1 comments about The Fast Set: Three Extraordinary Men and Their Race for the Land Speed Record.

1. Really interesting and well conceived book, written in an easy-to-read style ... but I found myself putting the book down and firing up the internet to see an image of what he was talking about ... time after time ... e.g. racetracks, cars etc
   I know its not meant to be an encyclopaedia but it needs more photos and illustrations - then it would be a lot better and get the "4" it probably deserves.
   Don't read it in bed, you'll drive yourself nuts getting up to go to your computer to find photos of what you're reading about. Read it at your desk, preferably next to your computer ... and you will enjoy it.

No comments about Saved: The Extraordinary Tale of Survival and Rescue in the Southern Ocean.

2 comments about Journey into the Mind's Eye: Fragments of an Autobiography.

1. Like Rupert Brooke, Blanch has spent her long life loving an extraordinary number of people, places, & things, but her greatest passion is for The Traveler, her mentor & lover, and Russia. From her sedate pre-WW I nursery onwards, The Traveler brings an air of Siberia to quiet London. Perhaps a former suitor of her mother's, he delicately seduces Blanch with visions of wolves and Easter, church bells and crisp snow, icons and fire-light. They consummate their affair when she is 17. But there is nothing of tawdiness, exploitation, or abuse in all this; it's a great romance told ruefully, with humor and delight. Her Traveler expands her horizons forever, and teaches her a tremendous capacity for love. Centering the memoir is a journey on the Siberian train in the 1960s, long after his disappearance. She is seeking their Russia, long gone, and some trace of him. Though she fails, it's a lovely read.



2. Journey into the mind's eye; fragments of an autobiography.
   
   by Lesley Blanch
   
   * Type: English : Book : Non-fiction
   * Publisher: New York, Atheneum, 1969 [©1968]
   * Subjects: Blanch, Lesley. | Authors, English -- Biography. -- 20th century

No comments about Bradford Washburn: A Life of Exploration.

4 comments about H. W. Tilman: The Seven Mountain-Travel Books.

1. In this anthology Tilman's pioneering travels through central Asia are recounted in his wonderfully laconic voice. This is a great addition to any exploration or mountaineering collection, particularly because Tilman was the first European to visit many of the peaks and places described. The portrait of Nepal he presents I will always treasure.



2. Not only is Tilman's book brillantly written, but his chapter on "Two Mountains and a River," which focuses on the Swiss/British expedition to Rakaposhi and the Kukuay Glacier illustrates all the problems and hardships my uncle, Hans Gyr experienced during his quest for conquering the Rakaposhi in the Karakorum. Thanks to Tilman, I know now so much more about these few trying weeks in snow and ice. I recommend this book to all who like not only mountains, but solitude and the ultimate challenge.



3. Tilman and Shipton were the first humans to enter the Nanda Devi sanctuary, a valley surrounded by some of the greatest Himalayan peaks. They were indelibly marked by the experience.



4. An avid collector of Himalayan subject matter, I have also been lucky enough to have wandered around the upper Langtang Valley on several occasions in the last few years. Not only is Tilmans book still accurate in many respects, but it is also highly amusing at the same time. Fact, folklore and quotations are fantastically woven into a single, almost epic tale of discovery. It is, at times, laugh-out-loud funny, and yet one might feel a certain sense of guilt at particular comic moments. Where Tilman describes one of his porters as "slow in mind and weak in leg, and not, one suspects, long down from his tree", it is an hilarious turn of phrase, but in our modern standardised and easily-scandalised society one feels the need to look over one's shoulder to make sure the PC police aren't looking.
   I would heartily recommend anyone to read the book, particularly if it is available, the Nepal Himalaya single edition, - great, great books for travelling minds (and soles..) so long as you can cope with the mountain of salt required to see some of Tilmans less emphatic points.

5 comments about Nothing Routine.

1. Helminiak CAN put his recountables and anecdotes to pen! His method of immersing the reader into the story reminds me of Steinbeck. Also, only Solzenitzen rivals Helminiak for the super recollective completness of detail. Kudos to Jon Helminiak!



2. "It swept me away. Couldn't put it down. Engaging...funny, descriptive, informative. Each sentence was well constructed and each chapter well crafted, making for a captivating and all-absorbing book. . Every chapter is different, keeping you hooked from the beginning to the end - like a first train ride through scenic territory, you never know what's around the next bend so God forbid you doze off and miss a great view. Helminiak brings the reader into his personal world - a private place indeed. It is truly a personal and professional resume. His spirit is not of this land (filled with time/work/tv/image/money obsessed Americans), but of wild, unusual foreign places. You can live vicariously through his writing without ever leaving the comfort and safety of the U.S.A. I found his writing style addictive and on par with some of my favorite authors, Edward Abbey, Peter Mayle, and James Herriot."



3. Really refreshing! If you like world travel, but are tired of the same old tourist paths, Jon Helminiak can show you a new side of travel. Robert Frost would be proud of Helminiak taking the path less traveled. His writing is crisp, gifted, and humorous. His sensitivities provide interesting insights into the people he meets. His travel experiences in four continents are both thrilling and thought provoking. He tells you about ten places and activities you may have wanted to experience, but may have lacked the courage. It is a book one hates to see end. I hope Helminiak writes sequels.



4. A nice little book, especially good for college-age adventurers and budding outdoorsy types. Author's central idea is that travel is an important personal investment, which will appeal to Ed Abbey wannabes. The structure and writing style are very readable, and many of my students (university) loved it. Quick, fun read with a broad appeal. Occasionally frustrating, as the author is a bit too proud of himself, but overall a good fit for the genre. Definitely worth the 15 bucks. I liked it better than most books of its kind, and I'm a tough audience.



5. Nothing Routine by Jon Helminiak was definitely just that. Jon's captivating recap of adventures apart from the everyday touristy travels left me feeling as though I had been right there with him. His writing abilities are interesting, at times humorous, and always informative with historical background of the land and its people. I enjoyed the book so much that I found myself a bit sad when I finished it, wishing there was more.

2 comments about Where in the Hell is Sourdough, Alaska.

1. My daughter and I enjoyed reading this book last summer. I read it out loud to her as she was recovering from mono. The stories were unique and kept us intrigued. After each story, I would ask her if she wanted another, and the answer was always "yes". The stories revolved around episodes in the lives of five brothers who were raised in a house without water and electricity. This setting, and the outrageous antics of the boys, provided visual images that I never could have dreamed of! I recommend this book to those who want an "up close and personal" account of an active family living in a remote part of Alaska. I promise you that you have never read anything quite like this.



2. This is an excellent book that shows how 'real Alaaskans' lived. All of the stories in the book are told from the perspective of the author when he was a child. We find out what he did with his brothers to pass the time when they lived in the middle of nowhere.

   This book is filled with vivid and humerous detail in every story. You will die laughing as he talks about the outhouse, how he fought it, and how it defeated him. You will also laugh at their Christmas traditions, but will also want to adapt them for yourselves as well. Even in a tragic story about a fire, he finds a moment of humor.

   And for those who love animal tales, he dedicates a story to each of the three dogs that he remembers, as well as a truly uniqe story of a purple parakeet. Each story he captures their essence so well that you feel like you knew that pet.

   If you love stories about Alaska life, you'll love it. If you love to laugh, you'll want to read this. If you love stories about kids antics and thought processes, you'll love this book. If you like Dave Barry, you'll probably like this as well...

No comments about Shackleton & Antarctic Expl.

3 comments about The Templar Pirates: The Secret Alliance to Build the New Jerusalem.

1. When the Vatican condemned the Order of the Temple in 1312, many who escaped took to sea intent on revenge on the Church. The missing Templar fleet later reappeared in the Mediterranean and later the Caribbean and posed a threat to the Church's maritime commerce. THE TEMPLAR PIRATES tells the story of the birth and conduct of piracy on the New World seas, providing an important link between Templar history and Church interactions and piracy as a whole. Any collection strong in Templar or Catholic history will find this absorbing and unusual - and many a general interest library will find it interesting for its insights on early pirates, as well.



2. This book could be an absolute knockout, but the author fails in one key area... absolutely no citations. The author advances a few key ideas in the book but fails to validate them by citing any peer reviewed or published works (not even in the back). He also devotes a single paragraph to Captain Kidd in which he writes him off as simply a pirate, when in fact, Kidd's story is vastly more complex. With citations and a proper bibliography this book would be a winner, without it, its hard to take anything too seriously.



3. This is a good little book. As mentioned by another reviewer, it lacks adequate notation, but despite that the author has laid out a plausible enough scenario. His central premise is that the original pirates were outcast Knights Templar who took to the seas to take their revenge upon Catholic shipping. Over time, they evolved but maintained much of their original philosophy and traditions. Most importantly, they knew of America long before 1492 and later planned its colonization as a Templar homeland. Unfortunately, a great deal of the book only scatches the surface of its subject matter, so the interested reader must search elsewhere for a more in-depth analysis. Nevertheless it is a perfect start for anyone with doubts about the conventional Columbus mythology.

1 comments about Scott And Amundsen: The Race to the Pole.

1. Literary and theater critic Rainer-K. Langner presents Scott and Amundsen: Duel in the Ice, the amazing and tragic tale of the rivalry between the leaders of the first two Antarctic expeditions to successfully reach the South Pole. Norwegian Roald Amundsen prepared meticulously by learning Polar survival skills from the native peoples of the Arctic; British citizen Captain Robert Falcon Scott had a very different perspective, valuing courage, endurance and immediate improvisation as the lynchpin to surmounting obstacles. Yet in January of 1912, when Scott and his four companions reached the South Pole, they discovered that Amundsen had beaten them by 34 days - and worse, Scott's misjudgments, and lack of knowledge had a cumulatively fatal effect, as his team died during the return journey - only 18 kilometers short of the supply depot that could have saved them. Part history, part dual biography, Scott and Amundsen retraces the journeys of both men thoroughly, reconstructing the final days of Scott's ill fate through his recovered diary. An absorbing slice of history that pays tribute to the courage, daring, and willingness to risk life and limb of both expeditions, while simultaneously dissecting the precise reasons why one team returned alive and triumphant, while the other did not. Highly recommended, especially for public library collections.