Editorial Review

From Susan Casey, bestselling author of The Devil’s Teeth, an astonishing book about colossal,  ship-swallowing rogue waves and the surfers who seek them out.

For centuries, mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100-feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dis­missed these stories—waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet’s waters. They found their proof in February 2000, when a British research vessel was trapped in a vortex of impossibly mammoth waves in the North Sea—including several that approached 100 feet.

As scientists scramble to understand this phenomenon, others view the giant waves as the ultimate challenge. These are extreme surfers who fly around the world trying to ride the ocean’s most destructive monsters. The pioneer of extreme surfing is the legendary Laird Hamilton, who, with a group of friends in Hawaii, figured out how to board suicidally large waves of 70 and 80 feet. Casey follows this unique tribe of peo­ple as they seek to conquer the holy grail of their sport, a 100­-foot wave.

In this mesmerizing account, the exploits of Hamilton and his fellow surfers are juxtaposed against scientists’ urgent efforts to understand the destructive powers of waves—from the tsunami that wiped out 250,000 people in the Pacific in 2004 to the 1,740-foot-wave that recently leveled part of the Alaskan coast.

Like Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, The Wave brilliantly portrays human beings confronting nature at its most ferocious. ... Read more

Reviews

The Discovery Channel meets ESPN, September 2, 2010

Well written ultra press release for The Laird...Ultimate Wave Guy (TM), September 5, 2010

she's not one of the boys yet, October 22, 2010
the book begins excitingly - susan casey is a tour de force when it comes to research. she knows her subject and does all the homework, ranging over continents to talk to sources in science and industry and sport. she obviously has money, because she spares nothing in expense. she also has an amazing ability to bring esoteric concepts to life by translating the phenomenon of these giant waves into little images and analogies that the reader can relate to - she writes vibrant, muscular prose. what disappointed me: when she finally gets to the big waves and big wave surfers, that boldness seems to dissipate. and she writes like a schoolgirl with a crush on things like laird's hamilton's muscles. no longer the intrepid adventurer, she writes about quivering with fear and nervousness at actually going out with the surfers to the wave break-- but in the flank of it, where all the boats and skis sit, the safe zone. she has a tin ear for her own dialogue - her questions seem to be suddenly a whole 6 octaves stupider, focused on feelings and "how do you feel" questions to men she's already characterized as not much for excess words. women surfers appear almost nowhere in the book. the more it annoyed me, the more i began to see casey as just another goggle-eyed chick in a bikini, and i was disappointed because her book began with such a dramatic crackle of energy. when i researched around and read on laird's website that she made a financial deal to pay for access to his world, i felt even more disappointed.

so i went back to read her first book, about great white sharks. same tendencies. amazing writing, with the same snap crackle pop of good prose. prodigious research, and capacious funds to undertake it. and yet somehow in the middle of the book she becomes all thumbs - afraid to jump from a sailboat to a dinghy, afraid to bait a fishhook, afraid of the dark, afraid of ghosts. afraid her expensive underwear will get taken by a storm. pointing out that she feels sexy wearing fashion rugged gear in the company of men. once again she never really mentions the women interns who are actually living at the farralones - who actually deal every day with the things she finds overwhelming as a visitor. they're there, but the experiences she focuses on are her own, not the experiences of those with more mileage and qualifications under their sexy belts. when a shark researcher shows up (and yes, he's handsome!!! picture included!!) she admires his muscular forearms but seems vague about what he actually does. they go to the aquarium together at the end. meanwhile she manages to lose a sailboat, set off government inquisitions and insurance claims, break federal regulations, and get one of the top research scientists fired from his job, with not so much as a fare-thee-well of regret for being the cause of so much trouble.

i look forward to the day when casey goes through the teeth of an experience and develops a little stamina and endurance of her own. so far both her books are based on having watched specials produced by others on tv - which means it's a recycled experience, more or less. someone else pointed the way, and she picked up well on the clues, but the path was already given. and she comes across as an amazing woman who still gets self-conscious and intimidated being in the world of rugged men. her claim to fame is access, not achievement. she has too much talent to waste on schoolgirl crushes. the best adventure journalists of our time don't just get their la perla underwear dirty - they write having already gone through transforming adventures of their own.

apologies to all concerned. as a woman writing and working in the world of men, i took these observations as a cautionary tale about tone. and tone-deafness. and being naive instead of weatherbeaten.

Waves Are Not Measured In Feet Or Inches But In Increments Of Fear, September 9, 2010

More the book about and from a extreme surfer groupie..., December 1, 2010
...than a book about waves! Susan Casey is obviously fascinated by extreme surfers and spends most of the book on them, their close calls, their family life etc... Now, granted that it is a fascinating life but despite her breathless prose, one does not really get the scale of what these guys are doing: maybe a video of them riding those monsters and talking about would do more justice to their accomplishments. But, in all that, what I had bought the book for, thinking on the basis of early reviews that it would be dealing with the forces creating these monster waves, was basically lost even when eventually she talked to scientists, drawing out of them more their personal experiences than the science of it. A more accurate title would be something like "In pursuit of the ultimate ride"

Surf's UP!!!!!, November 12, 2010
An incredible account of nature in all her unsettled splendor. I was thoroughly caught up in the telling of how the oceans spawn monstrous waves which are both awesome to behold and at the same time can be devastating to people, ships, and the land.

Ms. Casey wrote a wonderful book based on scientific evidence and personal accounts from many people who study, live and play on the world's oceans.

Imagine surfing on a 70ft wall of water. Too hard to imagine? Look up at a 7 or 8 story building, then stand next to it and look straight up. That's where the surfer drops into the moving wave of energy. Can you feel it?

Photos of ships being pummeled by giant waves; of the devastation left behind when monster waves hit land; and of the very brave people who surf these giants are included.

I love this book! I grew up on the east coast and remember some very large waves that hit beaches during stormy weather. The waves described in the book far outweigh my experiences.

A must read for anyone who thinks about global warming, and how weather is dynamically changing the very face of the oceans.

The ocean is full of unpredictable forces and characters too, December 14, 2010
Here we are presented with a concept book that attempts to hold various subjects, incidents and characters together around one unifying piece of information. That the ocean is full of unpredictable forces that create huge waves, some as high at 100 feet. We join the crew and scientist aboard the RRS Discovery in the North Sea as it is hurled about for days. We attend scientific workshops where mathematicians try and study waves. Find out climate change is going to make the oceans even more unpredictable. We learn two large ships sink each week on average (worldwide) and no one ever studies the cause as we do with airplanes that crash. Their disappearance is simply recorded as the results of "bad weather". Susan Casey then layers on top of this what I found to be the complete idiocy of big wave tow surfing with Laird Hamilton of Maui as the main character we are to identify with. He is sort of the Spiderman of surfing. He and his buddies (in conjunction with the surfing industry who at one point offer $100,000 to the first person who successfully rides a 100 foot wave) risk life (several surfers deaths are covered in the narrative) to just get the rush of the big wave. And interestingly enough it does not count if it is not filmed so we also meet an incredible group of surf photographers. So you mix all this into the stew and bounce around a lot and you find yourself loving and hating the book.
For me reading is much the joy of learning things you never knew or would know if you had not read a given book. And there is lots to learn in THE WAVE about the ocean and the phenomena of big waves and I doubt many people have heard of the sport of tow surfing or how one goes about doing it. Or that the biggest waves to surf are found some 100 miles off the coast of San Diego in some 6 foot deep water which covers the tops of a huge mountain range, an area called the Cortes Bank. So the book has much to offer. What seems wrong is its balance. The surfers, especially the hero worship of Laird Hamilton gets old after a while. Does Susan Casey ever think Laird's actions as a father with a family are a bit irresponsible no matter his skill and Zen like personality? Is he really a wave whisperer with no warts?
The interesting character for me at the end of the book is Laird's buddy Brett Lickle who having suffered a major injury which left his left leg with a scar that was "though his entire calf had been melted" (and have being saved by Laird Hamilton) stands on a cliff watching his friends challenge the latest Maui big waves. Lickle made it clear that he no longer misses "the circus, the jeopardy, the nerves" by saying, "The only thing I'll say is that the accident was a kind of ticket out, you know what I mean? What we had was a gang. And you couldn't get out of the gang. There was no way out. There's so much peer pressure like, `come on, you're the man! Let's go!' You can't just walk away because.....you can't. But if you get shot up and almost die, they let you out." For the surfers the big waves are a personal challenge and thrill like climbing a mountain. For the scientist and ships crews the waves are something to respect and fear.
If the subject interests you which I am betting it does I believe you will enjoy the book although I found it very uneven and is a bit to hero worshiping in its promotion of the tow surfing culture.

Scientists, ships and lots of surfing, October 1, 2010
Susan Casey is a captivating writer. Somehow she is able to take the concept of something as comparatively non-threatening as waves and spin it into an interesting tale, highlighting how wrong I was about the pretty waves breaking on the beach.

Casey interviews mariners, Lloyd's of London reps, physicists, and--primarily--surfers about their experiences with and predictions for a huuge wave, dude. The science is a little glossed over but I suspect that it would be difficult to go into wave physics in more depth without the reader glazing over. I really did enjoy the section about Lloyd's of London and their history in insuring ships (and Tina Turner's legs, of course).

The major problem with Casey's approach is I think she got a bit too caught up in the surfing scene. For each original section where she talked to a scientists about their dire predictions for the potential destructivenss of waves, or someone on a ship who had been caught in a wave, etc., she intersperses it with a scene about another wave-chasing day with the surfers, and it got a bit repetitive by the end of the book. I don't know, I think I would have admired the surfers more had I actually known a little less about them by the time the book was over. Anyway, this flaw wasn't enough to drop it to 3 stars. I learned a fair bit about surfing, and I finished the book in awe of the giant waves that could pay us a visit any time they like.

Radical brah, September 27, 2010
My surfing experience is limited to boogie boarding in San Diego when I was 22, but I had many surfing dreams for about a year after that. Whatever it is, it is powerful. Still, like many others I expected less surfers and a little more exploration into others who deal or have dealt with massive waves, but I still enjoyed the book.

More Stories than Science of Waves, but Conveys Their Beauty and Destructive Power., September 2, 2010

Editorial Review

The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in). ... Read more

Reviews

More than a hiking narative., May 10, 2000
This is much more than a travelogue of two neophyte hikers on the Appalachian Trail, and readers looking for a blow by blow account of the travails of Bill Bryson and his companion, Stephen Katz, will be disappointed. Hiking provides only a backdrop to a heartfelt discourse on the social condition of America, local history, the environment, and the complexities of friendship. The pretext for the book was Bryson's return to the United States after twenty years in Britain, and his interest in "rediscovering America" after such a lengthy absence.

The vast majority of the reviews of the book cite its hilarity (one reviewer called it "choke-on-your-coffee funny"), and indeed there are very many funny parts. However, the deeper I got into the book, I detected a strong shift in the author's sentiment from satire to deep introspection. His observations became more acute, more angry, and more individualized as his long hike constantly brings to his mind the fragile environment of the Trail, the insanity of bureacrats entrusted with the AT, and his own personal limitations.

This was my first encounter with Bill Bryson, and while I found him entertaining, a beautiful writer, and an astute observer, some readers will be put off my his sharp satiric wit. It is certain that he will offend somebody. A friend of mine, who also read the book, was very much upset by the fact that Bryson and Katz didn't hike all 2,200 miles of the Trail, and that somehow their "failure" should prevent the telling of the story. This is utter nonsense and just throws more manure onto the present dung heap that has accumulated from the participants involved in peak bagging, wilderness races, and experiential therapy groups.

Bryson and Katz at least tried to hike the entire AT, and they returned from their hike as changed men who learned many lessons about the wilderness and friendship. Towards the end of the book, the two men are talking about the hike. When Katz remarks that "we did it," Bryson reminds him that they didn't even see Mount Katahdin, much less climb it. Katz says, "Another mountain. How many do you need to see, Bryson?" I agree with Katz (and ultimately Bryson). They hiked the Appalachian Trail.

I strongly recommend it to anyone, February 7, 2000
A Walk in the Woods is a travel memoir on the Appalachian Trail, one of America's greatest hiking routes. The author, Bill Bryson lived in England for 20 years and came back to the United States with the urge to go on a long hike. Stephen Katz, an old college friend, and a former alcoholic accompanies him. Both men are out of shape, and beginners at hiking, so it is a wonder how they can endure such hardships along the trail. They had to carry a pack that contained their tents, food, water, clothes and other items. Katz and other interesting characters provide the book with much comic relief to keep the reader involved. At some points in the book I was laughing out loud. Along the journey they meet many people including Mary Ellen a slow-minded woman who follows them around, and Beulah, a fat woman with a very angry husband. The commentary about the long, rich history of the Appalachian Trail brings insight on the wilderness that we hardly know about. It also speaks for the preservation of the forestry and animals that we take for granted in the city. After reading this book I have more appreciation of the wilderness, and an interest in going hiking myself. One downside of the book was that some points in the book the author expanded the book with knowledge that made it a little less interesting, then the actual story. But I liked how Bryson went back and forth to discuss his journey and the history, creating a balance of interests. This book will offer something to any type of reader because it is funny, and contains a lot of historical information, and is interesting enough to keep the reader to keep going. But for someone who wishes to go on a hike, this is not a how to guide. It is also not an amazing adventure of two men and the great outdoors. What this book has to offer is an entertaining journey of two regular guys, who decide to go on a hike along one of the most difficult trails in the United States. I am highly recommending this book, and it will truly leave the reader entertained.

Interesting history of the trail, second half less compelling than the first., September 23, 2006
As both a Bill Bryson fan and a long distance hiker myself (although I have not done the Appalachian Trail yet) I really expected to love A Walk in the Woods. I was a little bit concerned, since when my partner handed it to me (he finished the book first) he said, "I don't think you're going to like it..." But still, I was really looking forward to reading it.

For the first half of the book, I also really did enjoy the book. I wasn't bothered by the fact that they were unprepared or out of shape. Nobody is really prepared for their first long distance hiking trip until they are a few weeks into the trail. I remember my own experience of staggering along under my overly ambitious pack. I also enjoyed that he talked honestly about the experience of hiking, and I liked the way that he interspersed history and facts about the trail with the travel writing.

The second half, however, got much less interesting. The day trips and the abortive Maine portion were actually kind of disheartening. The whole feel of the prose got sort of mean spirited. He didn't have to walk the whole trail to feel like he walked it, but I honestly would have preferred to see him expand the first half and leave the second half out completely.

There is still quite a bit of good stuff in here, particularly if you are interested in the southern part of the trail. There is also quite a bit of truth about the culture of the long distance hikers. I laughed quite a bit while I read. I guess that the complaints boiled down to not quite being as good as it could have been.

Laugh out loud funny!, January 8, 2000
Very seldom do I read anything that makes me laugh out loud. To do so more than once or twice in a single book almost never happens. With "Walk," I became almost hysterical over certain chapters - in an airport, no less, while waiting for my flight. People must have thought I was nuts! Anyway, this is the story of two middle-aged and out of shape men (Bryson and his buddy, Katz) who decide to hike the Appalachian Trail. The AT is the third longest nature trail in the US, stretching from Georgia to Maine, along some incredibly rough terrain. Not all of their journey is rustic, however, as they often take a break to spend a night in the closest little town off the trail to have a shower, sleep in a "real" bed, and wash the grime from their clothes. It is during one such trip to the laundromat that Katz has a rather interesting encounter with 300 lb. Beaulah, her extra-large-sized panties, and a washing machine. Aside from the comical adventures, Bryson also has a great deal to say about the AT itself, and in particular, how much the National Parks Service needs a giant kick in the pants to help preserve these Trails.

It's not only funny, it's educational., March 19, 2007
Bill Bryson has a great sense of humor and an excellent, precise way of expressing it. My husband had just had heart surgery when I started reading this book. I was concerned that my LOL while reading A Walk in the Woods might disturb him as I sat next to his hospital bed. However, on the other hand, I thought it might expedite the healing process. He told me later he heard me laughing and it made him feel better. So, there you go, Bill, your book is good for heart patients!!

Bill and buddy, Stephen Katz, the only person to take Bill up on the offer to join him as he hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1997?, began their odyssey on March 9 (this just happened to be the day I began reading the book...2007). The laughs came early and continued throughout, though parts of the book are more history and information than comedy. I took notes in these sections.

Both Bryson and Katz were out of shape when they hit the AT, but Bill noticed his body slimming and becoming more svelte right away (one thing I looked for, but never found, was word on how the adventure affected Katz's weight and figure. I would've been interested in knowing that). The men hiked the AT in two segments and, incidentally, did not hike the entire trail, which they decided was okay. I agree. At any rate, they hiked a few weeks in pre- and early spring and again in the heat of August. While they were off the trail, Bryson took day trips to walk parts of the AT between where he and Katz left off and the Hundred Mile Wilderness in Maine they planned to hike in August. This book not only tells the tale of two men attempting to walk the 2,200 miles of the AT, but is full of history lessons, geological and geographical information, stories of lost/doomed hikers, and social intercourse (i.e., the more than rude, self-centered, and boorish hikers the boys meet on their next to last day on the trail the first time).

This book is a good companion so read it slowly, digest it thoroughly, and you will enjoy it immensely.

Carolyn Rowe Hill

Nature writing and a travelogue with "oomph"!, August 18, 2007
Perhaps it was a fit of angst dealing with his own personal version of a mid-life crisis that led Bill Bryson to tackle the challenge of hiking the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail! It was certainly a solid understanding of his own personality and clear recognition of his own physical and mental limitations that prompted him to invite his friend, Stephen Katz, an overweight and out of shape recovering alcoholic with an inordinate fondness for snack foods and cream soda to accompany him on this daunting challenge. The demands of the AT ultimately proved too much for Bryson and Katz who sensibly (and with an almost relieved sense of philosophical acceptance) decided to abandon the notion of a complete through hike. But the resulting story, drawn from Bryson's daily journal of the summer's efforts, is an overwhelming success and pure joy in the reading.

"A Walk in the Woods" is an extraordinary, entertaining travelogue on both the AT - the Appalachian Trail - and the people and places of small town America that dot the trail's path along the eastern seaboard from Georgia to Maine. At the same time, it is much, much more. Bryson is scathing in his political commentary and almost enraged criticism of the ongoing state of mismanagement and the sadly misguided policies of both the Parks and Forest Services of the US government. "A Walk in the Woods" is also a deeply moving introspective examination on the nature of friendship, family, perseverance, joy and despondency. As he and Katz amble along rock strewn trails dappled with sunlight broken by the leafy forest canopy, Bryson frequently, effortlessly and almost without our even noticing the change, wanders metaphorically off the main trail and onto a side path of lightweight but nonetheless informative and educational sidebars of nature writing on an amazingly wide variety of topics. Glaciation, bears, bugs, ecology, continental drift, hypothermia, hypoxia and weather are only a few examples of the topics which he elucidates for the lay reader with his clear, concise prose.

Then there is the humour! It is perhaps an understatement to say that, in this regard, Bryson has a rare gift. He has treated his readers to laughs originating in every imaginable corner of the vast world of humour - wry sardonic wit; biting satire; slapstick; self effacement; sarcasm and insults; fear; and even extended comedy sketches worthy of stage or television. His description of the astonishingly stupid and entirely self-absorbed fellow hiker Mary Ellen who has the annoying habit of constantly clearing her sinuses with a grating honk is definitely laugh-out-loud material.

Pure entertainment and enjoyment from first page to last. I believe Bill Bryson would consider it a compliment if I suggested that "A Walk in the Woods" is the first book I've ever read with a smile on my face during every single moment of the reading. Highly recommended - even if you've never spent a single night under nylon in the woods.

Paul Weiss

Funny and informative., February 27, 2002
Bill Bryson's travel writing has influenced my personal life in no small way. His 1989 book "The Lost Continent" (which I first discovered in 1996 and have since revisited many times), documenting his (mis)adventures driving cross-country in the United States, played a significant role in my own decision to hit the road and see this fascinating nation for myself. (Coincidentally, I am currently writing this review from Iowa, Bryson's birthplace and frequent target of his signature dry wit.) Having spent the greater part of his adult life abroad in England, Bryson returned to the United States with his family several years ago, settling in a small town in New Hampshire, to rediscover the land he'd left as a youth. He has since written two books about his time spent in America, one of them being "A Walk in the Woods", Bryson's account of his experiences hiking the renowned Appalachian Trail.

Considered by many to be the Holy Grail of hiking trails in the United States, the Appalachian Trail runs approximately 2,100 miles long, stretching from Georgia to Maine and passing through 12 additional states along the way. Every year, hundreds of people attempt to walk the entire length of the trail from beginning to end, with only a small portion of them successfully completing the endeavor. Known as "thru-hikers", the majority of these aspiring individuals underestimate the sheer scope and arduousness of the undertaking. Most drop out well before the halfway point. Those who persevere are treated to extreme temperatures hot and cold, gruesomely harsh terrains, unrelenting winds and rainfall, a wide variety of wild predators, and some of the most awesomely scenic sights of natural beauty on earth.

Bryson begins his own trek along the Appalachian Trail admittedly inexperienced and somewhat out-of-shape. Accompanied by an oafish college buddy named Katz with whom he shares a decidedly odd love-hate relationship (it often feels like Katz's sole purpose in being there is so that Bryson will always have someone to make fun of), the two set off with full backpacks on what promises to be a journey filled with humor, wit, insight and adventure. Along the way they encounter other hikers (some highly eccentric in disposition), endure the hardships of bad weather, visit neighboring small towns, and cover more ground on foot in a scant few weeks than most of us will in an entire year. Eventually they end their first phase of the hike in northern Virginia and part separate ways. Bryson continues to investigate key points along the trail in short spurts over the next several months, embarking on daytrips and brief overnighters in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New England. In the last section of the book Bryson and Katz reunite to tackle the final hundred-mile stretch of the trail in Maine. Although Bryson never actually completes the entire length of the trail in true "thru-hike" fashion, he explores enough of it from enough different places to ensure that his description of the Appalachian Trial overall is valid and well-informed.

If you have read any of Bryson's previous books, you will be familiar with his penchant for digressing from the main line of action to muse on various tidbits of history, factoids and trivia. In one paragraph he'll be admiring the splendid view from a mountaintop; in the next he's providing an overview of the trail's origins. Some of this information, especially when it pertains to the ecological aspects of the Appalachian Trail, is genuinely fascinating. Bryson is also well-known for his wry and witty observations about virtually everything he encounters: from the exasperating science of shopping for hiking gear, to the shoddy upkeep of certain portions of the trail. Though not as laugh-out-loud funny as some of his other works, there are plenty of moments scattered throughout the book that will inspire a hearty chuckle. He also does an admirable job of conveying the beauty and grandeur, not to mention the less attractive elements, of the Appalachian Trail. Although you never obtain a true sense of actually "being there" from reading his descriptive passages, Bryson nevertheless provides an adequate depiction of what it must feel like to embark on this epic journey.

There is something agreeably comforting in reading a book by Bryson, who comes across as a friendly, educated, next-door-neighbor type of guy who would make a fine traveling companion. His informal, chatty writing style is ideally suited for a warm, lazy summer's afternoon sitting on the front porch with a glass of lemonade by your side. It's a pleasant, light reading experience that provides equal doses of laughter and insight. Although "A Walk in the Woods" is not particularly romantic, it is affectionate and sentimental in the right places, and may very well inspire me to someday throw on a pair of hiking boots and head off for a little 2,100-mile walk of my own.

You will LOVE this book!, November 18, 1999
Fair Warning -- do not read this book while commuting - you will be laughing so uncontrolably you will risk being committed by your fellow commuters. I have loaned this book to 3 friends - in each case, the spouse was so intrigued by the constant belly laughs that they also read the book before returning it. One friend bought copies for Christmas presents. The appeal is that universal. I dare say even those with no interest in backpacking or the Appalachian Trail would find the book highly entertaining.

Laughing out loud while I'm riding the train, April 7, 2007
I'm about 2/3 of the way through this amazing book and have to let everyone know that you need to read this one. I have been reading it during my train commute, grinning from ear to ear, and cackling out loud every few minutes.

The book alternates between a hilarous telling of a lengthy hike along the Appalachian Trail by the author and his out-of-shape buddy Stephen, and a well-researched description of the AT's construction, history, & ecology. The stories of their hiking-gear research, the author's deathly fear of bears, and their run-ins with neurotic fellow hiker Mary Ellen had me in tears.

This book ties with "Catch 22" as the funniest I've ever read, just ahead of Palahniuk's "Lullaby".

Half good read, half disappointment, August 30, 2004
If you are looking for a book that describes the experience of hiking the ENTIRE Applachian Trail (a.k.a. "the AT," per hiking lingo)in a year's time, then do NOT read this book.

Yep, you read that sentence correctly. This is NOT that kind of book.

Knowing this one important fact in advance (as the book jacket copy does not disclose this), then you won't be disappointed as I was when I hit the point, midway through the book, when Bryson and Katz, a friend from high school days who decides to accompany Bryson on the AT, make the decision to stop at Front Royal, Virginia, part ways for a few months, and then resume the hike later that same year in Maine's Hundred Miles Wilderness. (They don't even bother to hike the entire segment from the start of the AT to Front Royal, getting into a cab at one point to take them further along the trail.)

The first half of the book is incredibly funny and educational as Bryson prepares for the hike and begins to learn about the history of the AT. He also begins to face the truth of what it means to make this type of journey. Hiking the entire AT in a year is, after all, not your typical Sunday afternoon hike or 3-day backpacking holiday in the Sierra Mountain range. The piece on the dangers of bears is especially fine writing, and places the issue of bears in the larger context of the wilderness lands that surround us, even in large urban centers. Bryson skillfully weaves current events, history, and anecdotes about the AT.

However, the quality of the book suffers once Bryson and Katz finish the first part of their great adventure. Bryson's writing almost mirrors the disappointment he must have felt, knowing he wasn't going to finish the trail but still had to complete the writing of this book. The writing in the second half is sketchy and almost haphazard, seemingly written in bits and pieces that lack the loving flow, attention to detail, and story-telling that mark the first half of the book.

This is my first book by Bryson, and I may pick up another of his books, although I'll probably borrow it from the library rather than buy it. "A Walk in the Woods" is probably best saved for readers who already know Bryson's work from other books and are already-won fans of his writing style. ... Read more

Editorial Review

One of the most extraordinary survival stories ever told -- Aron Ralston's searing account of his six days trapped in one of the most remote spots in America, and how one inspired act of bravery brought him home.

It started out as a simple hike in the Utah canyonlands on a warm Saturday afternoon. For Aron Ralston, a twenty-seven-year-old mountaineer and outdoorsman, a walk into the remote Blue John Canyon was a chance to get a break from a winter of solo climbing Colorado's highest and toughest peaks. He'd earned this weekend vacation, and though he met two charming women along the way, by early afternoon he finally found himself in his element: alone, with just the beauty of the natural world all around him.

It was 2:41 P.M. Eight miles from his truck, in a deep and narrow slot canyon, Aron was climbing down off a wedged boulder when the rock suddenly, and terrifyingly, came loose. Before he could get out of the way, the falling stone pinned his right hand and wrist against the canyon wall.

And so began six days of hell for Aron Ralston. With scant water and little food, no jacket for the painfully cold nights, and the terrible knowledge that he'd told no one where he was headed, he found himself facing a lingering death -- trapped by an 800-pound boulder 100 feet down in the bottom of a canyon. As he eliminated his escape options one by one through the days, Aron faced the full horror of his predicament: By the time any possible search and rescue effort would begin, he'd most probably have died of dehydration, if a flash flood didn't drown him before that.

What does one do in the face of almost certain death? Using the video camera from his pack, Aron began recording his grateful good-byes to his family and friends all over the country, thinking back over a life filled with adventure, and documenting a last will and testament with the hope that someone would find it. (For their part, his family and friends had instigated a major search for Aron, the amazing details of which are also documented here for the first time.) The knowledge of their love kept Aron Ralston alive, until a divine inspiration on Thursday morning solved the riddle of the boulder. Aron then committed the most extreme act imaginable to save himself.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place -- a brilliantly written, funny, honest, inspiring, and downright astonishing report from the line where death meets life -- will surely take its place in the annals of classic adventure stories. ... Read more

Reviews

Compelling, riveting tale of survival and human strength
I agree with the last reviewer. The fact that Aron Ralston used poor judgment, i.e. hiking alone and not telling anyone where he was, only makes his story more compelling. Hasn't everyone made a huge mistake that leads to a painful, regretful plight?
Calling the media sensationalistic,in this instance, is just plain silly--amputing one's arm in order to save one's life IS a sensational, highly unusual event. I don't think the media or Aron is making it anything more than what it was. The charge that Aron is self-promoting is just as ridiculous. After you read the book, you will see that Ralston is a humble person with great integrity and strength. He is simply telling his own, true, unbelievable story. Bottomline, this book is incredibly well-written, moving and not to be missed.

Must-read literature
Aron's story is intelligent, sincere, warm and at many times, funny. As amazing as the story of his ordeal is, what is nearly as amazing is that something this well-written was created by the person it involved, not a ghost writer. It is nothing short of fine literature, not to mention an obviously compelling story.

Aron inspires us all. He shows us that a motivated person can save himself, and that the force of life can beat unbelievable odds against the force of death. ... Read more

Editorial Review

THE “EXTRAORDINARY” (Booklist) #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER—THE “HARROWING” (The Washington Post) SURVIVOR’S MEMOIR YOU WILL NEVER FORGET

Aron Ralston, an experienced twenty-seven-year-old outdoorsman, was on a day’s solitary hike through a remote and narrow Utah canyon when he dislodged an eight-hundred- pound boulder that crushed his right hand and wrist against the canyon wall. Emerging from the searing pain, Aron found himself completely stuck. No one knew where he was; no one was coming to rescue him. With scant water and food, and a cheap pocketknife his only tool, he eliminated his options one by one. On the fifth night, wracked by delirium and uncontrollable shivers, Aron scratched his epitaph into the rock wall, certain he would not see daylight.

Yet with the new morning came an epiphany: if he could use the rock’s vise-like hold to break his arm bones, his blunted pocketknife could serve as a surgeon’s blade. . . . ... Read more

Reviews

one of the best books i've read., December 17, 2010
I'm not sure who these reviewers are who have such pity for Aron Ralston, or who think he's a "dumbf--k" for his risk-taking, or who think he hasnt learned something of crucial importance from his experience at Blue John Canyon. Either they missed the point of this incredible story, or I did. Given how deeply this book touched me, I'd say it's a safe bet that it wasnt me that missed the point.

The story of his saga in the canyon is retold in this book in often excruciating detail, to the point where I sometimes found my hands clenching, my heart pounding, my eyes welling with tears as he reminisced, hallucinated, struggled with things that seem to me the very core of being human - in particular, discovering a greater appreciation for the people we love.

I would recommend this book to all but maybe the most squeamish of individuals, and even then I would suggest sucking it up and reading it anyway. This story is inspiring in so many ways. Totally worth reading.

Aron, if you're reading these reviews....thank you. Your suffering was not in vain, my friend. And i thank you for sharing it with all of us.

A Fabulous Compendium of Adventure Stories, December 14, 2010
This book was well written and a great read. I was delighted by the central story's backdrop of numerous other contrasting adventures Mr. Ralston experienced scaling mountains in the wild on his own - in the winter. I was wowed by the unexpected depth and breadth of his numerous solo expedition experiences. I particularly enjoyed the bear-stalking story from the Tetons.

Mr. Ralston is a person singularly intent on achieving his goals despite any extenuating circumstances. And he pays for his myopia - dearly. The numerous messages to readers are self-evident within the storylines of his tales: leave your food accessible, get stalked by a bear; lead your friends down a chute with questionable snowpack stability, almost kill one of them; canyoneer in a remote area without notifying anyone of your whereabouts, lose an arm. One thing I think we can all admire about Mr. Ralston is his relentless (albeit at times thoroughly reckless) pursuit of high adventure in the great outdoors, a sentiment many of us stubbornly harbor in our modernized cyberspace world.

Thank you for your stories, Mr. Ralston.

Only 12 hours to read this good book!, November 22, 2010
Aron Ralston is a gifted writer and a very adept and prolific climber/mountaineer/canyon explorer.
It was impossible to put this book down, once I got my reading underway. Ralston alternates between his BlueJohn Canyon mishap, and his vast prior experiences in the wild. There are many stories of Ralston being out in the wilderness and he is careful to include all sorts of details. Sometimes - if you were to ask my opinion, he includes way too many technical details ... not every person reading this exciting book will appreciate all the dry techie details but it's doable.
He does include a special mountaineering glossary in the rear of the book, which is very handy.

What I was interested in most however, was understanding the inner psyche of Aron - I wanted to understand the mental process he had to undergo in order to sever his right forearm....once he was trapped deep within a slot canyon, with no chance of somebody coming along to help. He being right-handed, his right hand was the more valuable of the two hands he could have lost.
Fate dealt him this hand, and with great stamina and stoicism, he had to do the deed.
And he had to do it with a very dull knife - which was a gift given to him by his own mother. So, on one hand - she should have splurged and bought him a top of the line knife, not a cheapie.
But on the other hand, had she not have given him this cheapie knife, he would have died at the hand of the rock. So it is seen that his mother handed him back his life - during a very dark hour of choosing.
The woman who birthed him 27 years earlier was the same woman who inadvertently handed him back his life, when it hung by a fragile balance. Oh, the irony of it all!

Nurses would attempt to understand his psyche by assigning him a self-mutilation nursing diagnosis, as approved by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Assocation of America.
Self mutilation related to right hand pinned by 800 pound (immobile) boulder while canyoneering, as evidenced by (self) amputation of right distal forearm.
The goal would be that he would not place himself in any other similar area of risk ever again - but we all know that Mr. Ralston is out there still; engaging full-heartedly in mountain climbing and whatnot. The question is, is he full-hearty or fool-hearty? The jury's still out on that one.

I am glad that Mr. Ralston survived this terrible ordeal. Why he didn't join up with his two angel friends of Blue John Canyon, Meghan and Kristi, when they met on the trail earlier on that fateful day - I will never understand - but I do beleive they were sent there by God to intervene with Ralston, but he stubbornly clung to his lonely pursuits.
I guess all things happen for a reason, but I fail to find any such reason to justify the sacrifical offering of ones' right hand?
The price was too high.

I just feel so sorry for the man, but he's alive and well and he's loving his life, so that's really the most important thing of all.

I hope he does all he can to protect the rest of his 3 surviving extremeties.

I highly recommend this interesting book; I also saw the movie, 127 Hours and I highly enjoyed the visual journey of the beautiful, otherworldly Utah Canyon Wildnerness. The red rocks are so gorgeous, and their spooky names add a frightful dimension to the experience of being out there in the desolute rock valley. The ancient maroon-colored pictographs etched on 300 foot-tall canyon walls add to the mystery of ancient peoples who once inhabited this desolate region. And to think that the 800 pound chokstone rock was around to silently witness all of that...but it remains to this day - motionless and aphasic.

Both versions of Ralstons's story are excellent stories - the book is able to explain vastly more vital information in it than the movie. I love both equally because they are unique ways to spin the yarn.

I wish Mr. Ralston and his family all the best.
Thank you, Mr. Ralston - for sharing your story and hopefully many young men will hear it and take precautions and tell someone WHERE they are headed before they leave the house, tell them WHEN they will be back and WHO they are going with. Most importantly, it's always best to hike with buddy or 3 or 4. Hiking solo is really asking for trouble, so - take a friend, people!!!!
Take a friend, take alot of food and water, and remember to pack that Swiss Army Knife in your pocket!!!
Guess what my 2 sons are getting in their stockings this Christmas? SWISS ARMY KNIVES!!!! Yes!
That's the most popular gift under the tree this year. Merry Christmas to all!!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

In 2003 David Miller, a 41 year-old engineer, quit his job to backpack 2172 miles from Georgia to Maine. His story is told here in Awol on the Appalachian Trail, an outstanding contemporary account of hiking on the A.T. It provides a vivid description of the Appalachian Mountains, the small towns threaded together by the trail, and people met along the way. Abundant photographs complement the book's exacting prose. This book puts the reader into the shoes of the long distance hiker, and draws parallels between lessons learned on the trail and challenges of everyday experience. It is entertaining and funny, insightful and informative. It is about liberation, motivation and perseverance. This book is for anyone who has ever wanted to break free from routine, anyone with a desire for adventure. ... Read more

Reviews

I've read many maybe most of AT Trail books out there...., June 11, 2006
and have found this to be one of the best among them. Strong writing and accounting from all of the parts of the trail make it a great book for those armchair AT Hikers like myself. It is a nice mix of everyday life and what it takes on the trail, trail relationships (some good, some bad), and various observations on life and the trail. What makes it all that more surprising is it is a Self-Published book. It is definitely worthy of a more tangible publishing house.
I have read other books that generalize large parts of the trail and spend more time on the spiritual, philosophical part of why they are doing the trail but David Miller does not make this a predominant part of the book. Additionally I appreciated hearing about parts of the trail that most books seem to skip and it is a timely account from the year 2003.

I also recommend Mic Lowther's book, "Walking North" for another nice combination of trail accountability and philosophy. Bill Schuettes "White Blaze Fever" is good for a great "nuts and bolts" account of the trail.

Required reading, September 11, 2006
'Awol on the Appalachian Trail' is, quite simply, a wonderful book from start to finish. I have to say that it is one of the most enjoyable, honest, and inspiring accounts that I have read in a long time. This is the best book on the AT that I have yet found.

David Miller / Awol describes his thru-hike on the trail from Georgia to Maine in vivid detail; you really do feel like you are on the trail with him, sharing the highs and lows of the challenge. The conditions of the hike, the fascinating people that he met, the personal and physical challenges, and the gorgeous scenery are all poured into the pages for the reader to soak in.

Although I have not hiked the trail myself, I imagine that this book is as close to doing it yourself as it comes. His ability to narrate the trials and tribulations without downplaying or changing the finer details was appreciated, especially for someone like myself who aspires to one day rise to the challenge of the AT.

The companion web site is fantastic, putting the book in perspective with a wide array of dazzling photos. I found myself referencing them many times as I read new sections of the book.

This book inspired me to take the challenge of hiking the AT and change my life. How many times can a book do that?

Final thoughts -- highly recommended. 5 stars.

Cubicle dweller finds freedom on the Appalachian Trail, February 26, 2007
In 2003 David Miller is 41 with a wife and three young daughters. He rejects his computer programming job, and with the consent of his family, starts up the AT. Thus the title.

Near the midpoint of the story, there is a quote: "too much hard work, too much pain, too much time away from my family ..." but he continues. This is a success story. Though he does not say so, David is one of the stronger AT thru-hikers, big miles, day after day. All the usual injuries occur, but these are endured, rather than used as a reason to leave the trail. There is a community of hikers, and the sharing of intense experiences day after day is almost addictive

The reader begins to get a feel for the rituals of shelters and in trail towns. After reading the book, a potential AT hiker should feel much more comfortable with what they are going to encounter. As I read the book, I kept visualizing the AT trails vs the ones I have hiked in California and in Europe - the AT seems much more difficult, though you have more frequent opportunities to get off the trail.

The overall tone of the book is strongly positive. That's a little difficult to explain, since there is a lot about hardship, but trust me, you will understand when you read it.

I recommend this to any long distance hiker, and particularly to someone planning to walk the Appalachian Trail.

Spot On, September 1, 2006
I thru-hiked the AT myself in '02 and can tell you this book does a great job of relaying what the experience is all about. David does a great job of balancing his account without getting too whimsical or too grounded. If your looking for an honest account of the rewards and hardships that one gets when they drop out of society for months and hike over 2000 miles, then you've found your book.

Wish it didn't have to end..., March 27, 2007
I've read many AT related books during my preperations to thru-hike the AT. This one is easily one of my favorites! David seems to fill the void between books that are all about the trials and tribulations of the trail and those that are like reading a stereo diagram. He brings the trail alive for any reader to experience. Little hints about water, conditions, health, and of course FOOD. The details are mixed with just enough "from the heart" moments that I found myself dissappointed the trip was over because I was enjoying his hike so much. It made me want to leave for the trail yesterday. I would most certainly call this a must read.

Stepping Out Without Skipping Out, February 18, 2007
To read this story is to live a vicarious adventure. Pick up the book, and boom, you're there. You feel the mist in your face, the cold mountain air in the morning, the sights and sounds of the wilderness, the rough, uneven terrain over root and rock, the smell of plants and earth, the taste of spring water, the setting sun chucking its final spears of the day into pastel clouds on the horizon, the taste of camp food, the familiar smell of sleeping bags and drying socks, and the weariness of body that imparts a sound sleep (or not).

At times you're a solitary soul traversing the length of the Colonies from South to North, alone but for the company of your thoughts, and the family back home that is pulling for you, waiting for you, loving you from afar. Other times you feel the comraderie of intersecting lives on the same trek, and the shared experiences along your way. "Oases of civilization" dot the journey, replete with many ordinary and some strange characters, and urban adventures that stand in stark contrast to the life that lies just beyond the town, where the trail picks up and nature reigns again.

The book is this and more. You finish the book and the pervasive thought that transcends even the wonderful story, the description of Pop Tarts surviving a nasty fall, the love of nature and humanity, and the overpowering sense of accomplishment but not wanting it to end, is the thought that this was an ordinary person stepping out without skipping out. This thought that a regular person with a regular life and responsibilities can accomplish this extraordinary thing, starting with resolve and a few unsure baby steps, is a thought that lingers long after the book is back on the shelf. This thought is like a small voice telling you that he did it and I can do it, too. It's not about hiking the Appalachian Trail any more, even though it could be. It's about taking chances in life and realizing that the biggest chance we take is failing to take a chance, failing to live and do things that really are possible, that are worth doing.

Inspirational Read!!, July 22, 2006
A fantastic in depth examination of physical and mental survival under the most demanding tests offered the common person in our modern age.

David (Awol) had me watery eyed at the very beginning when he said good-bye to his family to begin his thru-hike of the AT, then once again as he helped his youngest daughter finish the final climb with him. From that point on he had me walking invisibly right beside him for the rest of his 146 day ordeal. His accounting of injuries, the people he met along the way and the trail itself made me feel like I too was thru-hiking from Georgia to Maine. His well written accounts of his experiences, both physical and mental, inspired me to do better in my own daily life routines.

Most of us will never hike the AT, many will never see any part of it, but reading this book and enjoying as I did will sufficiently fulfill one's inner desire to thru-hike as a white blaze purist along side Awol, Ken and Marcia, Biscuit, Section 81 and all the other heroes you'll meet.

Thanks for the excellent adventure and advice for life., May 13, 2006
While this book is an excellent story of adventure and achieving the admirable goal of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, it is also a wonderful look at why one might want to embark on such an activity, and what may be gained from the effort. Those considering hiking the trail will gain much to prepare them for the hardships and increase their appetite for the rewards. Those who have never considered such an endeavor, may soon find themselves thinking about it.
It is rare to find someone capable of describing an experience such as this in such a rich and meaningful way. The author obviously learned much from the many physical tests and social interactions along the way, and found enjoyable ways to pass these lessons on to the reader. I recommend this book to anyone contemplating the AT, any other trail, or just continuing the trail of Life.

A busy bloggers opinion on Miller's AT sojourn, March 10, 2007
Miller's book kept me entranced from the first chapter and I read non-stop for a couple of hours. Not only was the description of the sometimes colorful characters he ran into on his sojourns amusing and poignant but his thought process appealed to mine as it bought to mind my own thoughts while I was out there. The first three chapters were particularly appealing to me as I had been out there in the same region and it seemed, like just yesterday that I too had walked this way. When he says "Alone, cruising serenely through the woods, is a situation that nurtures emotional liberation. In the bustle of everyday life there is no time for frivolous thoughts", I recalled the stressful time that I was going through with my divorce prior to my hike and remember how the AT was my head clearing mission.

As his journey along the trail we feel the distance he has put between him and the distant outside world, and how satisfying it is to sometimes put all our worries aside, and just live for today when he confides "In suburbia the din of traffic, machines, and the voices of other people were the norm. I didn't feel harassed by noise. In the forest I appreciate the quiet and the clarity of thought that it induces. It is a welcome unanticipated benefit. I feel unstressed, fit, alert and invigorated ..." He goes on to reiterate these thoughts a little later when he adds "...I have come to recognize that most of what is memorable and pleasing about my time on the trail are ordinary moments in the outdoors......It is fulfilling to be saturated with the sights, sounds and smells..."

For those uninitiated in the AT, and for those that have hiked on it themselves, the book captivates and enthralls, and we are as excited as Miller is when he reaches his goal at Mt. Katahdin and completes his 2170 mile thru-hike from Georgia to Maine.

Mark Sadler www.mps1956.blogspot.com

Take a hike!, May 3, 2006
Most of us will never have the opportunity or the inclination to do what David Miller did -- quit his job as a software engineer and take off on a 2,170 mile trek across the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. This is a well-written account of that 5-month trek, offering a wealth of information and colorful anecdotes for the serious hiker and armchair traveller alike. We meet colorful characters on and off the trail, encounter a few dangerous critters, and agonize with David when weather, homesickness and physical afflictions get him down.

Anyone contemplating a hike on the AT will find David's book to be an invaluable resource. But even someone like me, who will never take that hike, will be entranced by this lively and thoughtful account of his experience.

Mike Perez ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Nothing of substance here..., January 2, 2009
I bought this for my husband for Christmas. We're avid divers, and I thought it would a book that would inspire us to travel to different places to dive. I found nothing of substance here- not a lot of detail about either the places or pictures that would inspire someone to travel to these places. Save your money...

A fun book for a cold day, January 13, 2009
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it cover to cover within 2 days. It's a fast read. Each dive site gets about a 2 and 1/2 page description (some destinations get slightly more) with a dive expert giving a brief vignette on some of the highlights they have encountered at the site. The sites range from novice-friendly to much more complicated (for example, the first site listed is in Antarctica... not exactly luxury warm weather diving!!), but there is enough here to entertain divers of all levels.

If you are looking for an in depth analysis of a dive site, this probably isnt the right book for you. The descriptions are just too brief to use the book for that purpose. But if you're just looking for ideas... or if you have a particular large sea creature you are dying to sea (i.e. mola molas, humpbacks, various shark species), the book does a good job of pointing out places where you are more-likely to encounter them. It also hits on dive spots where the macro life is the highlight.

In response to one other's reviewers comments about not having a Red Sea or a Cuba destination, that comment is inaccurate. The Red Sea destination mentioned is Sha'ab Rumi, a location off the coast of Sudan. The author recommends a live aboard boat for this trip. For Cuba, the author recommends Jardines de la Reina, though he cautions US citizens who travel there that they do so at their own risk.

All in all, a fun book to read on a chilly winter day with a cup of coffee and a tired dog asleep at your feet (at least that's how I did it!).

Awesome Dive Book, December 12, 2009
I love this book. It has some wonderful details not normally found in dive books, such as suggested dive operators and little bits of information that you normally wouldn't know about unless you'd traveled to that spot previously. Great photography! Of the places I've been that are in the book, I found the information the book provided to be accurate as well. Nice coffee-table book. Everyone who visits picks it up and has to read a few pages.

OK coffee table book, April 10, 2010
Nice book with a fair number of pictures. The book can't decide if it is a travel advisory book or a coffee table book, and so misses on being great in either category. To be truly outstanding coffee table book, it would need more full page high quality photos. To be a truly outstanding travel advisory, it need more text and more opportunities for contact of dive operations/activities at each location. In the end, I found it to be a better coffee table book than a travel guide as many locations (that I have been to) had numerous omissions of services and local activities.

I dream about scuba diving, May 12, 2009
I am enjoying reading about places I have been and places I want to dive. Great compilation of dive reviews from around the world.

Nice, but incomplete, January 6, 2009
I am an advanced Diver for more than 15 years with over 200 dives.
So I thought this book would give me a list, to put on my check marks, where I already have been, and where to go. But I was very surprised to find not a single destination in the area of the red sea. I dove many places in Egypt and I can asure you, If you dove the 50 places of this book, but never the red sea, you will be very sorry. May be the book should be named: 50 convenient places for US citizens to dive before you die. Because there is no Cuban dive site ether.
The whole book does not contain a lot of specific or insider information, you could not find elswhere nor some impressive photos.

Regards Jo

Great Book, January 12, 2009
This book is very informative and the pics are beautiful. I bought this for my husband who is very interested in scuba diving. He enjoys the book very much. The shipping was fast also.

A Fun Read, January 7, 2009
Very influencing to get out there and do some diving! And the photography was awesome. ... Read more

Editorial Review

When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10,1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,028 feet (roughly the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly to the top, unaware that the sky had begun to roil with clouds...

Into Thin Air is the definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed Outside journalist and author of the bestselling Into the Wild. Taking the reader step by step from Katmandu to the mountain's deadly pinnacle, Krakauer has his readers shaking on the edge of their seat. Beyond the terrors of this account, however, he also peers deeply into the myth of the world's tallest mountain. What is is about Everest that has compelled so many poeple--including himself--to throw caution to the wind, ignore the concerns of loved ones, and willingly subject themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense?

Written with emotional clarity and supported by his unimpeachable reporting, Krakauer's eyewitness account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular achievement.


From the Paperback edition. ... Read more

Reviews

A Classic Tale, July 28, 2002
I first read "Into Thin Air" right after it was first published five years ago. It haunted me at the time, and it continues to do so today. By now, the story has been told so many times and by so many different people that it hard to remember that Krakauer's original account is the one that made it famous to begin with. Were it not for his incredible abilities as a storyteller, it is doubtful that anyone outside the world of mountaineering would remember what happened at the peak of Everest in that fateful May of 1996.

Krakauer's account is so compelling because it reads like a book length confession, which it is in a sense. The author worked through his very considerable feelings of survivor's guilt in the book's pages. His descriptions and not inconsiderable opinions have become legendary. For example, how many people read of AOL Chairman Robert Pittman's recent outster from the company and remembered him as the husband of Sandra Hill Pittman, who personified the rich amature climber who buys their way to the top of the world's tallest peak and who has no business being there? Krakauer's descriptions of Mrs. Pittman on the mountain are an example of his simple but devastating observations.

Krakauer's highly readable prose make the book read like fiction, probably another reason why it was so popular. He signed on for the Everest climb intending to write a standard mountaineering magazine article. That he chose the fateful May 1996 climb is simply a rare case of someone being at the wrong place at precisely the right time. Though it caused him plenty of personal torment, it also allowed him to write a story for the ages.

Overall, "Into Thin Air" fantastic storytelling make it one of the best non-fiction books published in the last decade or so.

AN UNFORGETTABLE ADVENTURE - MOVING,SHOCKING,REAL, August 18, 1997
Having never understood why people climb mountains, and after seeing Beck Weathers on television last year, I bought INTO THIN AIR in order to gain more insight. Krakauer delivered.

Have some time on your hands, because once you begin reading Jon's story depicting the turn of events throughout his journey on Everest in the Spring of '96, you won't be able to stop reading until you've read the last word in his book. This account of summitting Everest is a page turner even though the outcome is old news. It will leave you wanting to know more about other attempts made on Everest, both failed and successful.

For those who don't understand why on earth anyone would want to do something as dangerous as climbing "Into Thin Air" on rock and ice ... this book answers that curiosity. Because Jon introduces his readers to the backgrounds and personalities of the main characters in his book, we can better comprehend the different reasons people spend thousands of dollars and two or more months of their lives in "hell" on a mountain - freezing and injured - 'just to get to the top'. We learn through Krakauer why they continue their ascent even though the conditions are pure torture and more life threatening with each step; why they don't give it up once they've lost feeling in their extremities, separated their ribs, lost their vision, can no longer breathe due to oxygen depleted air, why they don't turn back even when they see the dead who've attempted to reach the summit on prior expeditions. You'll understand because of Krakauer's talent as a writer ... his ability to replay his emotions, his thoughts, his experiences, and his opinions through writing.

You'll feel the frigid wind, the snow, the ice, the pain, the desperation, the sorrow, the regrets. The "if only's" will torture your soul just as they have and continue to torture Jon's.

He writes in such a way you will have no choice other than to join him on that mountain. You'll meet and get to know the members and guides of Rob Hall's team as well as Scott Fischer, his guides, and some of his team members whom you will respect even though you may not like. Unfortunately, not everyone on the mountain was a "good guy" ... you'll be livid thanks to the danger the teams encounter due to the inexperience, egos, arrogance, and ruthlessness of the few "bad apples".

For the survivors, Jon's book is an avenue in which fathers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, and other loved ones are portrayed as the heroes they were. Although some of the deceased's relatives were upset with Krakauer, it will seem unjust because of the respectful way in which he depicts his fellow mountaineers and the Sherpas.

Page by Page Suspense, June 19, 2004
Even if you already know the story of the deadly Mt. Everest expeditions of 1996, you will appreciate Jon Krakauer's own first person account of the Adventure Consultants and the Mountain Madness groups. Both of these expeditions were led by well-seasoned Everest climbers---Rob Hall from New Zealand and Scott Fischer from the States--and had the aid of expert guides, Sherpas from Nepal and "outsiders". But we soon find that even these experienced people are not immune from the human frailties of greed, denial and self-serving. Those Achilles' heels will cause both expeditions to completely fall apart. At the same time, human error combined with the unforgiving terrors of high altitude climbing sets the scene for heroism in many of the climbers and crew.

Krakauer, a journalist who signed on with Hall's expedition to do a story for Outside magazine, doesn't disappoint as weaver of a tale. I took the book everywhere with me while reading it, always eager to find out what would happen next.

If a book that explores deftly our desire to reach an unreachable summit appeals to you....especially when that book does not shy away from the tragedy caused when the desire to reach it undoes common sense and humanity....I highly recommend "Into Thin Air."

How to tell the truth at 29,000 feet, November 20, 2007
By and large, the negative reviews posted here have little to do with the quality of this book and almost everything to do with the presumed character of the writer, Jon Krakauer. Similarly, those who dislike Krakauer's Into the Wild tend to focus their judgment of the book's worth on their own feelings regarding the essay's subject, Christopher McCandless, the young man who traveled the Western United States and Mexico for two years before perishing in Alaska. I read Krakauer differently. I am not interested in Krakauer's liberal politics, his emotional instability, and variable maturity. I am not interested in whether he portrays the absolute truth in his account of the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster for the simple fact that I don't believe the truth can be told. Writing is a very poor substitute for a frostbitten finger or a hypoxic head. All we have is Krakauer's writing, so let's look at what he does as a writer.

Krakauer is a sensationalist journalist, and since he reports on dangerous and near-death experiences regularly, he really can't help being grandiose and spectacular. The subject of his writing demands that he ratchet up the emotional power of his style and word choice. And let's be honest--don't we, as readers, demand it of him as well? Don't we want a voyeuristic and graphic account, where the size, the shape, and the smell of death seem to lift from the pages? Who wants to read about a mountain climbing disaster sans the emotion and the ego it takes to put one's self unnecessarily into such perilous situations?

Perhaps some readers want a quiet truth about what happened on the mountain, but this is to ask the impossible since every climber is guaranteed to have a different story and different perceptions of similar experiences--none of which are altogether true and none of which are altogether lies. And when he/she goes to tell about it, pieces of reality will inevitably be missed and left forgotten on the mountain. Emotions will well up and color an event with bias. Egos will peek from behind a boulder and whisper truths and nonsense.

No writer can make sense of all of that, but Krakauer has tried, and largely succeeded, to give the reader an idea of what it was like on Mt. Everest in late spring 1996. He may or may not have retraced every path exactly, but he acts as a good guide. He welcomes the reader to disagree with him and simultaneously makes a bold and convincing case. He admits a myriad of his own mistakes and points out the mistakes of others. I'm impressed mostly with the balanced feel of his account. For example, much is made of Krakauer's portrayal of Anatoli Boukreev's actions on the mountain. Those who read Krakauer as blaming Boukreev for the deaths of some climbers must not have closely read the many times Krakauer praises Boukreev's numerous heroic actions. By telling of both the shameful and heroic actions of Boukreev--all told from Krakauer's self-admitted hypoxic state--I find that Krakauer achieves a kind of truth about both Boukreev and himself.

In the end, for me, the book is about how truth changes states: It's solid and reliable when you start to climb Mt. Everest. And then you climb too high, and the truth becomes slippery and liquid; you're not quite sure and you're not quite in doubt. And then sometimes, the truth changes to a gas, a gyre of contradictions--the terrible beauty of chaos, which you'll never completely remember or entirely forget.

Thrilling and Unforgettable, August 7, 2000
I found Into Thin Air, as well as Krakauer's excellent Into the Wild, to be two of the most gripping, emotional, unforgettable reads of my life. Into Thin Air tells a fascinating story of hardship, tragedy, heroism and perhaps lack of respect for nature, and unlike virtually all books of the genre the author was there, suffering through the storm and watching his comrades fall. Sebastian Junger, in his compelling book The Perfect Storm, pieced together information to try and imagine what it was like on the Andrea Gail out in the North Atlantic. Krakauer was actually on the summit of Everest in May 1996, and he takes the reader on one helluva ride.

Most of you who have gotten this far in the reviews knows the basic premise. Krakauer was sent to Everest by Outside magazine to join New Zealand guide Ron Hall's expeedition in the spring of 1996. He was there to write an expose about how anyone who is reasonably in shape, has some (and not a lot) of climbing experience, and who can fork over more than $60,000 could be taken to the summit of Everest while Sherpas and yaks carried most of your supplies, cooked your meals, and carried you when you collapsed. One climber even brought an espresso machine. He also wanted to comment on how Everest has become a virtual junk yard, with empty oxygen cannisters strewn all over the face of the mountain.

What he found changed his life forever. Krakauer was caught up in a deadly storm, that appeared virtually "out of thin air", leaving members of his and other teams stranded on the summit and on Hillary Step (a ledge just below the summit) with little chance of making it down. The story is gripping, suspenseful and ultimately deeply moving. The reader may think humans, especially those with pregnant wives at home, have no business at the summit of Everest, but you cannot help being deeply moved as you read about Rob Hall talking to his wife on the other side of the world, via satellite phone, to discuss the name of their unborn child while Hall is stranded on the mountain. The book kept me up nights as few others ever have.

A point about the "feud" with Anatoli Boukreev is worth mentioning, since, in my opinion, this has been blown out of proportion by others. Krakauer recognizes that each climber has his own way of doing things, but he took some shots at the Mountain Madness expedition led by Scott Fischer, and at his guide Boukreev in particular, for climbing without supplemental oxygen and for descending ahead of the group's clients. I think he made some good points there. Boukreev was no doubt a great climber, and his death in an avalanche the next year makes the whole debate a little pointless, but I think a client if I were to fork over $60,000 I have the right to expect that the guide will be out on the mountain with me as I descend, not warming up in the hut drinking tea. Boukreev is credited by Krakauer with a heroic trip back up the mountain during a blizzard to reach Fischer, and he may have been told earlier by Fischer to descend (we'll never know for sure), but those tactics are surely open to debate. Some reviewers here on Amazon have taken personal shots at Krakauer's actions during the storm, but he was no paid guide, and he rightfully takes some blame himself in his book for abandoning Beck Weathers and for giving some false info to the family of one of his guides, Andy Harris that added to the confusion in those first days of the incident.

In any event, if you want to get caught up in the whole Krakauer v. Boukreev debate, be my guest - you can read both of their accounts of what happened on that fateful trip. For my money, Krakauer's account is the definitive, well-written story, which should at the very least be used as a starting point for anyone interested in the 1996 Everest tragedy. And for most people (like myself) with little or no interest in climbing, read Into Thin Air on its own as a gripping, unforgettable account of a very public tragedy which you will not soon forget.

Getting up is easy, the hard part is getting down, May 30, 2007
Jon Krakauer takes you for a front seat ride up the deadly slopes of Mount Everest, during the notoriously deadly expedition of May 1996. Barely escaping the mountain with his own life, journalist Krakauer remembers the team members and friends left on the mountain. Four out of eleven members died on the fatal mountain.

Inch by weary inch, step by shivering step, Krakauer takes us on his journey up Everest and introduces us to the members of his team. This book is so well written that you can feel the oxygen depravation and the cold, and are left feeling the personal loss of lives you come to know and care about as fully fleshed out people.

He brings to life the real concerns of guided ascents up Everest, the use of oxygen by guides, the inexperience of people who pay mega-bucks to be escorted to the world's highest peak, the state of mind that thin air brings to the human mind, and the accomplishments and follies of those who attempt such an extra-ordinary feat.

The book includes a map, eight pages of glossy black and white photos, some dark pictures leading into every chapter, blurbs from different publications that lead each chapter, a bibliography, and an extensive postscript answering some outstanding issues that arose in DeWalt's account of the same ascent called 'The Climb'.

This is one of the best non-fiction books I've read in a long time. The story is compelling and the telling is honest. Krakauer speaks of his survival guilt with open poignancy and candor. He passes over his own hardships and applauds the heroism of those who helped to save many of the stranded members of the climbing parties. He reports on bottlenecks high up on the mountain, particularly on the Hillary Step, that cause costly delays and could mean the difference between life and death at such altitudes. If you're looking for an exciting, heart pounding non-fiction read then look no further. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!

ENGROSSING AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING, February 6, 2000
Jon Krakauer's narrative of the 1996 disaster on Mt. Everest is excellently written and extremely engrossing. Although the events are true, the book reads like a top action/adventure thriller, keeping us turning pages until the end. This is definitely a first-person account, though, and Krakauer makes sure the attention is centered on him, as he alternately extolls his virtues and reveals his faults. I felt extremely saddened when reading this book and I think we must look closely at how and why this tragedy happened. I cannot help but fault, in part, the two guides, Hall and Fischer. Both were experienced climbers and both had previously been on Everest. As guides, these men were running a business for profit and were desirous of satisfied customers--that meant making the summit. But these two men had also accepted the responsibility of caring for their clients' safety, as well as for the safety of those in expeditions not their own. The fact that they ignored self-imposed turn-around times simply cannot be forgiven. Ultimately, however, each person must take responsibility for his or her own actions. Technically, Everest is an easy climb, but the physical demands are enormous. The bulk of climbers were untrained, unfamiliar with their equipment, and simply not in the top physical condition needed to withstand the rigors of high-altitude climbing, a fact of which they certainly must have been aware. And if they weren't, then certainly Hall and Fischer were. Many of the previous reviewers have faulted the climbers for turning their backs on Beck Wethers and Yasuko Namba, but once you have actually engaged in high-altitude climbing, as I have done, you know Everest is not the place to become your brother's keeper. No one should have died and had Hall and Fischer turned around, as they should have, in all probability no one would have. Into Thin Air is a fascinating tale and one that poses many thought-provoking questions each man and woman must answer, not only on Everest, but in the course of his or her day-to-day life.

Riveting - But Tread Cautiously Through It, May 13, 2005
This account ignited a long distilled passion for the mountains, and renewed interest in the Outdoors. Krakauer (the name itself conjures up courage and strength)writes with immediacy and more important, from firsthand experience. He's a hardcore adventurer, he's lived it, and is one of those rare, original people able to express what is often inexplicable. This book was easy to read in one or two sittings, and tremendously compelling (leading me to read Into The Wild and other books related to the 1996 Everest incidents).

I was also one of those chagrined to discover, after having loved and being incredibly excited by this book, that for all its accuracy, there are some areas that should not be read without circumspection. Although the book mostly avoids The Blame Game, it lapses into this once focus moves to the Head Climber of Mountain Madness, the heroic but inarticulate Boukreev. Krakauer's facts are interspersed with some opinions, and a few of these opinions, especially those of Boukreev (who died in 1997, in an avalanche on Annapurna 1, instead of remaining in America to receive one of the highest awards for mountaineering bravery) - some of these opinions are distasteful.

While I am merely a reader, and I respect and admire the talents of these men in the mountains a great deal, I do wonder what prompted Krakauer to pursue his character assissination of Boukreev. Krakauer has dogged determination in his writing as much as he does in his climbing, but also a stubbornness, and in writing Into Thin Air (which he did incredibly quickly after the fact) seems to strive to be seen as the one and only leading authority, acknowledging that it is not perfect, but nevertheless the complete'the best'and total story of that 1996 climb. This is unfortunate, because Krakauer himself was on the mountain, and his own perceptions were not 100%. He does succeed in communicating his experience with profundity. He fails though, in a few of his many interpretations, including of some of his own mishaps, and thus, has opened the door to a raging debate on 'what really happened', including, for example, what happened to Andy Harris, his encounter on the Kangshung Face, and important conversations he was not privy to close to the summit.

His 'Postscript' response to The Climb goes to great lengths, and like the rest of the book, turns out to be well worded, but does not hide what eventually are borne out to be a few inaccuracies (inadequacies?). His experience on Everest is not his best mountaineering experience (he was at one point assisted by 2 guides), and Boukreev fared far far better. Actions, should at the end of such events, speak louder than Krakauer's (or anyone else's) words, and Boukreev's actions do. Krakauer's behaviour on that day was quite limited by comparison.

Krakauer needs to be more gracious to a man who helped insure the safety of every one of the members on his team (all but the leader survived,) with no permanent damage, while 4 members of Krakauer's team died, and at least one survivor had severe and permanent damage. The idea should not be to blame people in mountains, when things go wrong, but to recognise the right things that happen that save lives.

Krakauer's own account of his meeting with Beck Weathers also differs from Weather's own version. Krakauer actually resisted Weather's desperate plea for assistance, although Krakauer paints a more gracious picture of himself in his story. The point though, is not to point fingers, and Boukreev puts it perfectly when he says 'each is responsible for his own ambition' on the mountain. Thus, others should not be blamed when things go wrong, but hopefully, will have the wherwithal to respond in these extreme circumstances. The reality in the Death Zone is one person who breaks down, slows down, and needs assistance causes a domino effect, it leads to an exponential increase in the risks to the lives of others, as valuable resources of energy and oxygen and time get used up.

We live in world of soundbites, of show, and of course the 1996 Incident has been written about, and made into a television show.

Into Thin Air powerfully communicates the meaning and drama of that high world. It's most important defects though, are not recognising the astonishing courage of a man who stood up through the storm that day while it seemed everyone else, including the sherpas, whimpered in their tents. Few understand what happened, and Into Thin Air sadly perpetuates that mystification as far as it communicates Broukeev's role. Read The Climb after Into Thin Air, for more perspective. It's equally engrossing, well written, but a far more genuine account.

Impossible to put down!, June 5, 2003
Perhaps timing is everything, but don't tell that to Jon Krakauer, an outdoors writer and mountain climber who was offered the opportunity of a lifetime to climb Mount Everest; only to find himself in the middle of the most notable catastrophe to ever strike the mountain. With the 50th anniversary of the successful assent by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, there is renewed interest in Chomolungma (the Tibetan name for the mountain. Previous to the second half of the twentieth century, Everest was a forbidden monolith that crushed anyone who attempted to scale it's heights. But with it's invincibility shattered by Hillary and Norgay, Everest began to shed some of it's mystery, and bit by bit, the appearance (but just the appearance) of it's lethality. By the 90's, the primary requisite for a summit attempt was a bank account large enough to pay for an experienced guide. New problems like the litter of discarded oxygen canisters became a threat to the mountain, as the climbing ranks swelled with serious amateurs anxious to achieve various ego firsts like "first woman over 60," "first Lithuanian" to summit Everest, along with the highest mountains on each of the continents.

Outside magazine sent Krakauer on an expedition with Rob Hall, one of the most experienced of the new crop of guides, whose business it was to get climbers to the summit. Even with modern equipment and climbing techniques that's still a daunting task, not for the faint of heart or the expanded of waistline. However the professional mountaineers of Hillary's generation were being followed on Hall's expedition by a postal employee, a New York socialite and others. They were joined on the mountain by various teams, some so inexperienced as to be comical. Among the other teams was one led by Scott Fisher, another guide that was making a name for his ability to get people to the top and in a bit of braggadocio had even claimed that he had "found a golden staircase to the summit."

Krakauer outlines all of the minutia regarding preparation and execution of an Everest climb. You can almost find yourself wheezing as he describes what existence is like above the elevation that is known as the Death Zone. And he recounts in harrowing detail the storm that hit while Hall and Fisher's teams were near or below the summit, and the efforts of the others to rescue them. I had mixed feelings when I read of the final conversation between Rob Hall, as he sat helpless and dying on the mountain, and his pregnant wife back in New Zealand. Here is a man and woman exchanging their final words, both fully aware of his fate, and yet we mortals who will likely never be tested in this way are privy to his private thoughts and her quiet despair.

Moving from the role of dispassionate observer, into a deeper role of survivor, Krakauer anguishes over what he could have done differently, of the mistakes he believes he made and how he will ever reconcile his grief. Yes, he stood on the summit. Yes, he survived and returned home. But he has no satisfaction about conquering the mountain. And he questions why anyone else would even attempt it.

Seeking a state of grace, July 21, 2008
I remember the spring of 1996 and the Everest disasters very well. I was stuck in traffic when a writer named Jon Krakauer was briefly interviewed on NPR when he first returned as one of the survivors of a deadly climb. I had never given mountaineering or Everest much thought but the drama, and especially Krakauer's traumatized voice, inspired a curiosity I've only now actually pursued by reading this book.

If you have ever been at a popular tourist spot when several buses pulled up and disgorged different tours, you have the picture of what mountaineering on Everest had become by 1996. The golden era of exploration and mountaineering on Everest was over. Commercial expeditions charging $65,000 a head would take up clients who could pay, not necessarily those who were vetted mountaineers. Base Camp was a cross between a vanity fair and a scout jubilee. Krakauer, a practiced climber who was commissioned by Outside Magazine to write about the experience, had signed on with an ethical and highly skilled outfit. There was, to the climbers, little warning that anything could go wrong. Across the next several weeks, the climbers moved slowly up the mountain, becoming acclimated. Perhaps the first clue of the reality of Everest was encountering dead bodies from previous years that had simply been left behind. The 1996 groups kept going. The ravages of altitude sickness, the increasing consumption of oxygen canisters, and the physical punishment should have been more flags. The day scheduled for achieving the summit became a train wreck of bad choices, rejection of basic guidelines such as turn around times, altitude sickness, and the surprise of a subzero storm that suddenly grabbed the top of the world with hurricane force. The scramble for survival meant, in some cases, abandoning people for dead on the mountain, people who had become comrades on the ropes. Krakauer documents incredible stories of heroism and survival, as well as the death toll and permanent physical injuries incurred by some.

Krakauer is an astonishing writer who does a good job of sorting out a confusing series of events. Realizing the limitations of one person's memory in the midst of a traumatic experience that has bequeathed a sense of guilt, he went back and interviewed other survivors to get at the truth. Although he never imposes overarching themes on the narrative, his story illustrates classic conflicts as humans are seen tempting mortality on the grandest scale on earth. The more they push their human capacities, the more the mountain seems determined to push the climbers down into their very flawed human place. In the end, this is not so much a tour of a mountain as it is an exploration of humanity. There are a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks pointing fingers at those who survived, and some are pointed weakly at Krakauer, but I found this to be very evenly handled.
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Editorial Review

Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, had just reached the top of a 21,000-foot peak in the Andes when disaster struck. Simpson plunged off the vertical face of an ice ledge, breaking his leg. In the hours that followed, darkness fell and a blizzard raged as Yates tried to lower his friend to safety. Finally, Yates was forced to cut the rope, moments before he would have been pulled to his own death.

The next three days were an impossibly grueling ordeal for both men. Yates, certain that Simpson was dead, returned to base camp consumed with grief and guilt over abandoning him. Miraculously, Simpson had survived the fall, but crippled, starving, and severely frostbitten was trapped in a deep crevasse. Summoning vast reserves of physical and spiritual strength, Simpson crawled over the cliffs and canyons of the Andes, reaching base camp hours before Yates had planned to leave.

How both men overcame the torments of those harrowing days is an epic tale of fear, suffering, and survival, and a poignant testament to unshakable courage and friendship.

Reviews

EXTREME ADVENTURE IN THE PERUVIAN ANDES, July 30, 2000
An amazing tale of courage, fortitude, and a desire to live, despite dire circumstances. The author, Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, ascend a perilous section of the Peruvian Andes. Near the summit, tragedy strikes when Joe, up over 19,000 feet, falls and hits a slope at the base of a cliff, breaking his right leg, rupturing his right knee, and shattering his right heel. Beneath him is a seemingly endless fall to the bottom. Simon reaches him but knows that the chances for Joe to get off the mountain are virtually non-existent. Yet, they fashion a daring plan to to do just that.

For the next few hours, through a snow storm, they work in tandem, and manage a risky, yet effective way of trying to lower Joe down the mountain. About three thousand feet down, Joe who is still roped to Simon, drops off an edge, and finds himself now free hanging in space six feet away from an ice wall, unable to reach it with his axe. The edge is over hung about fifteen feet above him. The dark outline of a crevasse lies about a hundred feet directly below him.

Joe couldn't get up, and Simon couldn't get down. In fact, Joe's weight began to pull Simon off the mountain. So, Simon was finally forced to do the only thing he could do under the circumstances. He cut the rope, believing that he was consigning his friend to certain death. Therein lies the tale.

What happens next is sure to make one believe in miracles.

The Odyssey of Joe Simpson, June 30, 2001
This is not primarily an adventure story about climbing. It is an account of one man, not just facing the abyss but being in the abyss and having his very being stripped to a raw struggle, not to survive but to want to survive.

Simpson and a climbing partner in an excess of youthful bravado planned a new route up a monster Andean peak in Peru. The area was remote and civilization was somewhere else. After an arduous ascent, Simpson fell and broke his leg while descending. The reader gradually realizes what a chilling horror has befallen the pair. They have no possibility of rescue; the mountain was almost unclimbable for two superb athletes with two good legs. How can they possibly get down when one of them is unable to walk?

Partner, Simon Yates, ropes Simpson to himself and tries to guide Simpson down who is forced to crawl, slide, and inch himself forward. Then Simpson goes over the edge of a cornice and is dangling with only the rope holding him over the void. Yates heroically digs in, but gradually he himself is being inexorably drawn to the chasm. He finally, with shuddering reluctance, cuts the rope, and Simpson falls many feet into a crevasse.

The rest of the book is Simpson's six-day excruciating journey down the mountain: his thoughts, hallucinations and agony. Simpson is a powerful writer without a trace of self-pity. He doesn't try to impress us with his stoicism - far from it, at times he is almost mad with fright. There is nothing lurid here; the book is exhausting, but thought provoking. You won't forget it easily, and you cannot help but wonder what it is like beyond the edge and into the maelstrom.

This is a griping story of survival and human endurance., May 16, 1999
How far can the human body be pushed before total collapse? What can the mind endure before succumbing to what seems like inevitable termination? Joe Simpson's tale of survival after what should have been a fatal mountaineering event begins to explore the limits of human capability. Readers in our book group felt the prose was not first rate but written well enough that few wanted to put the book down. This book is good enough to become canon in mountaineering literature. For those with no mountaineering experience, some of the climbing aspects and descriptions may be difficult to envision. Nonetheless it is an amazing story. Our group read this in conjunction with Caroline Alexander's book "The Endurance", another incredible story of survival against unbelievable odds. While Simpson's ordeal occurs over the span of a few days, the story of Shakleton's group living on the ice for nearly two years explores the other spectrum of what it takes to survive - the two stories seem to compliment each other in the scope of human endurance.

A mountain tragedy with a difference....., January 15, 2000
A good many books and short stories have been written about mountaineering accidents and tragedies. Every bookshop worth its salt will have at least one or two to chose from, but if this one is on the shelf - get it! This is a tale which will grow on you as you turn each page, compelling you to read on and on to its breathtaking conclusion. Simpson nearly died the first time, but there was worse to come. The author has made no attempt to glorify the story, nor alter the facts to shed a kinder light on his own thoughts and words, or the actions of his partner. This book is not just an account of a human tragedy on a mountain; it is a journey into the depths of a man's soul. It is as much about philosophy as it is about mountaineering, but don't let that put you off - it's a real heart thumper!

The Bandwagon Rope-Trick, December 22, 2003
This might not apply to American readers (or it may, I don't know) but there's a huge misconception in the UK as to what this book is about. I work in a bookshop and we're selling this by the dozen, which infuriates me not because I do not believe it should sell well and be widely read, but because people are buying it for the wrong reason.

Touching the Void is, simply put, the story of the human spirit's ability for survival against all the odds. There are many occasions where both Joe and Simon could have given up; many moments when it could all have been for naught; but they kept going, and both lived to tell the tale. Simpson's writing is, as ever, vivid and visceral, putting you up on Siula Grande with him. We vicariously experience his time in the crevasse, his efforts on the glacier, and then his crawl back towards the camp, wondering if there will be anybody there even if he does make it. You know all along that he survives, but when he reaches safety you want to cry out because he describes it so painfully well. This is what the book is about.

With the impending release of the movie, and widespread radio coverage in the UK featuring interviews and editorials, a terrible misconception has crept in. Almost everyone who has come into the shop and asked me about the book has said, "I heard about this book on the radio. It's about a climber who cuts the rope on his friend. Do you have it?" By focussing on Simon Yates' cutting of the rope, it seems that everyone is missing the point. Far from a cold-hearted act, everybody fails to acknowledge that had Yates not lowered Simpson down several thousand feet of the mountain, a non-stop feat of incredible courage and fortitude, Simpson would not have survived, period. Simpson himself does not blame Yates for his actions, and this is the lead we should be taking. All these people who have never been on a mountain in their lives saying, "Ooh, he broke the code, he shouldn't have done that," just have no idea.

I'm glad the book is selling well, and deservedly so, but I wish it could sell for the right reasons and not because people want the inside story on The-Man-Who-Cut-The-Rope.

Bone crunching, nerve freezing drop into the edge of life and death., September 27, 2005
This is a true story of a mountain expedition in the Andes where two British partners take risks acceptable to experienced and fit climbers. But here they draw a spectacularly bad hand - first with Joe having a terrible bone crunching accident that leaves him scarcely able to move, and then with rapidly deteriorating weather. Partner Simon attempts the impossible and begins an inventive, courageous one-man rescue operation, but half way down the mountain he is forced to make a ghastly choice: stay roped to Joe and both will perish, or cut the rope and make a desperate bid to reach the bottom.

Simon chooses the latter, and the result is horrifying: with Joe plunging into a deep crevasse with no way of climbing up the sheer ice.

But of course this memoir is written by Joe so we know that somehow, against all odds, our author will also get himself to safety. How he does so, and how he skirts around the very edges of death provides the book with its extremely powerful human resonance.

I read this after seeing the excellent movie, and Joe's reflections, at the end of this book about the experience of helping make the film and reliving the horror (he and Simon are played by actors in wide shot, but the climbers provided all the close-up technical shots)- provides additional and unexpected depth and humanity.

There's another reviewer below who was bored by this book. They must have been having a really bad day because Joe's writing takes you right into the heart of his ordeal. This is a stunning story. Five stars aren't enough.

Words cannot express..., March 19, 2007
`Touching the Void' is the story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates who climbed the West Face of Siula Grande, a mountain in the Peruvian Andes. After an accident Simpson has a broken leg and little chance of getting off the mountain alive. Yates lowers Simpson off the mountain quickly (as they do not have enough supplies to stay on the mountain) and unknowingly off a cliff face. Simpson cannot beck up the rope and Yates cannot pull him back up. Seconds before being pulled off the face of the cliff himself Yates cuts the rope and Simpson falls off the cliff and down the mountain. Yates, leaving the mountain the next morning, thinking Simpson dead, leaves Simpson to crawl off the mountain with his injuries.

In the best portions of the book you get both Yates's and Simpson's thoughts about the accident, where they were and what was happening step by step in the days following the accident. You feel the pain, guilt, fear, and panic in both parties and get the idea that something fantastic occurred on Siula Grande.

I say you get the feeling because in the poorer portions of the book you do not understand why one `crevasse' is worse than another, why a `pear shaped cornice' is a bad omen, why it is hard to place a `friend' in a secure position on the mountain, and why a `bollard' is dubious. In Simpson's words one portion of the mountain blends into the other and you have to be told this portion is scary, or that he is making progressing, rather than seeing why he is scared or how he is making progress.

Simpson admits as much in the Epilogue to the book when he says `I simply could not find the words to express the utter desolation of the experience' and to be fair Simpson was not an experienced writer at the time of this book (he has written six since then). However, you are certainly left wanting for a description you can understand, and emotion that stands out from the rest, and a story you can grasp on to instead of feeling that `you needed to be there'.

Worth reading as well as watching, December 21, 2004
A few weeks back, in search of something good to watch at the video store, I picked up Kevin Macdonald's Touching the Void documentary from the shelf. As I was skeptically reading the back of the DVD case, the fellow standing next to me said that it was a "really good movie." I took him on his word and later disovered a movie that I have since been raving about to all who will listen. It is a riveting story in which an injured climber is left for dead on a Peruvian mountain and manages to crawl his way off. It sounds like fiction, but, as is often the case, this true story is incredible beyond what a writer could believable construct. So, when I found out that Joe Simpson (the climber left on the mountain) had written a book, Touching the Void about his harrowing adventure, I knew I needed to read it.

The movie and the DVD extras take the viewer on an emotional path where one at first dislikes the arrongant and impetuous Simpson, while his climbing pal Simon Yates seems more sympathetic. However, as the movie continues and especially if you watch the Return to Siula Grande DVD extra, it becomes hard not to empathize with Simpson's reaction to returning to the place where he had faced so much trauma and to, in contrast, find Yates cold and unfeeling, as if the experience they shared so many years before no longer affected him personally. The end of the movie leaves one with the impression that Simpson, although understanding at what Yates did, does not really like Yates and does certainly not consider him a friend.

The book, written several years earlier, certainly leaves a more positive impression of Yates. While Simpson admits to having written the book in part to clear Yates's name in the climbing communitry, his storytelling takes the reader beyond a defense of Yates's actions. In fact, Simpson's description of Yates's attempt to lower the injured Simpson down the mountain portrays an act that is nothing short of heroic. It is clear that his cutting the rope was a last, desperate resort to end a situation in which there was no way out.

While the book and the movie both tell very closely the same story, reading the book and seeing the movie is neither a redundant experience nor an exercise in detecting differences in the two plots. In fact, the one enriches the story in the other. The maps and the first-person telling in the book complement the documentary-style script and the sweeping vistas caught on film.

Incredible, November 15, 1999
Ive done some climbing, traveled and climbed in the Andes and read many climbing books and this book is outrageous. I guess there are not many tales being told from that close to the edge (the authors tend not to survive). Stay alive Simpson and give us more of your writing. You are absolutely no bs.

(congratulations on a spectacular first ascent)

the title is right- it is pretty harrowing, February 26, 2007
I like this type of story a lot. In old Outdoor Life they used to be called "THIS HAPPENED TO ME.." (caps intended). I always hate it when they take some hardship like being stuck in the car for a couple of days without water and make each tick of the clock seem like the end of the world. This book is the linear opposite. The hardships come through, but the writing is almost never sensational- it is understated if anything. It begins at a leisurely pace, much like the journey of Joe Simpson and his climbing partner Yates. As the tension increases we know the big Accident is around the corner, but when it finally happens it seems routine, and Simpson makes evident how fragile life can be- that a pretty simple turn of events can have disatrous consequences. I suppose it's no spoiler, since we know he wrote the book, to let it be known that he survives a broken leg and a 100 foot drop above 19,000 feet, and manages to crawl his way back to camp when everyone thought he was dead. For a first-time author he does a tremendous job of relating this story, and it is even more realistic without the touches of a ghost writer or heavy handed editor.

It's hard to find a real weakness, other than the story itself doesn't seem to totally capture what must've been the sheer horror of the journey, and the dialogue and characters are not quite as sympathetic as one would expect, probably due to some first person modesty. In any case, this is a minor complaint, and I highly, highly recommend this book for anyone who likes adventure/outdoor literature. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

A great read for those at sea level and rising, June 12, 2000
How to do justice to a writer like Krakauer....well, he's such a good writer that I feel any review I write would suffer compared to the source. Nevertheless, here I go.

This is Krakauer's first book. It's a collection of his previously published articles on mountaineering (save the last one about Devil's Thumb which was written for the book.) What a gread read too whether you are an afficionado of the sport or, like me, you've never seen a pair of crampons in your life (by the way, those are a set of spikes climbers strap to their boots to support themselves and prevent slipping on icy slopes.) Some of the famous peaks that make an appearance here include K2, Mt McKinley, and the titular Eiger. Throughout you will read about some of the eccentric personalities in the international climbing community, personal triumph and inspiration, offshoots like bouldering and waterfall climbing, and horrific tragedy.

If you read Into Thin Air, you'll be surprised at how funny this book is. Krakauer displays a wry, self-deprecating wit in several of these stories-something the somber subject matter of the latter book didn't permit. The last one, about his decision to solo the Devil's Thumb in Alaska in his early twenties is hysterical.

Anyone who can make a story about being tentbound or the inventor of the perfect ice axe riveting deserves attention. If you are on the fence, just go ahead and get this book. It's definitely worth it.

What an incredible book., October 27, 2007
What an incredible book. Once you start reading it, you won't be able to set it down. I even got yelled at by my boss for reading the book on company time. I've read it 4 times and each time is like the first time. There is alot of information to process so get ready be blown away. It's awsome. Also, if you missed reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates, go and read it.

Excellent Collection of Stories, July 28, 2002
"Eiger Dreams" is a compelling collection of twelve stories by mountaineering writer Jon Krakauer. Included are several first person accounts of his own adventures, including his life-defining attempt to climb the Devil's Thimb in Alaska as a young man and his later failed attempt to scale the Eiger face. Krakauer also failed in his attempt to climb Mount McKinley, but manages to say more with one of his defeats than other climbers do with their success.

Krakauer also proves himself to be a first rate reporter with his accounts of other mountaineering stories. Particularly good is his tale of John Gill, the man who practically invented "bouldering." Krakauer goes on to describe waterfall climbing, canyoneering and the horrors of being tent bound with his deft narrative touch. At 186 pages, and featuring his easily readable prose, the book is a delightful experience for those who like good adventure stories of the kind featured in Outside Magazine.

I got vertigo reading this, November 9, 2003
I've read three of Krakauer's books including this one. Into Thin Air is eclipsed by Kenneth Kamler's Doctor On Everest, but Krakauer's own Under The Banner Of Heaven and Eiger Dreams are in a class by themselves. I have never had a fear of heights, but the stories in this book, particularly the one of his climb of the Devil's Thumb, a volcanic chimney in Alaska, lifting hundreds of feet into thin air is perhaps one of the most evocative pieces of writing I've ever read. If you are fascinated by mountins and the madmen and crazy women who climb them, this is your book. Either it will make you drop everything and head for the high remote places of the world, or render you at least sane enough to say, "I think I'll take my adventure in another way." Say in some weird polygamous community in southern Utah or northern Arizona. Krakauer knows mountains, and he knows how to take us with him, shaking, sweating and not daring look down, up a shear, icy face. This is great outdoor adventure writing. Highly recommended. wfh

A Wonderful Collection of Stories........., October 25, 2000
I've read Into Thin Air and Into the Wild so when I picked up this book in the Seattle airport after getting off Mt. Rainier I was hoping it would be as good. I wasn't disappointed.

An excellent mix of both adventure and mountaineering stories, I finished this book in no time at all. What really strikes me is the life that Krakauer has been able to lead. I only wish I had had the time and direction to attempt half of what this guy has done and then be able to write so candidly about it.

This book is first rate. From the stories about canyons in the Southwest to excellent climbing stories that focus not only on the terrain, but the personalities along the way, make this book enjoyable cover to cover. The fact that climbers are such an interesting cross section of society is vividly expounded on in this book. You finish feeling you know these folks intimately or at least relate to just about everyone as a friend or contemporary.

Buy it.....read it. Then give it to a friend like I did. The Burgess Boys are worth the cost alone!

Cliffhanger, October 6, 2000
"I have fallen. I am dying. Please send help. Quickly!" Mountain climbing is on of the most dangerous sports in the world. This quote shows why in the book Eiger Dreams by Jon krakauer. This collection of memoirs is about adventures on mountains and the tragedies that occur on them everyday. This is a great collection of memoirs that are descriptive and very interesting. For instance, when he talks about he climbs, you actually feel like you're on the mountaiwith those brave sole. Even though there are one or two stories that are just boring, the rest of the stories are entertaining and keep you on the edge of your seat. For me, this book was a big page-turner. I wanted to read on from the first sentence to the last word. I occasionally drifted off, but I definitely wanted to figure what would happen next. If you like climbing, you will like this book. Another aspect this book excelled in was that it finished very strong. On every memoir that was recited, there was a good ending. They never left me hanging, and they connect to the memoir. The endings make a huge exclamation mark on an already great book. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. Even if you don't climb. It can have philosophical and physical significance for everyone. Like I said, there are some definite weak spots, but its worth reading through them. This book is typical Jon Krakauer, wonderful.

Surprising Variety, August 24, 1998
If ever I thought that a collection of mountain climbing stories would be a little stale from lack of variety, EIGER DREAMS certainly shattered my preconceptions in this regard. Krakauer writes on a diverse assortment of subjects relating to outdoor climbing, superbly avoiding monotonous repetition. Whether musing about the derring-do spirit of the denizens of Chamonix, the flyboys of Talkeetna, or humoring the reader with candid confessions of what it is like to be tentbound, Krakauer displays great range, penetrating insight, and clear style with his writing ventures. I liked this book every bit as much as INTO THE WILD and INTO THIN AIR.

Mountaineering and Mountaineering Culture, September 25, 2003
Krakauer is fine author. His stories read like well honed long magazine articles and capture the drama and danger of high altitude mountain climbing (Into Thin Air) as well as mental soloing(Into The Wild).

Eiger Dreams is a collection of stories about mountaineering and mountaineering culture. This collection of a dozen or so chapters (I suspect all were magazine articles first) regales the reader with the danger of high-altitude climbing, the uniqueness of attitude among many of the climbers and a slice of the culture that surrounds the climbing world.

On the whole the stories are gripping and interesting. It falls short only in one or two instances when the author delves into set place stories like describing the town near Mt. Blanc that seems to derive it's personality from the towering rock and those who are drawn to it in great multitudes each year.

The chapters on individual climbs introduce the reader to the thrills and dangers of high-risk climbing, without the chance that one will tumble out of an armchair 10,000 feet to become part of a mountain. Particularly enjoyable are the articles on the North face of the Eiger, the author's own journey to solo climb Alaska's Devil's Thumb at age 23 and a chapter on the Burgesses -- two mountaineering hobos who combine moxie with single mindedness as they climb the world's tallest peaks. I also enjoyed the chapter detailing early attempts to divine whether or not Everest was really the tallest mountain -- some of the journeys associated with ascertaining the claims of competing peaks remind one of Scott's Polar expeditions -- fueled more by British resolve than planning and logistics.

One wonders at the bent of mind that draws climbers to the highest climbs. Mountains like Everest and K-2 are littered with well over a hundred corpses (it is to arduous in the thin air and brutal conditions to haul reachable bodies down -- and impossible for those who tumble a mile off the edge or several hundred feed down a crevasse). Something like one person perishes for every four who reach the summit of Everest. A strikingly large number of survivors endure amputations of fingers or toes. It is the same or worse at some of Nature's other monoliths.

This is a sport that makes auto racing and boxing seem like rational athletic endeavors. One is left to ponder why (perhaps no better answer exists than Mallory's "Because it is there") some are willing to risk life itself for the privilege of standing ten or so minutes atop one of the tallest mountains. Krakauer does not pursue this question directly, though the brief character sketches he paints of climbers -- including himself -- offers some conclusions.

A fast read and entertaining book.

Turn up the heat and secure your climbing harness!, November 17, 1998
A collection of brilliant stories from Jon Krakauer that will send chills up your spine and waves of vertigo through your mind. No one brings home the terror of dangling 2000 feet in the air by an ice ax like Krakauer. His wonderfully humorous (and occasionally downright absurd) depictions of characters and situations paint a memorable portrait of the anguish, the isolation, and even the occasional reward of cold-climate climbing. If you want to get close enough to vertical ice to feel the shuddering thunk of your ax as it bites into the Eisinglas, or high enough on an arctic slope to see your breath whisked away in a -40 degree gale without leaving the comfort of your living room, then this is the book for you.

fascinating short articles about mountaineering, February 17, 2001
This is my favorite of all the books I've read by Jon Krakauer; maybe because he's not trying to prove anything. It's a selection of short, non-fiction, stories about different aspects of mountaineering and the types of people that do it. Krakauer is very, very good at writing. He's funny and entrancing. This book is more about people than about mountaineering. Read it even if you're not into the sport, or if you're put off by macho posturing. It's not like that at all.

The articles in the book include a description of ice-climbing; a horrifying account of a particularly murderous year on K2; various profiles of particularly interesting mountaineers; a very funny description of what to do if trapped for days in a tent in a storm; a history of glacier flying; and some of the author's personal climbing experiences, including some awkward cross-cultural encounters with French climbers. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The deepest cave on earth was a prize that had remained unclaimed for centuries, long after every other ultimate discovery had been made: both poles by 1912, Everest in 1958, the Challenger Deep in 1961. In 1969 we even walked on the moon. And yet as late as 2000, the earth’s deepest cave—the supercave—remained undiscovered. This is the story of the men and women who risked everything to find it, earning their place in history beside the likes of Peary, Amundsen, Hillary, and Armstrong.
 
In 2004, two great scientist-explorers are attempting to find the bottom of the world. Bold, heroic American Bill Stone is committed to the vast Cheve Cave, located in southern Mexico and deadly even by supercave standards. On the other side of the globe, legendary Ukrainian explorer Alexander Klimchouk—Stone’s polar opposite in temperament and style, but every bit his equal in scientific expertise, physical bravery, and sheer determination—has targeted Krubera, a freezing nightmare of a supercave in the Republic of Georgia, where underground dangers are compounded by the horrors of separatist war in this former Soviet republic.

Blind Descent explores both the brightest and darkest aspects of the timeless human urge to discover—to be first. It is also a thrilling epic about a pursuit that makes even extreme mountaineering and ocean exploration pale by comparison. These supercavers spent months in multiple camps almost two vertical miles deep and many more miles from their caves’ exits. They had to contend with thousand-foot drops, deadly flooded tunnels, raging whitewater rivers, monstrous waterfalls, mile-long belly crawls, and much more. Perhaps even worse were the psychological horrors produced by weeks plunged into absolute, perpetual darkness, beyond all hope of rescue, including a particularly insidious derangement called The Rapture.

James M. Tabor was granted unprecedented access to logs, journals, photographs, and video footage of these expeditions, as well as many hours of personal interviews with surviving participants. Blind Descent is an unforgettable addition to the classic literature of discovery and adventure. It is also a testament to human survival and endurance—and to two extraordinary men whose relentless pursuit of greatness led them to heights of triumph and depths of tragedy neither could have imagined.

Includes a 16-pg full-color insert ... Read more

Reviews

Armchair Caver's Delight!, May 18, 2010

Wow, May 19, 2010

Awesome Caving Book - Get Ready For An Adventure!, May 1, 2010

Blind Descent, May 5, 2010

Like I Was There ... Without All the Physical Strain, May 20, 2010

A Dark Dangerous Quest into the Earth's Bowels (4.5 Stars), May 13, 2010

Incredible places where few will set foot, May 8, 2010

Now this book is a DEEP subject, May 26, 2010

Steep and thrilling descent with a few grueling passages towards the end, May 10, 2010

Gripping, May 8, 2010

Editorial Review

Amazon.com ReviewBook Description
Fly-fish in the virgin waters of the Chilean fjords, arriving by helicopter; navigate Alaska on a boat as luxurious as a four-star hotel but small enough to sail where the big cruise ships can’t; embark on a private-jet tour to the great opera houses in Europe with behind-the-scenes passes: experience the classic links of the British Open. Once in a Lifetime Trips is a trove of ideas for travels that are unique, decadent, and off the beaten path.

Each trip is captured through stunning photography and an essay based on in-depth interviews with experts who have firsthand knowledge of the destination and itinerary. Once in a Lifetime Trips goes way beyond what a standard guide offers: these trips are intended to be distinctive events that you will remember for the rest of your life. Chris Santella distills each experience and describes just what makes it extraordinary--whether it’s the culture of the place, a venue’s incredible isolation, or the unique amenities available to the traveler. Organized by destination--on the ocean, on an island, in the jungle, in the mountains and the desert, in the country, in the city, in the sky--Once in a Lifetime Trips is as much a vicarious and thrilling reading experience as it is a source of ideas and inspiration for anyone in search of a remarkable journey.

Reviews

Fifty Unique Places to Visit on Earth and Beyond, June 16, 2009
From the author of //Fifty Places to Sail Before You Die//, as well as the other //Fifty Places to . . .// books, comes a unique collection of locations on and above our planet: //Once in a Lifetime Trips: The World's 50 Most Extraordinary and Memorable Travel Experiences//. Having visited most of these places himself, Santella doesn't just try to give readers some truly special and awesome places that our planet has to offer, but also to make a unique trip, journey, or experience out of it. The book is divided by definition of how one can reach certain places: by sea, in the jungle, in the mountains, in the country, in the city, and even in the sky. Each location has a two- to three-page entry featuring one or two photographs highlighting it, as well as a storytelling description of how one can best experience this unique place told through second person.

Some predictable places are mentioned--like Easter Island, the Galapagos, and climbing a mountain in the Himalayas. And some (if not a good percentage) of the places mentioned are out of most peoples' price ranges, such as: "The World's Greatest Opera Houses by Private Jet" and "Visiting the International Space Station." Others require extreme fitness and skill: "Heli-skiing in New Zealand's Southern Alps" and "Coasting on the King's Trail of Sweden." Nevertheless, Santella does provide a detailed page at the end as to how one can take a trip to each of these unique locations and whom they should contact. While a map may be needed for some readers to know just where these places are, they will at least delight and give reader's ideas about what they might like to do to make their next trip a //Once in a Lifetime// experience.

Reviewed by
Alex C. Telander

Superb for Planning That Special Trip, June 16, 2009
Every few years, I like to take a special trip and try to do something very different. I thought this book might help with the planning. Well, the only problem now is that I'll be too tempted to wait a few years between trips. The combination of incredible photography and clear, well-researched writing makes this a fantastic resource for those looking to plan anniversaries, unique family gatherings, or getaways with special friends. I can't say that all of these are viable adventures for me, but I can dare to dream.

Disheartening for those on a budget, September 2, 2010
Apparently the author really means one-in-a-lifetime trips, because any normal person will only be able to afford one of these interesting getaways in his or her lifetime. The trips themselves were decently inspired, but in reading this book I found myself not getting excited about wanting to see/do the things that were in this book like I do when reading other travel books. Instead I found myself becoming downright depressed that none of the sometimes great ideas would be within my backpacker's budget. Bottom line, for the money-rich, time-poor person you will find this book interesting and inspiring. For myself and the rest of us who desire a more realistic though nonetheless extraordinary and memorable travel experience, take a pass on this book.

Blending color photos with exciting 'you are there' travel diaries and dialogue, August 20, 2009
Once In a Lifetime Trips: The World's 50 Most Extraordinary and Memorable Travel Experiences covers everything from navigating Alaska on a luxury boat that can sail where cruise ships can't to roughing it on the Amazon in Peru and exploring wild Boreno. Any general library catering to travelers will find this an inspirational guide to such world highlights, blending color photos with exciting 'you are there' travel diaries and dialogue. A top pick.
... Read more

Editorial Review

"Unique among survival books...stunning...enthralling. Deep Survival makes compelling, and chilling, reading."—Penelope Purdy, Denver Post

After her plane crashes, a seventeen-year-old girl spends eleven days walking through the Peruvian jungle. Against all odds, with no food, shelter, or equipment, she gets out. A better-equipped group of adult survivors of the same crash sits down and dies. What makes the difference?

Examining such stories of miraculous endurance and tragic death—how people get into trouble and how they get out again (or not)—Deep Survival takes us from the tops of snowy mountains and the depths of oceans to the workings of the brain that control our behavior. Through close analysis of case studies, Laurence Gonzales describes the "stages of survival" and reveals the essence of a survivor—truths that apply not only to surviving in the wild but also to surviving life-threatening illness, relationships, the death of a loved one, running a business during uncertain times, even war.

Fascinating for any reader, and absolutely essential for anyone who takes a hike in the woods, this book will change the way we understand ourselves and the great outdoors. ... Read more

Reviews

Simply wonderful, January 8, 2004
Those who are focusing on whether or not Gonzales is actually instructing you on how to survive in the wild are completely missing the point of Deep Survival. As a totally urban chick who'd rather die than hike, I bought the book not because I wanted to learn about mountaineering, but to investigate why I've survived a blood disorder that has killed others. And thanks to this book, I've gotten my answer. Gonzales beautifully explains and explores the paradox that must be absorbed completely if one is to live through a catastrophe--which is that to survive something, you must surrender to it, basically fall into it, accepting all the pain and suffering, if you're ever going to get out of it. When you're able to quickly adapt to a new reality and make this new place--however frightening--your new home, you've a much better chance of surviving than the person who's in denial. For one thing, your sense of spirituality and wonder deepens, and this is a tremendous life force in and of itself. It helps you enjoy where you ARE, instead of frantically trying to get to where you think you should be. This is simply a great life lesson, whether you're lost in the woods, or just trying to live a happier existence.

He explains the paradox so well--that in order to survive, one must surrender, yet at the same time not give in. There must be a sheer raw determination to win the game, yet an acceptance of possibly losing it as well, which paradoxically, gives you an edge. And if you can muster a playful spirit on top of it all, well--then you're just golden. A *great* read.

Listen Up, Grasshopper, February 13, 2004
Laurence Gonzales has written a riveting book, not about survival technique, but survival philosophy. The points he makes can be applied to any situation in which you find yourself endangered physically, mentally, or emotionally. He weaves together the tao te ching, chaos theory, musings on Roman military tactics, biological lessons on how the brain works to help us preserve the species by preserving ourselves, true-life experiences from people who have endured some of the more bizarre "accidents", and his own taste for thrills.

Gonzales bookends the essays with the story of his father, a scientist who, as a young flier during WWII, was shot down over Germany. He FELL out of his plane--he didn't parachute, he literally fell--and lived through a harrowing recovery as a POW.

Why did his dad make it when the rest of his crew was killed?

Some of this has to do with events you can't control, and some of it has to do with how to control yourself so that you can find a way out of dire straits. He points out that some people can make every correct decision and end up being killed, while others make every wrong decision and walk out of the woods (or off a mountain...) unscathed. But, you can learn to THINK like a survivor, and greatly increase your chances of getting through what may seem, even to others in the same sinking boat, like a no-win situation.

Gonzales's dad taught him, "Plan the flight. Fly the plan, but don't fall in love with the plan." Being prepared is only part of the equation; being able to adjust to changing circumstances is what a lot of us forget about.

Reading this book is an adventure in itself. If you're a city dweller, like me, and don't anticipate not having the Sears Tower in your line of sight if you get disoriented, it's still enjoyable, and applicable to what you will eventually experience.

This book should be on every high school reading list. (Preferably BEFORE the kid takes driver's ed.)

I also recommend Gavin DeBecker's books, such as THE GIFT OF FEAR. He discusses some of what Gonzales does, insofar as honing your inner resources so they work FOR you, but he is also very specific regarding cases of direct threats from other people. Gonzales does discuss how non-survivors can compromise a survivor, but most of what he talks about is environmental.

If you are planning a wilderness trip or just a seemingly innocuous weekend hike, this book is a great reality check. It's also an inspiration. Some of these stories are just amazing, and they prove how tough, and sometimes dumb, a species we are.

Worth hanging in there for the last third, January 3, 2006
I really wanted to like this book. It was recommended by a friend, and is on a topic I'm very interested in. I've been involved in a lot of wilderness activities, have participated in rescues of myself and others, and am familiar with the literature on accidents and survival.

The author has hamstrung the book by trying to go 'high concept' and connect the book to chaos theory, complexity theory, and self-organizing systems. The author's understanding of the theories is very weak, and he seriously hurts the book by trying to force connections that don't exist and don't add to understanding.

He finally hits his pace in the latter part of the book when he largely drops the half-baked references to chaos theory and actually grapples with the question he set out to answer: who lives, who dies, and why? I wouldn't say his answers are unexpected, but he does a very good job of interwining well-chosen selections from survival literature with some original reporting and his personal story, and presenting them in a compelling way.

There is an excellent book hiding inside of Deep Survival. It's a shame that you've got to piece it together yourself from the good bits.

Thought-provoking and memorable, but I had hoped for more, June 2, 2007
This book is a fascinating survival book because it's about the MENTAL aspects of survival, not the physical ones... not about the knowledge you need, but the emotional toughness: what are the psychological qualities you need, and how to cultivate them in yourself. This is a topic that I'm quite interested in, and Gonzales (and my own experience) has persuaded me that he's really pinpointed some of the often-overlooked, but very key, aspects of psychological survival. One of the highlights, for me, is that the book is also peppered through with interesting survival stories (though I would have enjoyed seeing less focus on climbing and wilderness, since the psychological patterns he talks about would apply even to "urban survival"-type situations like kidnapping).

So I quite enjoyed it, and I'm sure I'll remember and treasure several of his gems of wisdom for a long time. ("Be here now", as advice for general life as well as survival situations, struck me as especially valuable).

BUT. The book was really kind of fluffy and disorganized. It didn't have a very clear structure: it was basically a bunch of stories, with the same general points reiterated in many ways. It would have been equally valuable if it were half as long, since the extra length was just used to repeat the points, not go into them in any more depth. I thought the science was a bit sloppy and oversimplified, which wasn't a *major* problem -- that sort of thing is inevitable when writing a popular book, and he got the core things right -- but it could have been LESS so, without compromising readability, if the organization were just a little better. And the writing was decent, but not great: more than once I was jarred out of an interesting story by a bizarre phrasing or a particularly inapt description.

So if you like survival stories or are interested in the psychology of survival, you'll definitely enjoy the book and be glad you read it. If not, you probably won't be able to get past the scattered organization, general repetitiveness, and at times oft-putting writing enough to appreciate the rest of it.

Deeply revealing - I could not put it down, October 10, 2004
This is not a story book. It has a lot of survival stories in it. But that isn't the point of the book. What the author does is to take a look at the various accidents (ships sinking in the atlanitc, planes exploding over the rainforest, falling into a crevasse at 15,000 feet) and finds a common thread that binds the victims that survived these accidents. Gonzales doesn't tell us how to make a bow to hunt deer or how fire can be made out of flints. Instead, his book explores the physiological/emotional/and spiritual side of survival.

The book is deeply revealing about human nature. He explains why it is that children that are 2-6 years old that get lost in the wilderness have better survival rates than expereinced adults. But why children older than six have the worst rates of survival.

In addition to his discussions into what makes a survivor, what was also fascinating was his discussion on how these accidents happen in the first place. He discusses tightly coupled systems like the spaceship and how accidents like the Challenger and Cloumbia come to happen. He explains how these catastrophes are built into the system. No one designs it into the system, it is inherent. He then relates this information to an accident were several climbers roped together (another tightly coupled system) had a catastrophic fall.

He often quotes Epicletus and Tao Te Ching and explains how their teachings such as humility are inherent characteristics of survivors. I enjoyed how Gonzales tied in philosphy to survival and I had many "aha!" expereinces while reading this book. Those old sages knew what they were talking about.

He also discusses chaos theory as well as the physiological aspects of survival. He talks about the various chemicals that are released by our body and how this affects us physiologically and mentally.

My only critique of this book is that when Gonzales writes about his own experiences, his poetic attempts to describe the environment he is in are really bad. He throws in adjectives and analogies that make no sense and I almost put down the book because they were so awkward and horrible. But when he actually stops writing fluff and gets into analyzing the various aspects of surival, his writing flows and becomes compulsively readable.

Profoundly effective read, October 26, 2003
I was hooked when I read the inside cover. Gonzales will try to explain why a guy in a raft would say "I'm going to pick up the car." Then jump into the ocean to be eaten by sharks, and then explain why a person with no survival skills could survive the jungle. What could explain these differences in catastrophe? Does Gonzales, a very experienced adventurer, succeed?

No! Catastrophes are too complicated, nature is too capricious, and no one can fathom why someone was given -divinely or otherwise- the mental fortitude to survive while another surrenders. Gonzales admits this, but he does better. He shows us that many of those who survive have a mental profile that helps them survive and he encourages us to find this resilience which we all have by varying degrees. He does this through pages of wisdom.

So there are 15 chapters, each presenting a main lesson, and a fantastic tale of accidents, catastrope or survival. Minor points in each chapter is supported by 'minor' stories. Thus Gonzales masterfully weaves several stories in each chapter.

The stories presented are just awe inspiring. Let me give whet your appetite. Two raft guides steer their boats down a raging river. One notices entire trees racing by and has enough, the other doesn't and dies. A teenage girl falls a mile from an airplane with just her high heels and her dress. She survives, but now must face an inhospitable jungle below. SCUBA divers drown underwater with plenty of air in their tanks.

Gonzales does not get into the 'gadgetry' lessons of survival. There are no techniques about how to apply first aid, or rappel a cliff. Instead, Gonzales presents psychology and the neurology of why we make mistakes, why we sometimes do 'bonehead' acts, why some seem to be lucky to never get into trouble, and what it takes to persevere through indomitable odds; the 'survival personality'. He also discusses tightly interlocking safety systems and 'adventure plans' that give us a false sense of security and can exaggerate the problems that they are trying to prevent!

Gonzales draws heavily from a few science books which are accessible to most readers. I suspect those who have read this book, may already have read them:

-The Emotional Brain by Joseph LeDoux
-Descartes' Error by Antonio Damasio

Both these books are very good, and I recommend them. It is not necessary to read them first to enjoy Deep Survival, but reading all three books, will be more enriched. So 'armchair' academics will delight in this original -albeit, light- application of science.

Gonzales so masterfully writes that Nature just IS, but the inner world may be against us. So while we cannot control our outside world, we can construct an inner world which will increase our chances of survival. And let me try to abbreviate them here:

-Be prepared. Have the proper training.
-Be humble. Observe and adapt your knowledge, Nature is not a textbook.
-Stay calm and don't rush.
-Have a loose plan and be ready to change or lose the plan.
-Enjoy nature with each small step.
-Do it for others

There are about 20 points scattered throughout the book, then nicely summarized in an appendix. These points are illustrated with clear, and non trivial examples. This may very well be the best self-improvement book I've ever read.

In addition, Gonzales presents us with other facts and statistics. He discusses the mental stages of being physically lost. He mentions children between the ages of 1-6 having the highest survival rates and why is this consistent with survival psychology/neurology.

This wisdom can be applied to anywhere. I have used it in competitive events and it has helped me. I'm pretty sure any outdoors person, adventurers, thrill seekers or vacationer will reread passages from this book before they go out on their journeys. Just like me, the book will have a positive affect on you. I think -for me- it may very well be permanent.

I hope that is enough for you to buy this book. Right now, I want to discuss some of the negatives. These are minor, but important points which may enrich or aggravate your reading. So you may want to skip it.

I wish this book contained the pictures of the locale of disasters and potential disasters. The lesson that we consistently underestimate nature would be very effective to show an inviting picture of a Hawaiian beach and a caption stating that swimming on this beach will kill you. I'm not exaggerating.

Gonzales is too contradictory. A survivor must be one with his world, but a paragraph later, it's important for the survivor to have a private world, and an outside world. A survivor must have empathy for those injured. Yet pages later, the same survivor cuts his friend's rope to save his own hide. Gonzales talks about balancing the rules of survival, but these contradictions are not what he intends, and there are more than just these two.

Gonzales admits that nature is capricious; not only do you need to survive, you need luck. But, luck is not emphasized enough. It can't because chronicling survival versus death means one-sided results. Still Gonzales could give forensic stories of survivors who did everything right, and still died. Also remember, not many panicked survivors will readily admit they timidly escaped.

Finally, you will mentally compare yourself with these survivors. And, you might ask yourself if you actually want to hike with a survivor. Do you want to be on a raft with a person who wishes an injured person to bleed to death? Do you want to rappel with someone who will cut your rope to save his butt? Do you want to be friends with someone who wishes a cripple will fall off a cliff to make things more convenient for him? I realize by reading this book, I do not have all the qualities of surviving. I'd be the one landing on an exploding grenade to save my comrades and Gonzales would then extol my comrades for surviving. What I'm trying to say is that I sometimes wish Gonzales would tone his prose down. Survivors may be the 'real heroes', but we need all personalities for our species to survive; from the survivors to the martyrs to the techno-geeks which make the med kits and the radios that rescue survivors. Ultimately, nature doesn't give a damn if you are a survivalist or not.

Interestingly, the two climbers in the rope cutting incident survived, and continue to climb. It's not mentioned whether the climbers have climbed together since.

In summary, Gonzales book is excellent. And deserves multiple readings. Every page is filled with wisdom and science coupled to a vivid story that makes the lesson stick. The lessons you learn will stay with you regardless if you adventure or not. You will awe Mother Nature and be humbled by her. But remember the negatives I mentioned, and you will fully appreciate one of the underlying messages Gonzales has conveyed: that, life is extremely precious. So, savor it.

Something off about this..., June 15, 2008
I love natural disaster genre, but this book fell flat for me. Offering some Zen insights, and a few badly narrated but intriguing case studies, the author's voice kept intervening in strange and ultimately annoying ways, which is perhaps why I didn't really like the book: I found the author's voice annoying. Deep Survival is really more about Gonzales' father than surviving, per se, and he seems to have used the trope of survival to offer a meditation on his Dad's spectacular survival in WW2, which is fine is you want a father memoir, or a WW2 experience, but rather less so if you are more interested in case studies than Pater Gonzales or the author's own masculinist excesses, which were often annoying and badly narrated. In the end, this is memoir-cum-vanity autobiography. I was expecting something more interesting.

Unexpectdly spiritual, January 31, 2006
From time to time (maybe every year or so), I engage into some sort of radical sport or activity, for the thrill of it, for the adrenaline, to face my fears and at the end, probably to feel "aliver" (more alive than ever?).

With this in mind, I bought this book without too many expectations. Wasn't really sure if it was going to be a technical book for professional "life-challengers" or what. Seemed to be a different kind of book.

And after reading it, I can say I am not disappointed. It's a truly interesting book in which Gonzales goes beyond the technical matters. Actually, Gonzales spouses that it is not technical prowess, experience, strength or a particular knowledge that distinguishes survivors from not-survivors. I don't want to get into the details (that's for you when you read the book), but his conclusion is that survivors have, among others, a positive mental attitude, "keep their cool", have an ability to somehow dettach themselves from the situation and do not let themselves be overblown by their emotions, feelings and/or psychological pressures.

The book is not perfect, though:
- It lacks a driving force to it. Its not a difficult read, but I actually stopped reading it for almost 10 days.
- The many references to Gonzales' father, and how his life impacted the author's, are very nice (particularly in the latter chapters), but they make the book so autobiographical (sometimes I thought the book was a cathartic experience of some sort for the author), that it would actually be nice to know more about Gonzales and his life.
- Its kinda zig-zaggy. Which is on purpose. At the end you can get some specific practical tips about survival. But the read is not fully structured.

In short, don't read this book if you want a technical training for survival in extreme conditions, or if you want to know in full detail how the more famous survivors made it (Gonzales relies in maybe 10 to 20 examples across the book, but does not rely heavily on the history of famous expeditions). Now, if you want something different from the typical novel, if you are attracted to eco-adventures and/or radical sports, or if you are curious about this strange mix of "Top Gun meets Deepak Chopra", go for it (and yes, I know, the comparison is exaggerated on both sides....).

Useful, Often Fascinating, Sometimes Meandering, August 18, 2005
Deep Survival can often be quite an interesting journey, although occasionally, like many of the hikers in the true life stories within, it gets a little lost and goes in circles. Laurence Gonzales has made a nice selection of survival tales and presents them in a very useful and illustrative manner. The author shoehorns himself in a little too much (particularly as humility is supposed to be one of the main virtues possessed by a survivor.) These true tales make a nice balance and counterpoint to much of the fascinating scientific research. The book does ignore anything that does not help its thesis so luck is downplayed as is the fact that non-survivors, who tales cannot be told, may often experience and exhibit the same charateristics as survivors, such as a sense of humour, but time was never on their side. Still, it makes for great reading and, despite the author's final insistence that survivors are born, may offer many useful tips for mental attitude adjustments during a hike or a climb gone wrong.

saddeningly substandard science, painfully poor prose, December 24, 2006
Rex Painter's 1-star review was right on target, yet only 6/15 people found that review helpful.

1. The writing reminds me of my college students who are still trying to find that "style" that their high school teachers so desperately wished they'd find. The first sentence: "If you could see adrenaline, then you'd see a great green, greasy river of it oozing off the beach at San Diego tonight." Huh? Why is adrenaline green or greasy? Its not, but I guess Gonzales believes the alliteration helps the sentence. More gems in the first two paragraphs: "The steel blade of this boat has ripped up the belly of the sea and I watch for a moment as its curling intestines glisten with moonlight and roll away behind us". With sentences like these, I'm surprised they didn't get Fabio on the cover.
2. The stories are superficially analyzed. Want a deep analysis of human behavior in the wilderness? Read Chip Brown's Good Morning Midnight. What Gonzales give us is lots of little stories, each with maddenly little detail, broken up by summaries of recent models of human emotional processing. Gonzales relies heavily on the work of Antonio Damasio and Joesph LeDoux, whose works I would recommend, to explain who survived and who didn't. But Gonzales utterly fails in this attempt. E.g. The story of the Army Ranger James Gabba is told in one paragraph. Granted, Gonzales does lead the story with a few paragraphs on Army Ranger training, but the story focuses on *him* (Gonzales) and *his* feelings watching rangers (or jellyfish as he describes them) parachuting. Here is Gonzales' analysis of the behavior: "Gabba was sucked under, pinned and drowned. The official report said the 'guest clearly did not take the situation seriously.' But that's not true. He took it very seriously." What is meant by this statement. We never find out because Gonzales moves right into a few irrelevant paragraphs on the immune system (was there an editor for this book?) and stress, and then finally returns to a single final paragraph on Gabba, basically concluding that Gabba died because his training made it dishonorable to be helped. Dah! I think any middle school student could have arrived at this conclusion. But I buy and read books to find out how conventional explanations (folk wisdom) are wrong or, if not wrong, what is the neurological or evolutionary explanation for the behavior. Gonzales attempts the former but, again, fails to make the connection between the science and the stories.
3. The stories about himself are uninteresting and, rather than strengthening his argument, serve to simply divert the reader's attention from the focal story or argument. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

A great tale of an island adventure, not much detail about shark science, September 28, 2006
Susan Casey, a journalist, becomes intrigued by white sharks and the Farallon Islands some thirty miles from San Francisco. After fighting through restrictions and barriers, she manages to get onto the island and observe a group of scientists studying predation by great white sharks within the so-called red triangle. Her description of the islands flora and fauna are very good. Detailed descriptions of shark attacks also give the story some excitement. She doesn't provide much scientific detail about the research she observed; however, she's a journalist, not a biologist. She's a story-teller and does a good job.

If your a shark junkie who enjoys scientific detail about the behavior and biology of sharks, you'll most certainly be disappointed. On the other hand, if you enjoy tales of natural adventures and the hardships endured along the way, you'll be entertained.

"They're not too bad... unless you're a seal." -Peter Pyle, September 16, 2005
THE DEVILS TEETH is an exceptionally well-written account of the Farallon Islands and, in particular, the white shark research project that has been based there over the past several decades. Susan Carey profiles Peter Pyle and Scot Anderson, two biologists who have been leading shark research at the islands which are located just 27 miles due west of San Francisco. She also documents her own (ultimately disastrous) experiences gaining access to the islands which are largely prohibited to the public. The stars of the story are the sharks themselves, who turn out to be far more individualistic and personable than you would probably ever imagine.

The white sharks of the Farallon Islands are perhaps the best studied in the world in their natural state. The circus atmosphere which surrounds white shark research in places like Australia and South Africa have largely compromised the sharks natural habitat making it difficult to observe sharks behaving naturally. The Farallon Islands, known to 19th-century mariners as "The Devil's Teeth," are a dangerous and foreboding locale, but one that lends itself well to scientific investigations. Carey takes us through the history of exploitation, inhabitation, and research that has taken place on the islands over the past 150 years, and she includes a healthy amount of information about the other wildlife in evidence on and around the islands. But she clearly (and admittedly) developed an obsession with the sharks, and the narrative of the book is continually steered back toward them.

The thing that struck me the most in THE DEVIL'S TEETH was the description of the individual white sharks' strong personalities. I would never have thought that a white shark could be described in terms of being "gentle and maternal" (Whiteslash) or "happy-go-lucky and somewhat goofy" (Half Fin). Other individual sharks, of course, had more sinister reputations. Still, one can come away from reading this book with the impression that the great white shark is truly a likeable animal, if not exactly huggable. Another revelation (to me, at least) was the evidence that at least some white sharks, like whales, apparently have fixed migratory routes that can take them thousands of miles through the course of a year. Some (the females) appear to have two-year migrations since they only show up every other year in the Farallones.

Susan Carey takes us into an exclusive place, to be sure: a world where cage divers and eco-tourists are looked down upon with disdain. In a way, it hardly seems fair that the experience of witnessing the thrill of a white shark kill should be so restricted. As Peter Pyle himself said, "I feel sorry for anyone who hasn't seen one." Of course, it is understandable. As in nearly other place in the world where white sharks congregate, the delicate ecosystem of the Farallon Islands would suffer tragically and research effort would be compromised from increased human intrusion. THE DEVIL'S TEETH is a glimpse into the world of two committed biologists and the truly majestic animals they study.

Jeremy W. Forstadt

An exciting story, December 14, 2005
This was a very exciting story. Susan Casey writes well, giving us an inside view of the events in a natural prose style. The Farallons never seemed so close, even when I visited San Francisco and toured them by boat. Casey writes a compelling story of the scientists and naturalists living in hellish conditions because they love the sharks, their--to my mind--unusual behavior, individually and in groups. Who knew sharks had such personalities? My only wish is that she'd concentrated more on the sharks, kept the whole sailboat incident out of it, and I couldn't read about Peter losing his job--his life up to this point!--without a little anger. It's a very quick read and worth it if you like sharks and roughing it.

Don't Bother, May 29, 2008
The author and her persistence to observe activities on the island leads the the demise of the entire shark research project. great.

good read, but the ending left me sour...., March 17, 2006
I've just finished reading this book and have to agree, I was also upset and angry that Peter Pyle lost his job and didn't get to be the first to ride the 'perfect wave' in shark alley - all because of Susan Casey. After reading the Q&A given to the author on this site and seeing that she 'blagged' her way into various summer jobs - I have to wonder if she didn't 'blag' Peter that she could handle a yacht at sea.
Maybe it would have been better for the Farallones Great White Shark project, if she'd just left them alone.
Having said this, I did enjoy the first 2/3 of the book. The last part is just Casey talking about her experiences on the yacht. You're not given any scientific answers as to why the huge 'sister' sharks, haven't been seen at the Farallones in three years. There was no real conclusion about the conservation of the sharks, what the biologist think or what we could do to help. The only thing we're told is that they might be extinct by the next decade. Casey's description of the Islands and wildlife, are detailed and magnificent enough to make me schedule a ride on the 'superfish'. But in the end it just seems a shame that Peter lost is job, over a book that didn't really do the plight & fragility of the Great Whites' existence enough justice.

Misadventures of NY journalist experiencing life on the Farallon islands, July 29, 2006
The book is more accurately subtitled a true story of obsession and survival on the Farallon Islands. While the principal obsession of the biologists and the author was the Great White Sharks that frequent the island, the book is not exclusively shark-centric. Obviously, the readers are likely to be most interested in learning about the sharks of the Farallon Islands. However, the author makes the island, its history, its birds, and the political struggles over access to the island interesting for any reader. There is a good mix of adventure, history, marine biology, oceanography and personalities to keep the reader interested in the author's adventure.

However, the other characters (biologists) are never really developed in any depth. They all tend to blend together--leaving the reader wondering--which biologist is this? While it is abundantly clear that the author did not have the necessary marine skills to attempt her feat, her struggle to live aboard the boat to satisfy her seemingly foolish obsession to witness shark attacks is a page-turning adventure with an easily predictable outcome. Unfortunately, the study of Great White Sharks and the passion of a shark biologist were detrimentally affected by the city-slicker journalist's failed attempt to masquerade as a wanna-be biologist/wanna-be seaman. After reading 291 pages about sharks and life on the Farallon islands, one is left with the conclusion that the author's (mis)adventure created more harm than good for the study of sharks and life on the Farallon islands.

Ambivalent, September 13, 2005
While I thought the history of the Farrallones was fascinating, the fawning hero worship of Casey over Peter Pyle particularly was annoying. Like other disappointed reviewers I found the actual shark information lacking, although I did enjoy reading about all of the other wildlife on the islands.

I really couldn't believe, however, that at the end Casey takes such flaccid "responsibility" for the demise of the shark project and the ruination of Pyle's career. I suppose her self-absorption and determination to put her own wants first are what permitted her to have such unprecedented access to a place few are allowed to visit in the first place, so it should be unsurprising that she will accept the accolades and gloss over the damage done by her "work" there. I was appalled, and saddened by the obvious and truly devastating impact that her little "obsession" had on the project.

A vastly entertaining, funny, and scary-as-all-get-out book!, January 8, 2006
"The Devil's Teeth" is a vastly entertaining, very well-written account of one woman's experience out on The Farallon Islands.

Those islands are a particularly inhospitable group of rocks ("rock designed by a cubist on peyote" as she says) sitting off of San Francisco. A small hardy band of researchers study sharks out there, and she went to go check it out.

I'm a "Jaws" freak. I thought I knew everything about sharks. I didn't know ANY of this.

First of all, they are not simply studying "sharks". We're talking about great whites. The big bad ones.The depictions of those fish are unlike any you've read before. You will change the way you think and feel about them.

If possible, you will become even more freaked out about them. They're genuinely scary creatures.

She writes like an impossibly gifted dinner guest, telling stories that have every one at the table mesmerized.
She's colloquial; there are lots of italics and capitalizations and fragments and such. She writes like a real good talker.

Her prose is vivid. The appearance of these sharks, of the researchers, of the islands themselves...all are artfully described. Imagine a shark as wide as "Yao Ming is tall."
Her perspective will make you laugh. When she tries to ram home that sharks have been around for quite some time, she says they "predate trees." Not 'a' tree, but trees in general. When sharks first appeared, plants hadn't yet figured out how to become trees.
When describing the sensation of walking through a gauntlet of kamikaze gulls, she thanks "Alfred Hitchcock" for her "state of mind."
A cormorant becomes someone from "Flintstones central casting." I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud while reading this book.

And read it I did. As fast as I could. I was fascinated by these relatively new discoveries on "shark character". They don't act like we thought they did (and in general, we don't know that much about them...) and some of the basic fundamentals of shark physiology and behavior are frankly disproven.

These buggers can see just fine. They'll stick their head out of the water to check you out. They have personalities. Different sharks "act" differently. They are not simply the cold killing machines we all thought they were.

They're worse. Really. They're cold CALCULATING killing machines, who have an ability to learn things.

I digress...I could have read volumes more about these sharks, the Sisterhood (the giant, ethereal murderesses) and the Rat Pack (the smaller, more visible but somehow less sinister male cohort)...about Cal Ripfin, Stumpy, Whiteslash. It's like the psychopathic oceanic version of "Watership Down."

Casey also conveys the "lunar isolation" of the colorful folks who "live" out there on those islands. She gives us a taste of the political bureaucracy involved in maintaining that precious environment, and also the delicate nature of those island's own biosphere (in direct contrast to the harsh living conditions).
There is an extended segment of the author trying to live on a sailboat (she's not allowed on the island for technical reasons) just off shore during a harrowing storm. I couldn't imagine trying to row a rowboat between an out-of-control sailboat that has lost her anchor in twenty-foot waves, and a coastline that looks like the place where Darth Vader got his face melted off. And oh yeah, huge sharks circling around, checking out your little boat, wondering how much you look like a fat elephant seal.

There are passages on the history of the islands, on shark research in general...but it's mostly about living on this rock, watching sharks eat seals. And by the way she writes, you will happily go along with her obsession. You yourself will need to know more about these sharks. Her desire is infectious.

I'm going to recommend this book to just about everybody I know...it's a terrific read!

Farallone Islands & Great White Sharks, December 16, 2005
If you're at all familiar with the Northern California coastline and are remotely curious or even fascinated by great white sharks (their behavior and how scientists study them) you will love this book. As a native San Franciscan who became fascinated with sharks in his youth (first recorded great white shark attack off our shores in 1959) and went on to become a deep sea diver I find this book very exciting, accurate in it's detail and very informative. The author (Susan Casey) tells a gripping story of her own fascination with the creatures. She balances her grand obsession by recounting the obstacles she encountered (bureaucratic, environmental and personal)on her quest for understanding. She also does an excellent job of portraying the lives of research scientists who set out to study the birds on these islands, scientists who couldn't help but study the great whites when they realized that the Farallone Islands were part of the sharks migratory pattern a breeding ground that they returned to every autumn.

I came away disappointed in the end..., September 14, 2006
Susan Casey's book is a fascinating peek into her obsession with white sharks. Her fascination and admiration of the creatures comes through, as does the passion behind her personal quest to spend time on the Farallones. However, by the end of the book, I was angry with Casey. Her blind passion put the entire Sharkwatch operation in jeopardy and resulted in the firing of one valuable researcher. I think that she succeeds in translating the majesty and awe of the white shark, but I think that the story comes off as a selfish city reporter who is no better than the tourists (whom she criticizes) who pay to cage dive with the sharks. She may mean to do well, but leaves the project in jeopardy as a direct result of her irresponsible actions.
... Read more

Editorial Review

The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy has been lauded by the New York Times, Financial Times, and reviewers worldwide. Translated in fourteen languages, Travels has received numerous awards for its frank and nuanced discussion of global economic realities.� Now updated and revised--including a discussions of environmental issue--this fascinating book illustrates crucial lessons in the debate on globalization.

The major themes and conclusions from the first edition are intact, but in� response to questions from readers and students around the world, the second edition now includes:

• Updates on the people, businesses, and politics involved in the production of the T-shirt.
• Discussions of environmental issues related to both international trade and the T-shirt's life story.
• A look at the maturing of the anti-globalization movement, and the recent shift in public opinion against internationalism.

Reviews

Interesting, important, broad in scope, full of technical and historic detail, March 7, 2006
Spurred by a Georgetown student anti-sweatshop protest, Pietra Rivoli took up the task of tracing the life of a (tacky souvenir) t-shirt she buys in Florida, to examine the economics and politics of this non-trivial segment of the apparel industry. Why she buys the t-shirt in the first place remains a mystery. Why she needs one from Florida that she will likely discard is even more of a mystery. She made me think about studying the American practice of souvenir shopping and excess consumption. But her t-shirt has a story worth telling.

Rivoli first adeptly traces the history of cotton as a critical world commodity, including the struggles in England two hundred fifty years ago by the wool industry to combat the comfort of cotton, going so far as to prohibit the use of calico and the requirement that people be buried in wool. The questionable economics of slavery moved cotton production to the United States, but it was and still is the intervention of technology, research and financial capital that made cotton farming so much more productive today. Nonetheless, the ability of Texas farmers to market "low quality" cotton can best be attributed to both technology and federal price supports, up to 19 cents on a 59 cent pound of cotton. Cotton, while still a major commodity in global trade, has probably declined in relative value and share of the world economy. What we may be seeing is more of the slow death of the importance a dated commodity and less of a "race to the bottom" that she suggests.

She then takes us to t-shirt and apparel manufacturing and employment, now on the wane in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. People mistakenly think that these jobs are being sent to China. They're not. In fact, they're just disappearing. Rivoli notes that China, between 1995 and 2003, lost ten times the numbers of textiles manufacturing jobs as did the United States (p. 142), and Chinese workers have little or no safety net or alternative employment, unlike their displaced American brethren. In the ill-fated "race to the bottom," it should be clear that this fate seems to await any industry that is unable to maintain a long-term competitive advantage, and the only way to do that seems to be through protectionism. While t-shirts are cheap, saving textile jobs is not cheap. Saving American textile jobs costs between $135,000 and $180,000 per job saved, according to best estimates (p. 144), costing American taxpayers and consumers billions of dollars. Where jobs are being created is in the lobbying and trade association industry. This section (Part III) is an overwhelming alphabet-soup of acronyms - WTO, AGOA, NAFTA, CBTPA, ADTPA, ATC, MFA, ACMI, LTA, ATMI, and ITCB -- for trade agreements, trade associations, trade and lobbying groups, and other defenders of (primarily) protectionism. The complexity of the letters is exceeded by the complexity of the trade agreements they promulgate. It takes a lot of honest, well-intentioned effort and dollars to disrupt the free flow of trade.

As noted above, Rivoli generally passes over the details of the American retail trade for apparel, other than minimal attention to the hated global icon Wal-mart. She observes the expensive foreign vehicles and SUVs in the American shopping mall parking lot, lined up to drop off used clothing at the Salvation Army van in anticipation of going inside and buying up more equally recyclable apparel. I doubt that those malls contain a Wal-mart, and that there is likely a big difference between those who shop at Wal-mart and those who re-cycle clothes before shopping at Lord & Taylor.

This recycled donation sets the stage for the best example of free trade in the book - the used clothing stalls in Tanzania, where savvy shoppers brand shop at rock bottom prices, haggling and playing the market from dawn to dusk. Discriminating, well-informed, fashion-conscious shoppers happily haggle, engaged in one of Tanzania's functioning markets. She is careful not to buy the `humiliation' argument, the one that says that Africans should be ashamed to wear second-hand clothes. As she notes, some of the used stuff dropped off at the American mall never makes it to Africa; it gets picked off along the way as "vintage clothing" and worn by Americans and Japanese willing to pay "hundreds of dollars" for used jeans. As she notes, while much has remained the same in impoverished Africa, most Africans do dress better today, thanks to this free market.

She offers a short conclusion (pp. 211-215) and analysis. She does see some hope: "Cutting agricultural subsidies, democratization, and giving poor countries a place at the table at trade negotiations are all steps in the right direction." She notes Cordell Hull's view, that global commerce may be the best prevention for war.

The book is relatively short (215 pages), well-written, engaging, and, despite the need to use acronyms, very clear and readable. It is an excellent primer on the problems of protectionism and the intricacies of delivering on truly free trade, while noting that many who espouse free trade really don't want to practice it or, more commonly, be subjected to the competition from free trade.

Three minor quibbles.

She writes deferentially about Tom Friedman, his lions and gazelles metaphors, hardware and software analogies, but forgets that he also says that the world is flat. This book shows that the world markets for t-shirts is not free, fair or flat. And the playing field is not level. It is full of lumps, dips, and massive mountains. And, as Rivoli notes, it was not made or kept this way other than by "snarling dogs", not lions, not gazelles. Friedman has popularized interest in globalization but he has shed little light on its understanding or analysis.

With two or three almost casual asides, she seems intent on laying this travesty of fair or free markets at the feet of George Bush, if only because west Texas cotton farmers are such beneficiaries of federal subsidies. A fairer view would recognize that people of the same political and social demeanor who now fight against globalization once fought --- and still do fight -- for crop price protection for farmers.

Rivoli claims that economists everywhere around the globe appear to have universally adopted, recommended and embraced free trade ("virtually unanimous support among professional economists, a group almost without exception who scorn protectionism in general" p. 148). I am not willing to go that far. But you should go so far as to read this good book.

For the classroom - more than you think, May 30, 2006
Enough reviews lauding the author and this book have been written, and all of them well-deserved. But since it becomes available in paperback this June (2006), this review hopes to spark a wider discussion of how it might be used in the classroom.

The summary is well known. Prompted by anti-globalization protests on her Georgetown campus, an economics professor travels the world to discover the life of a t-shirt, from West Texas cotton (and a brief history of U.S. cotton and labor policies) to Chinese manufacturing to U.S. trade policy (including "perverse effects and unintended consequences") and finally to the used-clothing market in Africa. Neither paladin nor myrmidon of the usual ideologues, the author uses "story-telling" rather than strict quantitative analysis or theoretical modeling.

Applications for courses in foreign policy, political economy, public policy and the like are obvious. For undergraduates or new graduate students, it might be a good way to introduce a wide variety of concepts at the beginning of a course, or as concluding work, to see how the semester's concepts work together (and at odds).

But it should also not be overlooked for use in courses such as business ethics, or simply "ethics". It has plenty for courses like "science and society." It also might contribute to courses interested in race, class or gender issues, although the answers and implications can be more mixed than some partisans might prefer. (For example, the author's pro-free-trade bias is challenged, but so too are notions that "exploited" tells the entire story of women in low-paying manufacturing jobs.)

Our college is using the book as its "summer reading" for all incoming first-year students, with a series of events during orientation and the fall semester. Some of the questions I would like to see raised include considering "Commercial success can be achieved through moral failure" (p. 14), "Global capitalism and labor activism are not enemies, but are instead cooperators, however unwitting, in improving the human condition" (p. 102), the role of technological advances in shaping social and cultural changes, and questions about political activism, social justice, etc. Other faculty members are working on different questions that are interesting and important, on the substance of the book, but also on broader concepts applicable to life as a new college student.

My own bias is that this kind of book, and this book in particular, is a very student-friendly addition to a wide range of courses usually full of dryer tomes. If you're looking for something different than The Lexus and the Olive Tree and The World is Flat, this might be for you.

Globalization Demystified, July 25, 2005
All of us have an opinion on globalization. We either fall into the protectionist or free trade camp or perhaps somewhere between but few of us have a clear concept of the mechanics of globalization. Alan Tonselson’s book “The Race to the Bottom” tried explaining it using wry statistical economic analysis but Rivoli breathes life into globalization by fleshing out the people involved in the life cycle of an ordinary T-shirt. Her book illustrates this phenomenon to the layperson by demonstrating that globalization is more about history and, more importantly, politics, than about economics.

Her detailed discussion of textile trade politics leaves me to marvel at the fact that I am in fact wearing a T-shirt at all! Teleologically all political activity is aimed at material gain, hence, we are back to economics or as she so aptly demonstrates that politics gets in the way of economics.

Travels of a T-Shirt is an engrossing, informative, enlightening, and exciting book. The most salient feature is her historical discussion of cotton production and the textile industry. If you thought that globalization is a 21st century phenomena think again. Globalization is as old as the human race. Only its magnitude is unique to our century.

Readers will discover that the issues of globalization are not black and white but rather infinite shades of grey. I urge everyone to read this book for I guarantee that they will walk away with a whole new perspective.

A real eye opener, October 27, 2006
At the beginning of the book, Pietra Rivoli sets out to find an answer to the anti-globalization cries of the activists, to build a case to convince them of the power of the markets in improving the life of the poor. Instead, we discover an intricate web of interrelationships of politics, economics and culture; we realize that the trade skeptics need the corporations, the corporations need the skeptics, but most importantly the sweatshop workers need them both.

This book really stands out in its scope and conclusions. All too often we are exposed to one-sided attacks on or treatises for globalization - this book offers a comprehensive look at both sides, and more importantly it recognizes the importance of both. Amartya Sen (Nobel prize winner) proposed and supported many of the same ideas before, but this book articulates them exceptionally well and offers plenty of real, historical examples to seal the case.

I read this book for a class, but it's a kind of book I would have no hesitation reading on my free time either - it's a solid investment of your time and a real eye opener.

A Historical Tour of Industry Issues, March 22, 2005
I'm from the apparel industry - not fiber, yarn, textile or retail which in the US are separate industries - but apparel, the cutting and sewing and shipping of clothing. Ironically, a week before reading this book, I was given a passionate and amazing talk by an executive from one of the non-apparel companies profiled in this book. When he was done, I told him his business plan, which he detailed, could not have been written by an academic or a consultant, but only by a warrior in the supply chain. Well, this book could not have been written by a warrior, but only by an academic. In its description of the travels of a shirt, it bears close resemblance to a similar story written several years back in the NYTimes magazine. Having said that, this book rocks. Its great. Its a tutorial of how the apparel industry chases the low cost needle from country to country. And it is extremely current. I learned a lot about cotton, yarn, textiles, trade, lobbying, England - but nothing new about apparel, per se. So to me, everyone will learn something new from this book. It is unfortunate the author did not interview Kevin Burke of the American Apparel and Footwear Association. She seems to imply that the AAMA just disappeared. It did not. Kevin is a key player in the "Alphabet Army" the author describes as centered in Washington. Still, as I read the book, I learned the history of one of the members of our organization (www.aapnetwork.net), a highly successful cotton organization called PCCA. And I saw many names of people I knew first hand. There is so much history to the apparel supply chain I simply did not know - and now I understand it much better. As for my own bias of the divergent sides one takes on trade, I found myself leaning side to side like an old hill billy watching wrestling on TV as I squirmed in response to one sides rhetoric and the others B.S. Its well written. I like to think I'm a good industry writer, but I could not have done what Dr. Rivoli has achieved. Its a great yarn, maybe a little too heavy on the sweatshop, dogma and labor aspects of the issue, but then again, its written by an academic. I'm still waiting after 15 years of touring apparel factories all around the world to find an actual sweatshop. The only one I've ever seen was on a PBS documentary shot in New York of a horrifying factory there. Apparel chases the low cost needle. As Wal-Mart told me personally last decade, "when a US apparel contractor can make a dozen golf shirts at the same quality and price as we're getting from Cambodia, we'll buy them". Apparel chases the low cost needle. China is the world's apparel plant floor. Wal-Mart is the world's retail floor. Reality rules, and it is so inevitable it hurts. Are there any questions?

A Gloriously Fun Marriage of History, Technology and Economics - a Real Page Turner, August 10, 2006
The only reason I give this book 5 stars is because I can't give it 6! This blessed relief from boring, tedious economic tomes is the best of it's kind since "The Incredible Bread Machine."

After having known the comfortable pleasures of soft cotton clothing next to their skin, the 18th century British public suffered through two generations of itchy woolen undergarments. Why? For the same reason that 21st century garment makers from Bangladesh to Turkey, after playing tug of war for years with the leading American textile industry lobbyist, have suddenly switched sides to tug with him on his end of the rope: Job Protection. The weavers in 1719 Britain did not want to lose their jobs to cheap cotton imports from the east any more than American mills or third world nations with economies dependent on making inexpensive clothing want to see their jobs go to . . . . . .China, in this case.

We learn why that's a mistaken belief, at least in part. Industry jobs aren't going to China, or Sri Lanka, or Mars, for that matter, as much as they are just going - period.

Welcome to the world of cotton growers, subsidies, price supports, trade quotas, tariffs, free markets and, well, not so free markets. The author has penned a superb book which unpacks a complex topic. Using case studies of real folks she captures the nuances of an often arcane subject with astonishing clarity and brevity that spans the globe and time from 17th century England to 21st century Africa where a free market re-packages cheap upscale clothing discards in demand by a fashion saavy, if impoverished, public.

In barely 200 pages you'll understand more about applied econmics than you imagined. You'll appreciate the success that comes to a country (the U.S., eg) where the institutions - farms, market, government, science and the universities - all work, making a "virtuous circle" out of which entrepreneurial resourcefulness can be well rewarded. The third world is missing a lot more than just money to compete effectively.

Well written, fascinating, and timely, it covers the dark side as well as the irrepressable ingenuity of the human mind. Anyone can understand it, and everyone should enjoy it.

great book on globalization, April 15, 2005
An entertaining and insightful read on how the global economy really works for people. the author tackles the serious issues about globalization by exploring the life of her t-shirt, but she also is a great writer who can take the complex and make it both understanding and entertaining. bravo!

A real good book!, November 6, 2006
As an economist, I thought the book would be too simplistic. However, I found it both enjoyable and informative. It is well written and an easy read, something that I have come to appreciate having to read journal articles, working papers and textbooks which are usually not reader friendly.

Thoroughly enjoyable and unique, May 17, 2005
A unique and well-written book of international economics for anyone. No hard edges or hard opinions cloud this book's ingenious premise. From someone who has read many books on business and econ, this one is not only feel good but brilliant. Enjoy!

Fantastic, well-written, and eye-opening, August 6, 2008
Upon first glance, it might appear that this book details economic aspects of a
single industry, namely that of T-shirts. You'd be mistaken. It instead offers
an insightful look into several different aspects of T-shirt production,
including agriculture, factory working conditions, free trade (and
lack thereof), and concluding with the world-wide used T-shirt market. Each of
these sections could merit a book topic in its own right, but Ms. Rivoli has
wonderfully combined them into a single book ripe for reading.

Learn about the history of cotton production, including the rise of American
production and why it's still on top. (Hint: the American government has more
than a small role, but farm subsidies aren't the major reason.) Learn about the
back-room political dealings that ensure that some of your clothes come from
Bangladesh and Mexico instead of China, even though China could provide them for
less (and why it might be a good idea to keep things that way). Learn about what
happens to a used T-shirt once it's donated to the Salvation Army, and how it
might end up being sold in a Kenyan's clothing stall instead of your local
thrift store.

There is not a dull moment to be found in the book, and in fact seems to get
more interesting as the book wears on. If there is any fault with the book, it
is that the book was published in 2005 which means that the revised textile
trade agreements from 2006 have been left out. A revised edition would be
appreciated. Luckily, that's the only fault I have with the book. Highly
recommended.
... Read more

Editorial Review

Off the Tourist Trail is a guide to the world's unspoiled sights and experiences. It takes a hundred clich�d tourist destinations - everything from over-visited national parks to overrated museums - and reveal 1,000 fresh and fascinating alternative options. Written by a team of travel experts, and with a foreword by Bill Bryson, this book brings vibrant cities, enchanting sights, breathtaking natural wonders and unforgettable experiences to life with informative narrative and stunning photography.

Choose your destination by theme - Ancient and Historical Sights, Festivals and Parties, Great Journeys, Architectural Marvels, Natural Wonders, Beaches, Sports and Activities, Art and Culture, and Cities - or simply flick through this sumptuous guide and be inspired. Practical advice on getting there and around, where to stay, where to eat and when to go, as well as useful 'Need to Know' facts, ensure that you get the most out of your time away.

Less crowded, generally less expensive, and often more spectacular and rewarding, these lesser-known wonders of the world encourage readers to ditch the famous but well-worn choices, reminding them what real travel is all about - escaping the everyday and embracing the new.

Vacations will never be the same again. ... Read more

Reviews

Your Worldview, Expanded, September 21, 2009
The premise of OFF THE TOURIST TRAIL is ambitious: narrow the planet's must-see attractions to the hundred cr�me-de-la-cr�me; delineate what makes them so fabulous and acknowledge their drawbacks (usually crowds and commercialization); and then offer worthy alternatives. Oh -- and accompany it with mind-blowingly stunning photography.

The result? A coffee-table book presented with Dorling Kindersley's trademark lush sensuality -- smooth, heavy pages; vibrant colors; pleasing layout -- that is beyond successful. To be clear, the book is less an actual travel guide and more a guide for expanding one's worldview. Yes, uber-travelers might happily substitute one continent's beach or festival for another's, half a world away. But historical sites and natural wonders seem much less interchangeable, and the takeaway from this book is an awareness that even unique sites actually do have similars (Lascaux isn't the planet's only example of prehistoric rock art; Pompeii isn't the only preserved ruins; Route 66 isn't even the best driving trip).

My only caution is to Bill Bryson fans who are drawn by the prominent attachment of his name to this book. Be forewarned -- his only contribution is an unbelievably short, repetitive, and vacuous Foreword, and it frankly disrespects both the book and the reader.

Otherwise, highly recommended!

Best Travel Idea Book Ever, October 18, 2009
There are lots of books around that give summaries of the world's "best." This is the best of these books I have ever seen. It has the usual DK excellence of design, but what makes it so useful is that it lists so many options in so many categories. Then, it gives plenty of information necessary for further study. The big categories are Ancient & Historical Sights; Festivals & Parties; Great Journeys; Natural Wonders; Beaches; Sports & Activities; Art & Culture; and Cities. For each, there are pages that list the most well known item, then its major competitor. What I like especially is that there are usually 4-44 additional destinations--small presentations, but sufficient, and usually with a small photo. Great. The whole world.

Fascinating. Wonderful photographs, Full of ideas, August 23, 2009
As soon as i saw this book I was impressed with it. Basically it gives alternatives to common tourist attractions around the world, Its categorized by areas such as cities, mountains, festivals, etc. What I like is that it gives easy access to many travel ideas I might have never found out about or which wouldve taken hours to research, It a concise volume on lesser know places of interest around the world. Maybe lesser know but also maybe equally or more beautiful. While some of the many listed alternatives are only briefly described the book is just a jumping point for future reference and research via the internet. So if you like to travel and want to get off the beaten path this book is definitely for you. Happy Travels

If you like to travel off the tourist trail, buy this book!, November 22, 2009
After perusing this book, I'm ready to pack my bags and head off to almost anywhere in the book! The book takes one hundred cliched destinations and gives you over a thousand alternatives. The book itself is presented in a large coffee table format and is full of wonderfully colorful pictures that make you feel like you are there in the middle of the scene as well as suggestions and advice on what to do when you get there.

You can flip through the book looking for interesting places to visit or read about or you can approach the process more scientifically and search by theme. They include ancient and historical sights, festivals/parties, journeys, architectural marvels, natural wonders, beaches, sports, art and culture and cities.

For instance, I love the city of New York and when I go there I tend to revisit the same attractions which are generally right smack dab in the middle of the tourist path. The book contains a couple of pages on "Less Explored New York City." I can't wait until my next visit to go exploring. There are also some great suggestions for other well known cities.

If you enjoy travel and like the unexpected, this book will give you a lush presentation and lots of ideas for exploration no matter what you like--ancient ruins, modern cities, festivals or just beach combing.

Tourist book - not suitable for tourists?, November 22, 2009
Lovely book with wonderful pictures and colours and, for the most part, good tips on alternative tourist tours. But know one thing, you have to memorize what the book says, before you pack your bags and head off to the airport, because it is a half meter times 30 cm huge, massive, mega-heavy piece of art, that won't fit in any light baggage whatsoever. In other words, it's not your average Lonely Planet pocket book, that you can keep in your back pocket.

As for good alternative tours "for the most part", it is not exactly realistic when it might suggest a beach on a far away never heard of island in the Atlantic Ocean, instead of Bondi Beach in central Sydney...

Other than that, the book is a joy for the mind and for the eye!

Off the Tourist Trail by DK, October 5, 2009
This is a large, very heavy, and very beautiful book with extremely practical advice about avoiding crowded tourist areas and instead visiting places as good or better that those spoiled by their success. A super book and at a bargain price.

Truly useful travel book, May 17, 2010
This book is meant for the serious traveler or dreamer. Want to see amphitheaters? This guide will direct you away from the Colosseum in Rome to Pula Arena in Croatia with historical details, how to get there and when to go in the typical DK format. However, it explains both what makes the Colosseum the lesser choice and a good choice. Should you still decide to go, tips are given on how best to do that. For many of the topics (like amphitheaters), more than the one main option is presented. Alternative amphitheaters in Lybia, Tunisia, Germany, Spain, Italy (Verona) and France are shown. It is the richness of the choices which are global and inclusive which delights me, but may frustrate the less serious or impoverished traveler.

I bought 5 travel books around the same time. This is the one that I come back to time and again. While the premise of the book is to avoid the more touristed sites, ignore that, after all, that is what the off-season is for. This volume is my candy shop window.
I invite you to share the plentyful delights.

Best gift for a world traveling friend..., October 21, 2009
A dear friend has very itchy feet and loves to travel to interesting places...this book will provide her with hours of planning for upcoming trips. The visuals are outstanding and the reviews short and sweet.

Not for Frequent Travelers, May 8, 2010
We are retired and are fortunate to take about 6 trips a year. We've been to the major tourist destinatons and hoped this book would provide some new ideas. This book has absolutely no new ideas in terms of destinations. And they really don't give alternatives. They give places the ordinary tour companies don't go to. But if you read up and plan your tours everywhere, you will definitely find the places they talk about. Save your money and don't get this book!!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Other Appalachian Trail guidebooks tell you about notable scenery, trail history, or changes in terrain. This one tells you exactly what you need to know to prepare for and complete a long-distance hike on the Appalachian Trail. From determining a budget, preparing an itinerary, and packing gear to resupplying, using bounce boxes, and staying on schedule, this book will help any hiker to make certain their long distance trek is a success. ... Read more

Reviews

Excellent how-to book for Appalachian Trail, January 16, 2009
Michelle Ray's "How to Hike the A.T." is the most comprehensive book I've read on the subject. I could have used her advice back in 2003, when I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail myself. Aside from the logical layout of chapters, there is an index, and even a few pages on trail terminology. After reading this book you will not only be prepared, but begin to feel like a long-distance hiker. I was particularly impressed that she devoted a final chapter to: Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking. If you are thinking about this, you need to do it right, and she covers the basics. The book also includes lists of trail organizations, and suggested resources, including the written media and Web Sites.

For anyone thinking about a long hike, or who wants to learn about hikers and the culture, this is the place to begin.

Current, concise AT guide book, January 11, 2009
Michelle Ray's AT guide book is the most current, concise, and entertaining resource for anyone even considering hiking the Appalachian Trail. She has put a tremendous amount of research into this book. What's more, she manages to convey a sense of adventure and excitement with all the information and advice. She brings not only her own experience as a thru-hiker, but, as a librarian has managed to compile a wealth of information in a very readable fashion. There are lots of books about the AT, but this one should be the prospective hiker's main standby. It is light enough to carry in your backpack. Frank "The Walrus" Miller, Havre, MT

A mostly well written how to guide, August 10, 2009
This guide to how to prepare for a Thru Hike is one of the best I have seen, except for one chapter, Chapter 5, Getting Your Gear On, The Pack.

Little is more important than sellecting a good pack. The author does not fairly state the advantages and disavantages between internal and external packs. To say that the external frame pack was used mainly between the 50's and the 70's on the AT is totally misleading and incorrect. External frame packs have been the backbone of hiking the AT. They still should be considered, when choosing a good durable, sturdy, highly useable, yet comfortable pack for a thruhike.

For good reading, to help you select the best pack for your Tru Hike, I would recomend, Long Distant Hiking, Lessons from the AT by Roland Mueser, Backpacker & Hiker's Handbook by William Kemsley Jr. or The Appalachian Trail Hiker by Victoria and Frank Logue,

After becoming well informed, go to a GOOD pack shop and try on the various packs you read about. Don't be pressured into buying the pack that the salesperson is currently pushing. Know for your self what to look for in a good pack and why. Your salesperson may be into the current fad of Ultra Lite Backpacking, but is a super lite, one large pocket frameless pack, your best choice for a tru hike?.

The rest of the book is very well written and I recomend it highly.

Wonderfully researched, May 28, 2009
She did the research and product testing; so you don't have to. Just read the book, follow her suggestions, buy the appropriate gear, prepare physically and mentally for the journey. Enjoy yourself!

Starter for the rookie AT hiker, February 8, 2010
This is a good starter book for the rookie hiker that wants to hike the AT and has no idea where to begin.
The book has a lot of basic information for the non-hiker who wants to tackle the AT.
Using this book will get you off on the right foot.
Big Mike

What you need to know, February 3, 2009
If you are getting ready or have just thought of hiking the AT or someother long distance trail you must read this book to prepare yourself for the challange. She has done it and then some.
A Must Read!

Hiking the A.T.? Read this book!, May 24, 2010
I am Definatlly not an experienced hiker, but I will tell you that I got alot from this book. It answered questions I didnt know I should ask. This book should be a part of your reading if your thinking of hiking the A.T.. From equipment, to clothing, to tips about getting started with your hike. I recommend this book, and also Long-Distance Hiking: Lessons from the Appalachian Trail by Roland Mueser which does give a bit more info on backpacks in particular, as another reviewer stated,

Excellent general book for backpacking, November 12, 2009
This is an excellent review of more or less modern approaches to backpacking in general, which means more than just the AT. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Before The Perfect Storm, before In the Heart of the Sea, Steven Callahan"s dramatic tale of survival at sea was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than thirty-six weeks. In some ways the model for the new wave of adventure books, Adrift is an undeniable seafaring classic, a riveting firsthand account by the only man known to have survived more than a month alone at sea, fighting for his life in an inflatable raft after his small sloop capsized only six days out. "Utterly absorbing" (Newsweek), Adrift is a must-have for any adventure library. ... Read more

Reviews

A revealing odyssey, May 13, 2007
This is the fascinating story of a resourceful sailor who drifted in a life raft across the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike other adventurers who have chronicled solo transoceanic journeys (Joshua Slocum, Thor Heyerdahl, Alain Bombard, William Willis, etc.), his journey was unplanned. After the sudden sinking of his sailboat, he had to hurriedly abandon ship into an inflatable life raft with whatever supplies he could snatch. His seventy-six day ordeal takes place in this constantly leaking raft too small to accommodate his full body length. He knows from the outset that his food and water supplies are inadequate. His story of survival thus becomes not one of simple endurance, but a confrontation of many external and internal challenges ranging from securing food and water to dealing with isolation and despair. He meets these with remarkable ingenuity and determination. Forced into introspection that borders on the mystical at times, his reflections on how his mindset and personal characteristics responded to these challenges make for as fascinating an inner journey as the one his body endured. This is what separates this from most adventure stories, and why I think it will endure as a classic of the genre.

A Truly Scary Tale At Sea, July 14, 2003
Steven Callahan is a blessed man. This true story is one of the most harrowing accounts of survival in a truly hopeless situation. He capsizes in minutes in the middle of the night with a raft and not much more. Nobody knows he's missing. No one is looking for him.

Told with desperation and some much needed occasional humor, Callahan paints a story so real and frought with fear that you can read it in one sitting. It is difficult to imagine what one would do in a similiar situation and the very thought of it is spine tingling.

This is a tale for every person who ever took to the water and every adventurer who feels safe in thier environment. You will never take the ocean for granted again after reading this book.

A great survival book!, August 27, 2003
This book is an excellent ocean survival story that kept me throughly entertained from start to finish. Honestly I couldn't put the book down. This book will change the way you look at your life. After you finish reading it, you won't take the simple things in life for granted anymore. If you enjoy true life adventure and survival books, then I suggest you read this one, it's excellent.

A Learning Experience, November 6, 2005
Nothing like the experience of others to teach you what you don't know. Steve Callahan graciously allowed readers into his most private thoughts during his worst moments. I learned things I didn't know about sea survival, and I teach sea survival. Like so many other stories about people that survive against ridiculous odds and in the face of extreme discomfort and lonliness, Callahan's story reveals that most of us have never gone through anything. My worst day ever was better than steves best in his raft.

If nothing else, Steve's story will put another nagging voice in your head whenever you feel the need to complain. Compared with his experience; I've never been hungry, or tired or thirsty, or lonely, or the least but uncomfortable in my life.

Astounding, March 12, 2006
Adrift was a great book. The way that the author describes what he goes through and the way that he interprets how he survives being stranded at sea for 76 days. This is an epic novel that catches the reader's attention within the first few pages. He starts off telling a story about a race that he's entered himself into with his sailboat. Then he tells you about how they are going to start the race even though a huge storm is approaching. With this in your head you can stop reading the book. He puts into detail exactly what you want to hear in an adventure novel. He makes you feel like you were out on the raft with him while he was stranded at sea. He makes it so that when he fights the shark for the first time that your there. You want to try to help him but you cant because you're only reading a book but you wish that none of this had happened to him because it's just so horrible. So if you wanted to read an adventure book with an edge of excitement throughout the book then I would recommend this book to anybody willing to read it.

An excellent book., March 19, 2007
Adrift is the story of Steven Callahan who built and sailed "Napoleon Solo" across the Atlantic one and one half times. Attempting to sail in the `Mini Transat' race, Callahan's boat is sunk and he get out with little other than a safety raft and a small collection of supplies. Callahan survives for seventy six days alone to land in Guadeloupe with few injuries and in relative good health.

There are few weaknesses to this book and you are left hoping selfishly that his journey had been over one hundred days so that you could read more. I was left amazed by Callahan's patience, intelligence, fortitude, and ability to adapt to his surroundings. This is a book where you hope you would do like the author did - but doubting your ability. Certainly the best book I have read in the genre.

Man:1 Nature:0, February 20, 2003
Steven Callahan's "Adrift" is an exciting and intellectually deep tale of one man's survival. When bad weather arises, a storm turns Steven's sailboat upside down. Watching his dreams go under, Steven readies himself and few supplies onto an inflatable life-raft, and prepares for a journey that will change his life forever. Fighting off dehydration, starvation, and even sharks, Callahan struggles to stay alive, and finds new meaning to what being "alive" really means. Seventy-six days pass, as well as many ships that miss him, before the author finds his place in nature, and ultimately, the key to survival. "Amazing" is an understatement to Callahan's writing. Whether you're a sailor, fisherman, or any other outdoorsman, this is the book for you!

Excellent Book, December 28, 2005
I thought the author did a great job. I liked his writing style and had a hard time putting the book down; I read it in two sittings. As a fellow ocean-voyaging sailor, I appreciated his detailed thoughts on equipement and procedures. While I was happy with the outcome (he lives), I thought the ending a little vague and found it somewhat unsatisfying. Still, I really enjoyed this book.

Don't miss this one!, January 5, 2005
I have read this book twice and plan to read it again. This well-written account brings the reader into the life raft for a reading experience like no other. It is educational, exciting, and insightful. I couldn't put it down once I started.

There are a few adventure books (i.e. Touching the Void and Into Thin Air) that cross boundaries and draw in all types of readers. This is certainly on of them.

Adrift review, March 21, 2007
If you like real life survival stories this will appeal to you. Seventy six days of survival and ingenuity - I found it interesting and inspiring as well as providing a unique perspective on civilized life from the point of view of suddenly having nothing. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Ferdinand Magellan's daring circumnavigation of the globe in the sixteenth century was a three-year odyssey filled with sex, violence, and amazing adventure. Now in Over the Edge of the World, prize-winning biographer and journalist Laurence Bergreen entwines a variety of candid, firsthand accounts, bringing to life this groundbreaking and majestic tale of discovery that changed both the way explorers would henceforth navigate the oceans and history itself.

Reviews

What a ride!, February 1, 2004
I loved this book.
The amazing story of Magellan's circumnavigation of the world practically writes itself, especially with access to the journals of Antonio Pigafetta, a Venetian "passenger". The key for any author is not muck up this incredible story. Bergreen succeeds wonderfully by offering a smooth read. The books 400 plus pages fly by. Bergreen seemingly omits nothing and, the journey is here in all its gory, exciting, repellent, horrifying, shocking, wondrous, cruel, beautiful, nerve-wracking, spine-tingling detail.
Bergreen presents about as clear a picture of Magellan the man as possible from nearly 500 years away. The reader is left to admire his leadership and navigational skills and lament his capriciousness and hubris.
Coming on the heels of the vastly overrated Columbus journeys, Magellan's expedition was to prove equally significant, though more calculated and replete with many, many more adventures and tragedies.
A scant few of the original crew and only one of the five ships completed the journey. Along the way there were horrendous storms, mutinies, executions, horrible accidents, illness (scurvy in particular) and all manner of encounters with natives. These encounters could lead to everything from feasts and orgies to murder and dismemberment.
Bergreen does a wonderful job of framing the story within the perspective of the times and the religious, political and social climates.
To me the real hero of the journey emerges in the person of Pigafetta who did a superlative of chronicling the adventure. His must be some of the most thoughtful and thorough journals of their times.
Bergreen's book does him and Magellan's journey justice.

True to life sea adventure, November 4, 2003
Historical achievement is, of course, about people. So no matter when it occurs, achievement is driven by technology, greed, politics, ambition, mistakes, courage, religion, culture, sexuality, and even diet. Good History is as much as about explaining the context of achievement, as it is about detailing facts. This is good History -- and it's a great read.

For most of us, the facts about Magellan have been boiled down to Spanish galleons, funny helmets, and the first circumnavigation of the globe. Bergreen recovers the context to tell a story of a religious man, driven by vision, ambition, and personal slight. Along the way he explains the strategic urgency of Magellan's quest and details the logistics of undertaking the voyage. He helps us understand why cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg were matters of national security to sixteenth century Europeans.

Bergreen leaves us with no doubt that Magellan was courageous. His Magellan is not evil, though the evils of the Age of Exploration are already evident in him and his men. As in other tellings, Magellan's death on the beach at Cebu is an obvious metaphor for the collision of East and West, but Bergreen leaves it to others to belabor the notion. He's much more interested in describing the local politics that set the scene for the tragedy.

With such rich detail and engaging writing, the story of Magellan comes to life as a vivid adventure and an enlightening history.

Page-turning history, December 11, 2003
Does a history book have this much right to be a fun page-turner? Yes, and Laurence Bergreen exceeds to great story telling, marvelous adventure, creating a just plain enjoyable read. Taken either as history or read like a novel this is an amazingly detailed telling of three year voyage which ended in 1522 with only one ship and 18 survivors out of the original five ships and 260 who left Spain with this Portuguese Captain. Even the early chapters, which tell how a Portuguese ends up leading the Spanish fleet, is a marvelous story. But in the end, what stays with you is the shear terror, boredom, disease, and strange island customs all left for us to enjoy because of basically one man, Antonio Pigafetta who was taken on to chronicle the voyage and some how managed to survive mutiny, the voyage through the strait, the native peoples defense of their territories (which resulted in the death of Magellan himself), and in the end being cast aside for a more "official version". Bergreen could not have told his story without Pigafetta and Pigafetta could not have found a better writer to bring his story to a modern audience. I highly recommend this great read!

Frustratingly Uneven, December 31, 2003
Despite its obvious merits as cited by other reviewers, I found this to be a frustratingly uneven book. Yes, it has the compelling flow of a good novel, yet that flow was too often broken by unexpected failures to properly explain or illustrate key points.

I was frequently distracted by the lack of good maps to supplement Bergreen's prose accounts of the Armada's route. Most saliently, the author or his editors have chosen to not include a map of the Strait of Maglellan itself. Instead there are some admittedly fascinating depictions of portions of the Strait and a NASA photograph from space that I found utterly indecipherable.

While Bergreen's long asides on peripheral topics often hit the mark -- such as his discussion of scurvy and its eventual decoding -- others, including some crucial to his account, fall substantially short. Despite the issue's importance, none of Bergreen's numerous attempts to explain the Pope's demarcation of Spanish and Portugese spheres of control (the Treaty of Tordesiillas) adequately clarify how it applied to the Spice Islands on the other side of the world and already explored by Portugal. Of course, this could possibly be the result of my own denseness; others may find his explication perfectly comprehensible. I did not.

Also in this category of incomplete clarification is the author's mention of the International Date Line and the fact of its non-existence in Magellan's day. He references this drawback twice and both times he is satisfied with saying that the Dateline now extends westward from Guam. Of all the facets he could emphasize, this seems an odd choice given that the Dateline does (and must) run for the most part North-South. The location of the Date Line is in fact a highly complex subject (see http://www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/idl/idl.htm), yet no map that I'm aware of shows it running near Guam. Yes, as a U.S. possession, Guam maintains an idiosyncratic relationship to GMT. And, yes, Guam was Magellan's first landing after crossing the Pacific. But Bergreen should have provided greater context for his remark.

These and other examples of what I deem to be distracting lapses often brought me up short. But the book is obviously the product of prodigious research (in, for the most part, attractive places to do such research), and the faults I cite may not seem so for many readers. The power of the story and Bergreen's skill in telling it will carry most readers through to the end, just as it did for this reader.

But ... it definitely needs more maps.

detailed, vivid, interestingly digressive, November 28, 2003
Mention Magellan and most will tell you he's that guy that sailed around the world. There their knowledge ends, or such as it is, since as Bergreen reminds us in wonderful detail, it was some of Magellan's crew that actually sailed around the world while the majority of it, along with Magellan himself, actually only survived part of the trip.
Packed with historical detail supplemented by first person accounts and side stories that some will find of equal or surpassing interest and others might find too digressive, Bergreen gives us a satisfyingly full look at the man and the journey.
The focus for the first three-quarters of the book is of course on Magellan. His early life history is quickly covered, enough to inform us of his abilities and motivations without bogging the reader down in unnecessary detail or too much psychohistory ("rejected by his father at age six, young Magellan turned to the sea to prove . . . "). The details start to come in Magellan's early attempts to convince his native Portugal to sponsor a journey to the Spice Islands and accumulate even more fully once he takes his leave for Spain and the planning for the trip begins in earnest.
The trip itself is covered in sharp and vivid detail--the political in-fighting, the mutual antagonisms of class and country aboard ship, multiple mutiny attempts, successful and not-so-succesful contacts with natives, and of course the nautical travails themselves--deathly storms,a myriad of navigational obstacles and pursuing Portugese. Not to mention the fact that the entire trip was based on an idea that the world was much, much smaller than it in fact turned out to be.
Most of the trip is seen through the lens of Magellan, and while a clear fan of Magellan, Bergreen is also unafraid to criticize his many errors with regard to ship policy, to politics, to contact with the natives. Magellan comes across as a complex all-too human figure rather than an icon or simple villain. Brilliant at times and amazingly stupid at others, he never fails to hold our attention. Other important figures in the crew are offered similar respect with regard to the fullness of their portrayals.
Beside the journey's details, the reader is treated to digressions into royal relationships, international maneuvering, the importance of spices to sixteenth century economies, the running battle for economic and nautical supremacy between Spain and Portugal, and maybe most fascinating of all, a brief history of the Chinese Treasure Fleet. While some might think Bergreen goes into too much detail here, other might wish for more. I personally fell somewhere in between, able to live with less on the royal personages and wanting more on the spice trade itself (those who feel the same way could do worse than turn to Nathaniel's Nutmeg for more on the topic)as well as on the Treasure Fleet.
I thought at times Bergreen could have left the "European" perspective a bit more, giving us a more full glimpse at the journey from the other end of the spectrum. I also could have done with more frequent use of maps throughout the book to have a more immediate and visual sense of Magellan's progress (or lack thereof). While I felt the lack of both several times, these flaws were relatively minor and only detracted somewhat from the work as a whole. Money, lust, greed, politics, mutiny, pride, betrayal, tragic accidents, man versus nature, battles, shipwrecks, castaways, man versus man, heroism and cowardice, man versus himself. The book has it all, with the added luxury of being true. Well-recommended history.

Around The World In 3 Years And 60,000 Miles, October 28, 2003
Why couldn't they have used books like this as history textbooks back when I was in high school? All I was taught back then was that Magellan's expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe (even though he himself died along the way); that the voyage took 3 years; and that although Magellan was from Portugal, he sailed for Spain. Here's some of the good stuff they left out (but which Mr. Bergreen includes): Magellan tried to get King Manuel of Portugal to finance the expedition. Magellan didn't have any luck. (Not surprising, since the explorer already had "a history" with the king, and the king didn't like him.) What could have been the last straw for Magellan was when, after an audience with the king, Magellan tried to kiss the king's hand (as was customary). The king withdrew his hand and wouldn't allow Magellan to kiss it. Magellan finally decided to give Manuel the kiss-off, went to Charles I of Spain, and had better luck. Charles was quite interested in the potential profits from the spice trade. (He was broke after borrowing a wad of money from the Fugger family. The reason he borrowed the money? He had to pay a lot of bribes to the electors who were going to decide who the next Holy Roman Emperor was going to be. Charles wanted the position even though, as Voltaire later said, the Holy Roman Empire wasn't holy, wasn't Roman, and wasn't an empire.) Manuel of Portugal was quite upset with Magellan for offering his services to Spain, especially because he brought secret Portuguese navigational charts with him (which Mr. Bergreen explains would be equivalent to the theft of nuclear secrets during the Cold War). Manuel sent an envoy to Spain to try and talk Magellan out of the trip. When that didn't work, the envoy bad-mouthed Magellan to Charles I. That didn't work either. After Magellan sailed, Manuel really got mad: he sent some thugs to harass Magellan's family and to vandalize the family home. For good measure, excrement was smeared on the Magellan escutcheon. Manuel also sent out his own expedition to try to catch up with, and stop, Magellan. I guess you could say the king was a sore loser. Anyway, this all takes place in the beginning of the story. Things get better after that. (For example, we learn that Charles I's mother was called Juana the Mad. One reason for this just could have been that for several years Juana kept the remains of her late husband, Philip the Handsome, next to her bed. She expected him to come back to life and wanted him in a convenient spot. After Philip's death Juana also insisted on only dressing in black and she refused to bathe.) The book is chock full of 16th century realpolitik, mutinies, torture, natural history, as well as information on spices and the erotic practices of various Pacific Islanders. We also get to read some interesting material about the 15th century Chinese Treasure Fleets. Mr. Bergreen is obviously a big Magellan fan, but he doesn't put the great navigator's faults below deck - Magellan could be overly strict, arrogant, and close-minded. As the voyage went on and he finally made it to the Pacific he seemed to forget that his primary mission was to find the Spice Islands and he got sidetracked into converting islanders to Christianity. If any groups resisted, Magellan would resort to hardball - in one case, burning down a village. His "bull in a china shop" tactics resulted in his death. Still, the author leaves you with no doubt that, on balance, Magellan was admirable. The book is incredibly far-ranging in scope and I've only skimmed the surface concerning what is between the covers - and we're supposed to keep these reviews relatively brief. In conclusion though, let me say if I were doing the advertising for the book I'd write, "If you read only one book about an explorer this year...make it this one!"

great account of one of the legendary journeys, October 17, 2003
Laurence Bergreen provides a deep look at Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan's sixteenth century quest that led to the first known navigation of the world. This journey is a pivotal point in how Europeans viewed the world as people realized that not only will one not fall off the globe, but that Europe is not the epicenter of the orb. Mr. Bergreen followed the ill-fated journey through what is now the Straits of Magellan at the tip of South America and uses satellite images to further enhance the trek. Of interest to historical buffs is the daily journal that encompasses known research from around the globe. This includes sailor Albo's log and the comments of scholar sailor Pigafetta. The author debunks several modern day myths such as Magellan's mission was not go around the world, but to find a water route to the Spice Islands; and that the voyage was not glorious but brutal and filled with tragedy and misfortunes including the Captain having died in the Philippines. Magellan never made it. The trek took three years with only one ship with eighteen survivors making it back to Spain.

This is a great account of one of the legendary journeys of history. Supplemented by maps, inserts, and first hand accounts, readers join on the harrowing trek that proved once and for all that the world is round. No one will feel over the edge with this great look at the "Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe" by Magellan and his crew.

Harriet Klausner

An amazing, exciting and meticulously researched book., October 14, 2003
This book is a combination of exciting, fast-paced narrative and meticulous research that is hard to put down. Bergreen places the reader alongside Magellan as he seeks backing for his trip, and then on Magellan's flagship, the Trinidad, with the Captain General on his historic voyage. In the end, Magellan succeeded in changing mankind's fundamental understanding of the world, overcoming obstacles, adversaries and long-held views to do so.

Particularly absorbing are the book's insights into the strengths and flaws of the players involved. Magellan was clearly a masterful navigator, a man with a vision and the single-minded ambition to pursue it. When the Portuguese refused to back his venture and made a point of disdaining him, Magellan turned to their rivals, the Spanish, who agreed to support him -- but also somewhat unsubtly undermined his authority on the voyage. (The mystery of Portugal's refusal is made clear late in the book; it is an incredible piece of irony that resonates with current events.) As the voyage proceeds, facing hostile natural conditions, resentment among a crew with divided loyalties, and the unknown, Magellan emerges as a complex personality, a man with a sure hand in some matters but blind spots that prove increasingly costly.

The objective of the mission was ostensibly to bring home (to Spain) spices and, more specifically, cloves. Men died, nations clashed, ships were lost, and mankind's knowledge of the world was expanded to this end. And, ultimately, when the survivors of Magellan's fleet returned to port, their reception was a mix of skepticism, hostility, and amazement, filtered through a political lens of faltering monarchies and changing times. This is a well-told story that is fraught with current relevance.

An Incredible Journey and an Excellent Book!, June 11, 2004
I rarely give books a 5 star rating, but this one certainly deserves it. The book gives full account of Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe, in all its horrifying and glorious details. While it is clear that the writer is a staunch Magellan admirer, he does not hesitate to criticize Magellan's style of leadership, the Captain's over-inflated ego or the needless risks he took (one of which ultimately resulted in his death).

Reading this book, I found myself transported into 16th century Europe, an era full of intrigue, magic and of casual disregard for human life. The book was absolutely captivating and I was not able to put it down. From my perspective, the most interesting thing about the story is that while today Magellan is recognized as a hero and as one of the most important explorers of all time, in his day Magellan received no recognition and was the target of suspicion and hatred.

For the most part, Bergreen's writing style is fluid and easy to read, however at times it is a bit too flowery for my taste. The book also suffers from a shortage of illustrations and maps which could have been instructive. For example, an illustration of Magellan's ships, the weapons and armor of the era and current pictures of some of the main locations involved, would all have been nice. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book for any fan of popular history books.

Not an Advertisement for a Cruise Line!!, April 9, 2004
When I was in Junior High School, my History teacher told us that Magellan took some ships from Spain, found the straits that now bear his name and then was eaten by cannibals in the Philippines. That pretty much summed up my entire exposure to Magellan's journey until I read this fanatastic book. Begreen tells the tale in such a way that would put my Junior High School teacher to shame and I would say that this should be required reading in high schools throughout America. Not only does Bergreen write very well, but he puts the story of Magellan and his crew into the proper historical perspective by relaying what is going on in the world at the same time as this voyage. The disputes and distrust between the Spanish and the Portuguese, the influence of the Chinese and Arabs on Southeast Asia, the effects of the Inquisition on the crew, are all brought out to the forefront of this story and this allows the reader to fully understand who Magellan was, why he and the crew did the things they did and why the entire mission almost failed.

At the same time, Bergreen totally immerses the reader into every detail of life at sea in the 16th Century. I doubt anyone alive today could stand what those sailors had to survive, trapped aboard those leaking, rotting wooden ship, without proper food, healthcare, or even fresh water. Anyone taking a Caribbean Cruise should read this book first to fully appreciate that life at sea is not one All-You-Can-Eat Buffet and shuffleboard. Make sure your kids eat their fruits and vegetables, as scurvy is not a problem you want to have in your family!!!

I totally recommend this book. It's a quick, enjoyable read that puts the reader right onto the deck of a 16th Century caravel for one of the most courageous and daring voyages ever undertaken by man. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Seized throws open the hatch on the shadowy world of maritime shipping, where third-world governments place exorbitant liens against ships, pirates seize commercial vessels with impunity, crooks and con artists reign supreme on the docks and in the shipyards—and hapless owners have to rely on sea captain Max Hardberger to recapture their ships and win justice on the high seas.
 
A ship captain, airplane pilot, lawyer, teacher, writer, adventurer, and raconteur, Max Hardberger recovers stolen freighters for a living.  In Seized, he takes us on a real-life journey into the mysterious world of freighters and shipping, where fortunes are made and lost by the whims of the waves.  Desperate owners hire Max Hardberger to “extract” or steal back ships that have been illegitimately seized by putting together a mission-impossible team to sail them into international waters under cover of darkness.  It’s a high stakes assignment—if Max or his crew are caught, they risk imprisonment or death.
 
Seized takes readers behind the scenes of the multibillion dollar maritime industry, as he recounts his efforts to retrieve freighters and other vessels from New Orleans to the Caribbean, from East Germany to Vladivostak, Russia, and from Greece to Guatemala.  He resorts to everything from disco dancing to women of the night to distract the shipyard guards, from bribes to voodoo doctors to divert attention and buy the time he needs to sail a ship out of a foreign port without clearance.  Seized is adventure nonfiction at its best. ... Read more

Reviews

Readable and entertaining series of yarns, March 5, 2010

A Most Unusual Specialty - Stealing Ships, April 28, 2010
Max Hardberger's Seized, a Sea Captains Adventures - Battling Scoundrels and Pirates while Recovering Stolen Ships in the World's Most Troubled Waters is a fascinating account of one man's remarkable career and personal journey. In addition to working professionally as a crop-duster, school teacher, lawyer, and ship's captain, Max Hardberger developed the rather unusual specialty of returning stolen property, very large stolen property. He steals back ships wrongly seized in foreign ports and returns them to their owners.

There is a cliche that petty thieves steal with guns while the big thieves steal with pens. Hardberger's career as a "ship extractor" began when as captain of the bulk carrier, Naruda, which had just discharged a cargo of rice in Haiti, a claim was filed against the ship for a short discharge. The claim was false and even if valid, should have been filed against shipper and not the ship. Nevertheless an unscrupulous merchant, paying off a corrupt judge in a third world port, just might have succeeded in stealing the ship. With guile, stealth, liquor for the guards, and a bit of bribery Captain Hardberger succeeded in slipping the ship out of Cap Haitian. It was the beginning of a highly varied career as a ship thief.

In Seized, Captain Hardburger describes sneaking ships out of Venezuela, Haiti, Trinidad, Belgium, Honduras, Mexico and Greece, as well as flying forty seven crop dusters out of East Germany. In the process he had to cope with corrupt officials, the Russian mob, political unrest, and a mixed bag of scoundrels, pirates and con men.

He describes the difficulty of sneaking ship out of port. Most ships have diesel engines which can make a lot of noise in the dead of night when trying to slip out of a port unnoticed. In one case, Captain Hardberger merely slipped the lines and let the ship drift out with the wind and current to a waiting tug. In another case, he arranged for a very noisy party at a neighboring waterfront whorehouse to mask the sound of the ship's engines starting up. The range of trickery, diversions and deceptions used to extract ships from ports around the world is highly entertaining.

What makes this memoir something more than a group of sea stories loosely strung together is that we also follow Captain Harberger's personal journey. This includes the highs and lows, from his passing the California bar exam to become an attorney (after completing a law school correspondence course,) to the end of his marriage and the tragic loss of a daughter to heart disease. The memoir ends in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina where he has lost most of his worldly possessions while still in mourning over his daughter's death. Nevertheless, it is clear that he will carry on. There is still work to be done and just possibly more ships to save.

Seized, a Sea Captains Adventures - Battling Scoundrels and Pirates while Recovering Stolen Ships in the World's Most Troubled Waters is a gripping story of real-life adventure. A highly enjoyable read.

Amazing, May 16, 2010
I had never thought of how one would go about recovering a stolen ship. This book was an education.

Nautical Repossessions, March 26, 2010

Seized - Catching Up On An Old Friend, June 7, 2010
I met Max in 1976 or 77 while in college; my roomate at the time, Chuck, and Max had been good friends for a number of years. After college, I saw him infrequently for the next few years and probably have not seen him "face to face" since the mid-1990s. I did see our mutual friend fairly regularly unitl he passed away last year and he always had some kind of story about what Max was up to. Aside from being what I'd call a good, entertaining read, "Seized" filled in a lot of chronogical gaps in our friendship for me and put into perspective some of the comments Chuck had made over the years. The stories in "Seized" read exactly the way I would expect based what I personally know about Max's life and on Chuck's recounting of what Max was up during those years when Max and I were out of touch. I can assure you that these stores are based in fact and it is a good account of Max's life. I've seen some comments to the effect that some reviewers might be interested in hearing these stories in person. I can promise you that it would be one of the most interesting and entertaining evenings you could have. I think he is available for those kinds of engagements. You can contact him via maxhardberger dot com.

True Adventure On The High Seas, March 21, 2010

Great stories!, March 9, 2010

Great sea stories!, March 9, 2010

Great stories told from an amazing man, March 3, 2010

A true life story for Hammond Innes fans, May 14, 2010

Editorial Review

Want to know where to discover a spectacular tropical paradise? How about journeying to the world's greatest natural wonders, or taking the road trip of a lifetime? 1000 Ultimate Experiences brings together 1000 ideas, places and activities sure to inspire and entertain. Make your own list, hit the road, and start ticking off places you've always wanted to see and things you've always wanted to do. Who knows where you'll end up!

Sleep under the stars in a Bedouin tent in Jordan
Find out the best beaches to swing a hammock
Jump on board the Ghan for a trip through Australia's remote Red Center
Spot Banksy's art in Bristol
Come on, get happy in Bhutan
... Read more

Reviews

Just enough to wet your appetite, February 7, 2010
This is a great book to get your mind working on places you many have never considered traveling to. I really like the way the book is structured by grouping places by types of interests (e.g. Most Spine-Tingling Commutes, New York's Best Food Cultures, Best Obscure Holidays). Each of these expose the reader to looking at travel as an experience that can be unique and unforgettable. For each section the book typically lists 5-10 different areas around the world that fit the section. These are varied consistently and provide a good mix of experiences from tame to exotic. Each area is usually covered by 1 or 2 paragraphs so it's just enough to help you figure out what's interesting enough to research in other ways.

This book is not a detailed travel guide. You won't get any details on each of the areas, no pricing, restaurant suggestions, etc. It's meant to be help you find experiences on a much higher level and leaves the detailed guidance to other sources.

The writing is clear and the photography is excellent.

I definitely recommend this book.

The Ultimate Trip-Inspiration Guide for Grown-Ups, January 18, 2010
Planning a trip? Take a gander at this book for stimulating ideas for voyages centered around budget adrenaline rushes, romance or simply sheer visual beauty. In this economy, many folks will enjoy the "Best Ways to Eke out your Holiday Money" section with advice from getting a job overseas to sharing a self-catering rental, even places to rent a James-Bond-type survival pod for about 50 Euros; "Countries that can still be travelled on the cheap" comes with a gorgeous shot of Laos' Tat Sae limestone waterfalls, which can be viewed for free.

Trip-inspiring section like "best beaches to swing in a hammock" or "obscure holiday destinations" are sure to invoke interest as well as a few chuckles; though intriguing, many of the places listed will likely only be experienced by most vicariously. Many of the images scattered throughout the thick volume are quite breathtaking, making one wish the pages had been printed on larger paper (the book measures 5.5"x7.25"). However, a few of the photographs were rather macabre in nature and still others too inappropriate for the book to be perused by young children.

Reviewed by Meredith Greene

not as good as it could have been, May 6, 2010
I was really excited to order this book, and sadly the excitement ended there. The book seemed incredibly random to me, with a lot of repetition of places/regions that I have no interest in going...and this is coming from someone who loves to travel. On top of the the categories by which they chose to organize different stuff didn't seem well thought out. Examples: Best in slow travel, best ways to eke out your holiday money, and my favorite- quintessential travel experiences..., seriously? I though the whole book was supposed to be about quintessential travel experiences. Overall it seems like the editors at lonely planet had trouble getting to a list of 1,000 and put in a bunch of crap filler that ruins it for me. If you are interested in this type of book with brief paragraphs on cool places all over the world I suggest checking out the Rough Guide's "Make the most of your time on Earth: 1000 Ultimate travel experiences" Overall I found that one to be better written, more inspiring and better organized.

Fun read, September 10, 2010
This book is fun to read! From a person who loves to travel this book has a range of interesting places and scenarios. Even if you can't visit the places in the book it a great for those with a stong imagination. I gave this book to my boyfriend, also an avid traveler, and we love flipping through and thinking of where we want to go next!

Wow!, May 2, 2010
I've done a lot of cool things and been to a lot of great places, but I guess I have a lot more to go. Thanks for the great "bucket list"!

Excellent!, January 30, 2010
This book provides a lot of great ideas for fun and adventurous things to do. In general, the short descriptions of the 1,000 experiences are useful. Also, although it includes many pictures and web sites, I wish it had even more. Regardless, it's still excellent.

Inspirational Reading, January 20, 2010

The 1000 Ultimate experiences book is a must for anybody looking for inspiration ahead of planning a big trip

it is varied and contains a wealth of information and some great pictures! ... Read more