
   
   The book is riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes, and even Amundsen's name is spelt wrong on the back cover.
   
   It may be a good book on Oates' early life, but take the second half with a grain of salt - in fact a large pinch would be better (and add some pemmican). Oates, Scott and the rest of the men deserve better. No wonder there was very little assistance from the Oates family in producing the book.

No comments about Las ciudades perdidas de los Mayas / The Lost Cities of the Mayas.

No comments about Early Guides and Outfitters in the Canadian Rockies: An Amazing Stories Book (Amazing Stories(tm)).

No comments about Biographical and historical memoirs of the early pioneer settlers of Ohio,: With narratives of incidents and occurrences in 1775 (County histories of the "Old Northwest". Series II: Ohio. Reel 36).

No comments about Profiles of Exploration.

No comments about Soaring With the Schweizers: The Fifty-Year History of Their Aviation Adventures.

3 comments about Death Valley in '49 (Great Americana).

1. First hand account of pioneers crossing the American west in 1849. Epic and heroic in scope, Manly describes hardships and an America nearly lost to history. Where it survives is in the deserts and wastelands of Utah, Nevada and California. One will never be able to travel these regions without thinking of Manly, Rogers and the Bennet-Arcane party.



2. As a descendant of William L. Manly, and as an avid reader of history, the book appealed to me. It is a tale of raw survival and heroism, as well as a testament to the pioneering spirit of people from our American past. It is also a book of human triumph over one of Mother nature's most trying environments on Earth. The easy-going narration of the events in William L. Manly's life draw you into the scenery, the essence of the beautiful, yet enigmatic desert which lures yet imposes such harsh demands on the body and soul. It seemed that the nearly intolerable conditions that William and his fellow pioneers endured were a kind of "Offering" to the desert, which is one of Mother nature's testing grounds of the human spirit.



3. Jean and I edited the Heyday Books edition of Manly's monumental work. This edition has foreward by Dr. Limerick and Jean and I added a preface, 400 notes, an epilogue, and an index. We, of course, are biased and think this is the best edition of his book. Needless to say, the original edition is the best. We hope you enjoy Manly's words and our additions.

No comments about Annie Oakley: Woman at Arms.