No comments about Twenty-Four Years a Cowboy and Ranchman in Southern Texas and Old Mexico: Or, Desperate Fights with the Indians and Mexicans.

5 comments about Beyond the Limits: A Woman's Triumph on Everest.

1. The book Beyond the Limits may actually be the only book that I have read that can act both as a wonderful plethora of information, and as a really good story with twists and turns that keep the reader on their toes. There are many things about the procedure, equipment, and training that can be involved in all the different forms of mountain climbing. Allison paints a wonderfully vivid picture of the mountain scenery, her own emotional struggles and feats, and how it may have felt on Mount Everest in the Death Zone, trapped in a blizzard with winds over 100 mph. When I finished it, I did so with a much more knowedgable view of mountain climbing, a great respect for Stacy Allison, and as a satisfied reader after he or she has just finished a great book to cuddle up to. Its more than worth it, and can only help the reader on thier own mountains, real or metaphorical, that they may have trouble climbing.



2. A minority of mountaineering books are written by or about women (understandable, they comprising a minority of mountaineers).

   This is well worth readin, though unlikely to appeal to those not already interested practioners - armchair or otherwise - of scaling great heights in incredibly uncomfortable conditions.

   One aspect I was really interested in was Allison's no-holds barred depiction of some of the peccadilloes of those she is/was closest to. I think of Scott Fischer - the gungho boys-own daredevil with whom she had an unsuccessful attempt on Everest and with whom she worked. It provides rather an interesting insight into the character of someone who died in the infamous 1996 storms on Everest so vividly depicted in many books, most notably, Jon Krakeur's Into Thin Air.

   Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but from Allison's portrayal, it's almost a case of "No wonder!"




3. I really enjoyed this excellent book. Stacey Allison weaves an auto-biographical tale which is complelling not only because of her climbling adventures but also because it is the tale of her life, which in some aspects was a very hard one.
   The climbing part of the story is amazing, and you will feel like you're right there with her as she undergoes both defeat and victory. If you are not already in love with the mountains, prepare to be. You'll see the world through the author's eyes amd understand her desire to reach the summits of peaks both physcial and psycological.



4. There was a big misunderstanding with an order that I placed for this book and I never received it, but was given credit for it.



5. This is an easy reading account of Stacy Allison's quest to climb Mount Everest, and in doing so, becoming the the first American woman to successfully summit.
   
   The book chronicles her introduction to mountain climbing, as well as her own personal demons. When going into some of the personal details of her life outside of mountain climbing, the book stalls, as the tawdry details are not particularly noteworthy, nor interesting to anyone except, perhaps, Stacy. While she may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, however, she sure is one of the pluckiest.
   
   When it moves on to the mountaineering aspects of her life, there are enough interesting details to delight any climbing enthusiast. The descriptions of the two Everest expeditions with which she was involved, including the one in which she reached the summit, are intriguing enough to thrill any Everest junkie.
   
   The traveling, the mountaineering elite with whom she was in contact, the sherpas, and the day to day business of being on an expedition, are all vividly described, providing an engrossing chronicle of her experiences.Written in a breezy, conversational tone, this book is sure to delight many readers.

1 comments about No Man's Land.

1. Many short stories bound together. EZ reading that will keep you reading for hours.

1 comments about Columbus.

1. To my knowledge, this is the most rigorous biography of Columbus so far. It is basically an unknown story, since what they teach us in school is almost all of it lies and myths, for example that Queen Elizabeth sold her jewells to finance the first trip, or that everybody in Columbus' time believed the Earth was flat. By any standard, Columbus was a bit of a lunatic who probably also suffered from what todat we call bipolar disease (for example, he thought that God spoke to him directly). He seems to have been given to theatricality and emotional blackmail, but undoubtedly he was also very intelligent and a great navigator. He also had an urge for social climbing, and he longed for glory and fame more than for money. He was obsessed with finding a way to China, India and Japan by sailing West, which suited the Western European powers's commercial interests. As said before, in his time the great debate among learned people was not over the flatness or roundness of the Earth, but about its size. Columbus, by grossly underestimating it, became convinced that the voyage to Asia was within reach. Had there been no American continent, he would have been murdered or starved to death. But he was also a very courageous and brave man, and so he made possible what seemed impossible. He was a very bad politician, and his emotional diseases made him quarrel with soon former friends, which of course marred his leadership abilities. His life, very well written by Fernandez-Armesto, is a glorious, tragic and incredible epic which reads like the best adventure novels.

2 comments about Sheheke, Mandan Indian Diplomat: The Story of White Coyote, Thomas Jefferson, and Lewis and Clark.

1. Sheheke: Mandan Indian Diplomat By Tracy Potter (Executive Directory, Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation, with the responsibility of administering interpretation of the On-a-Slant Mandan Indian Village) is an impressively informative biography recognizing the role that the Mandan Chief Sheheke played in Lewis and Clark's trailblazing expedition. A meticulously researched accounting, memorializing the often-overlooked contribution of a unique Native American and offering a welcomed and much appreciated additional perspective to the growing body of literature and historical reference materials concerning Lewis and Clark's famous voyage, Sheheke is an exceptionally well written contribution to the growing body of Native American History reference and Native American Biographical resource publications.



2. Finally, the first biography of the best friend Lewis & Clark, and the American government, had among their Indian hosts, Chief Sheheke of the Mandan. "White Coyote" was mis-named "Big White" by Lewis & Clark, and is known better by that name. He is the chief who returned with Lewis and Clark to Washington to be greeted by Jefferson himself. It was the delayed and troubled return of Sheheke to the Mandan Villages that ultimately led to Meriwether Lewis's death. A fascinating new angle on the Lewis & Clark Expedition, with keen insights into the amazing Mandan Indian culture. You won't be disappointed.

1 comments about Staying Alive in Alaska's Wild.

1. Andy Nault was my uncle, having left Montana to appreciate the aloneness and wilderness of Alaska. His vivid description of his encounters with nature, awesome cold, wild animals and hardships made me feel that I was a part of his adventures.

No comments about The Oxford Companion to World Exploration: Two-volume Set.

4 comments about Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa.

1. Mungo Park (1771-1806?) was the first European to visit the Niger River basin in 1796. He resolved, once and for all, a debate that had European cartographers and geographers confused for centuries.

   His initial journey (1795-1797) was a tale of tremendous personal hardship and suffering, but triumph in the end. After returning to Scotland in 1798, he became acquainted with Sir Walter Scott. They became close friends, and it was Sir Walter Scott who convinced him to return to Africa to encover the secret of the mouth of the Niger River.

   In 1805 he convinced the British government, in the middlle of a war against Napoleon, to send another expedition to seek out the mouth of the Niger. With 100 officers and men he set out, retracing his earlier steps. The journey was filled with personal tragedy and heroism. After arriving on the Niger, he built a boat, named the Joliba, and travelled down the river. During the course of his journey he met and traded with the many kingdoms that lined the river. However, he also incurred the wrath of many local kings and chiefs who believed that he was cheating them.

   Near the town of Bussa (now covered by a huge dam), Mungo Park met his unexpected end. For many years it has been assumed that he was attacked by hostile natives seeking to rob him. In fact it may have been due to the fact that he just failed to navigate the river




2. This book is not too bad, but it would have been better if its author and editor were frank with their "facts".
   Mungo Park, an inquisitive Scottish doctor and explorer, displayed a lot of courage in his adventures. He was steadfast and result-oriented. However, it is wrong for anybody to assume that he discovered the 'Nile of the Negroes', (as the River Niger was then called). The indigenous Africans who lived by the river banks knew its course long before Mungo Park's forefathers were born. They showed the Scot the way!
   Thus, claiming that Dr. Park discovered River Niger is absurd. It is as ridiculous as claiming that the first African who sailed across River Thames discovered the English river.



3. Kate Ferguson Marsters' edition of Mungo Park's TRAVELS is an excellent example of the travel narrative - easily comparable with the Journals of Lewis & Clark or Francis Parkman's OREGON TRAIL. The book is broken into three parts: Park's travel narrative , Marsters' Introduction & Major Rennell's Geographical Illustrations Of Mr. Park's Journey (which is rather dry and dated).

   The main work is a narrative of Park's travels from Barra, on the West African coast, to the town of Silla, just west of Jenne and his return to the western coast. Park provides many interesting details and asides, including that of Mumbo Jumbo (also mentioned by Francis Moore) for disciplining wayward wives. Park also spends a fair amount of time explaining local governments and social norms. Throughout, the account attempts some degree of neutrality while noting acts of kindness and avarice by various individuals and rulers; although, not surprisingly, he explicitly criticizes the Moors who continually interfered with his progress and those who robbed and stripped him. Perhaps his most disturbing account is of the female slave who becomes too sick to continue traveling with the coffle. The entire work puts black slaves and their families in a very sympathetic light and shows the slave trade at its worst; although, due to the continuing conditions of slavery and internal conquest pre-dating major European involvement in the trade, Park stated that the termination of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade would not provide as great a benefit to the populace in Africa as many hoped.

   The Introduction is important in providing the history of Park's early years, the important role of the African Association and its leader, Sir Joseph Banks. More importantly the Introduction deals with the Bryan Edwards controversy. Richard Burton and Orlando Patterson's criticisms have held that internal African slavery and slave trading was not nearly so prevalent as suggested by Park. In light of this, Marsters' statement that Joseph Banks, a critic of slavery, had to approve every piece of Edward's editing becomes extremely important. In addition, it is made clear that the reason for the stylistic differences is that the original TRAVELS was a book derived from Park's notes whereas the published work of his second, ill-fated journey was merely a compilation of those notes retrieved from the dead man's party!

   All-in-all, an excellent and informative read!




4. I have just finished reading the Kindle version of this book, and found it fascinating reading. Mr. Park is an amazing explorer. The story of his initial adventures is amazing and humbling. He really was a persistent guy!
   
   Worth reading for the insights to slavery as it existed in those days, as well as traveling both as a priveleged white man and later as a fugitive.
   
   The Kindle version works well and was cheap. I doubt I could have found this book readable or affordable in its initial form.

2 comments about Pay Dirt: Fortunes and Misfortunes of an Alaskan Gold Miner.

1. I live in interior Alaska and have lived at a gold mine myself, and the story told here is not only interesting, but very true to life. I found it an easy read, an enjoyable story, and a book I know I will keep on my shelf and read again. Otis shares his first-hand view of the life of a miner, and tells his story with all the ups and downs he encounters with a sense of humor. Buy two copies, you'll want to share this one with a friend.



2. This book details Otis Hahn's experience of following his dreams to mine for gold in the interior of Alaska. After leaving his Minnesota farm to one of his sons, Hahn and his wife Audrey travel to bush Alaska, where he purchases the Bear Creek mine located about 100 miles north of McGrath. At Bear Creek they not only face the challenges of the backcountry, but also face the back breaking work of operating a mine in a remote area. They face encounters with bears, transportation and equipment problems, the wicked Alaskan winter, and uncertainties about the existence of gold in this mine. A highly readable book and an inspiring story.

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