Reviews (5)

I love this book!
What a great book, and for a kid who is just learning about rock and roll, I found it quite educational. I just hope my Dad is cool enough to take me for a trip like this when I am 18. I especially liked it when they ate food all the time. Buy this and give it to your Dad if he likes rock and roll, the older stuff, not like Radiohead or Third Eye Blind. Doyn doyn.

Buy it for someone you love
A wonderful book about the love between a father and a son. There's also a lot of humor and rock'n'roll as dad and son travel 6,000 miles down the middle of the country.

ok we get the point
This book is a quick and dissapointing read. Let me say I'm a Dylan and blues fan, and wouldn't have read it if I weren't. But McKeen is obsessed with Dylan, or "His Holy Exalted Bobness" as he calls him. Almost disturbingly obsessed. In fact, he can hardly write 5 pages without dropping his name or thinking "how it felt for Bob to do (insert action here.)" Yeah, I'm sure they're on a first name basis. His whole commentary and conversation is just annoying and feels forced. In short, the real Highway 61 and Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" are indescribably better. Buy the album and drive the highway....that is a lot more fun than reading irritating book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Description And Travel    5. Fathers and sons    6. History, Local    7. Literary    8. McKeen, William,    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Travelers    11. United States    12. United States - General    13. United States Highway 61    14. Family    15. Journeys    16. McKeen, Graham    17. McKeen, William    18. Travel writing    19. USA   

Reviews (4)

An amazing tale of adventure!!!
The subtitle of this book really sums it up:The Extraordinary Life and Adventures of Miles and Beryl Smeeton.Beryl was born in 1905.Miles was born in 1906.Their early lives were straight out of Rudyard Kipling.They both followed family tradition and were part of the British overseas military life.Beryl was not a shrinking violet.Her brother is quoted in the book as saying "she always regretted that she hadn't been born a man, and that was really what she was trying to make up for all her life.In everything she did- sports, riding, steeple-chasing- her motto was 'Anything you can do, I can do better.'She had this tremendous urge to surpass... She was quite fearless and would never rest or relax."Early in life she married a British officer and travelled with him to India.Beryl had many daring adventures in spite of the expectations of the time.She met and started an affair with Miles, a very tall and handsome younger officer, and her first husband let her go to pursue the life of adventure which she was destined for.Together, Beryl and Miles saw the end of the old British colonial system.The book contains fascinating stories of the "Lancers", which evolved to a tank corps.Miles learned to drive a tank and fly an airplane before he learned to drive an automobile.Beryl travelled extensively, often hiking up mountains in exotic locales, even after she gave birth to her daughter.The baby was lugged around by lackeys and natives, and often left behind to survive as best she could.Part of the more amusing stories in the book are about how cavalier a mother and how horribly bad a cook Beryl was.After Miles left the military, the two set out to explore the world on a sailing vessle, a whole new chapter to their life of adventure.Even in old age, the two continued to live remarkable lives.This book is really just riveting.It is one of the most exciting adventures I have ever read.

This is a book that will change the way you look at life!
I saw High Endeavors first recommended by a couple of sailing magazines and picked up a copy. A unique true life combination of love and travel.
The book describes the interesting lives of Miles and Beryl Smeeton who spent their lives travelling across several continents, fighting in wars, sailing around the world and protecting endangered species in Canada.Thisis not a book to be missed.The biggest problem with the book is that youwill begin to feel that you haven't really lived a full existence! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adventurers & Explorers    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Literary    6. Personal Memoirs    7. Travelers    8. Biography & Autobiography / General    9. HEALTH & FITNESS - EXERCISE TRD PB   

Reviews (8)

She Made Me Nervous in KDU, too
She has been accurately described as a "seventy-year-old firing squad with pink lipstick, glasses perched on the end of her nose, and clutching a clipboard."For over four decades, Himalayan climbers have endured a nerve-wracking, Kathmandu rite of passage: passing factual muster under the steely-eyed stare of high-altitude mountaineering's official chronicler, Miss Elizabeth Hawley.But just who is this primly-dressed, always coiffeured woman who strikes fear into the hearts of the world's boldest mountaineers?Where did she come from, this intimate of kings, queens, presidents, Sir Ed, and Messner--and how did she become such an integral part of the Himalayan climbing scene?
Miss Hawley will see you now.
Those who have spent time in Nepal, climbers will have heard of Miss Hawley and if they have done something noteworthy, are likely to have met her in person.But most of you will come away puzzled by this non-climber who is the greatest chronicler of Himalayan ascents.Bernadette's book opens the door a crack.What I saw was more than I knew before, but there is still more, which is as it should be.You will enjoy this book whether you have incurred her wrath, or had her be nice to you or you weren't sure.

Would be a great New Yorker article
If you are interested in Nepal mountaineering, you will enjoy this book for its detailed profile of an unusual woman. Bernadette McDonald gives a fairly balanced assessment of Elizabeth Hawley, who played a remarkable role in climbing circles despite a stereotypical elitist attitude that prevented her from appreciating her adopted country and its people.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. General    6. Mountaineering    7. Mountaineers    8. Nepal    9. Travelers    10. United States    11. Women    12. Women mountaineers   

Reviews (10)

Must read for World Savers
I spent 6 months in Africa while in college and was seriously considering joining the Peace Corps when I came across Packer's book. I was very realistic about the comic grind that is day-to-day life in Africa and the maze of paperwork, mind-numbing waiting for mundane administrative tasks to be accomplished and pervasive acceptance of inefficiency. However, Packer's book really brought home to me the toll of isolation takes on your ability to cope with these realities. Early on, Packer states that Peace Corps volunteers fall into 2 categories, the world savers and the folks that just to try to help in a small way and enjoy the experience. Packer recognizes he falls into the second category and even the detachment humor and a bit of cynicism can not protect him from the inequities and pain of life in pre-AIDS ridden Africa. I thought the book was honest and is on my list of 'must reads' for those thinking about committing full time to any volunteer group.

A book of little inherent value.
I have to disagree with every review written about this book thusfar.It is not well written, for one.The style is amateurish, and it has little substance.
Profound in its Simplicity
George Packer's ability to describe the lives of many who live in Togo make this piece of text a must-read for all, even for those who do not have an interest in serving in the Peace Corps. He writes with raw emotion and sincerity, without a tad of pretense. I'd say that Packer's foremost accomplishment in this text is that he makes no attempt to tell a story about how a superior white individual intervenes in a remote village and rids the residents of poverty and illiteracy.Rather, The Village of Waiting is a sincere account of his realization that sadly, some things just cannot be altered. I think Packer knew this from the outset, but it is interesting to read about he endures this realization during his 2-year service in Togo. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1960-    2. Africa    3. Anthropology - Cultural    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Description and travel    7. General    8. Packer, George,    9. Peace Corps (U.S.)    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Togo    13. Travelers    14. Parker. George    15. Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural   

Reviews (2)

Ho Hum
Capt. Bill published his highlights for his own enjoyment.Not a bad idea, but not enough detail to interest others.A waste of money.

Blue Water Odyssey
Mr. Braden's adventures at sea and land were very touching.I laughed through the Virgin Islands and cried when they sailed to their next port.I thought the author has a wonderful ability to comunicate his feelings at the time that the story took place.There aren't any new sailing books on the market and I found it quite refreshing.A book short enough to fill an evening or two. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Personal Memoirs    4. Travelers    5. Biography: general   

Reviews (2)

The book is an opportunity lost
Dana and Ginger Lamb were adventurers, Julie Huffman-Klinkowitz and Jerome Klinkowits are academics. Like blind people describing an elephant ,the authors told us about it's foot.An elephant is more than a foot. The Enchanted Quest of Dana And Ginger Lamb was researched in libraries. There is no indications that the authors ever so much as visited Mexico on a Club Med Tour. The book is an opportunity lost. For those who are hungry for Lamb information the book has value. If one has not read the Lamb books, there is no reason to read

Adventurous couple
I am, for the most part, an armchair adventurer. Ever since a friend gave me a copy of Byron Farwell's epic biography of the famed 19th century traveler, Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton, many years ago, I have been a huge fan of exploration and adventure literature. I've planned half a dozen trips either following in Burtons footsteps or blazing paths I thought anew. None have ever come to fruition, though I have been on many smaller adventures since. Read more

Subjects:  1. Adventure and adventurers    2. Adventurers & Explorers    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Explorers    8. Lecturers    9. Popular Culture - General    10. Special Interest - Adventure    11. Travelers    12. United States    13. American history: from c 1900 -    14. Biography: general    15. Geographical discovery & exploration    16. The Americas   

Reviews (33)

Read this one first...
If you are wanting to read the "back story" behind the music and are just now starting your homework, let me suggest you start here.Why?Why here, when this is obviously a flawed, overly subjective work seen through a prism of chemical distortions, bringing us what are probably broken and incorrectly reassembled memories?Because this is a book you will finish.You will read this from cover to cover and most likely love it, and because this book is (more than any other out there) about the FUN of the Grateful Dead.That part gets left out - a lot.
Honest and Compelling Work
This book's rather tired "Gonzo" style and endless discussion of drug abuse are what is best and worst about it.How is it that one so long associated with the Grateful Dead and, particularly, with Jerry Garcia has failed to arrive at any more mature perspective on it than this book reveals.Scully seems still to be tickled pink by the fact that this or that group of squares got dosed back in whenever it was.Deep in his heart he seems to mourn the fact that he'll never bed an underage groupie again.And, yet this seems what is most gripping about this book for one such as myself for whom there simply no question of interest - the experience of endless hours of listening to the Grateful Dead and catching shows has simply molded what I am.The apolitical posture.The notion that there was something radical or even revolutionary about tripping and drug use per se.The celebration of blind destructiveness.So much of the truth of not only Garcia and the band but of the scene they created is given expression here in a way that gives it a very definite objectivity, that allows one better to reflect.We are now at least a decade and a half from a time when anyone could imagine himself to still be living in the "long sixties."That time is quite definitively past.Scully's book in many ways seems not to have written recently, but to emerge from the early 80s sometime.Or perhaps Scully kept good journals and did little more than edit them together.At any rate, the book has a certain immediacy that one finds it difficult to imagine Scully could produce from memory.
Okay
I found the book to be fairly accurate, BUT most of it is Rock Scully's personal opinion and experience.He seems to forget that you aren't reading the book to learn about him, but to gain more insight into the band.Overall it wasn't too bad.I have read it a couple of times and enjoyed it.Rock Scully was a close personal freind for many years and he does capture the pre-band era of the Grateful Dead. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Composers & Musicians - Rock    4. General    5. Genres & Styles - Rock    6. Grateful Dead (Musical group)    7. Music    8. Rock music    9. Rock musicians    10. Travelers    11. United States   

Reviews (4)

Well worth the read
I enjoyed Diski's self revelations and conversations with Americans on her cross country train trips. Yes, she clearly needs her cigarettes, and yes, she discusses what are clearly uncomfortable settings of her own mental health, but people, her writing is fantastic, and she creates a definite view of what train travel in the US is like these days. The reviewer that wonders what happened in certain legs of the journey needs to realize that yes, one does sleep on the train and certain geography is doomed to be missed in such a trip. THis book is less about the external geography and more about the internal geography the authors sees with her traveling compatriots across America. A wonderful look at Americans and at an author examiningherself while traveling.

Very poor ? not a great Travel Book
This is the first book I've read by Jenni Diski, and I'm told it's not typical of her work. Certainly this was disappointing. It's not a conventional travelogue; in fact after 70 pages (25% of the book) she still hadn't got on the train! great trip
Jenny Diski clearly had a great trip and this book proves how even a 'non-traveler' can easily fall beneath the spell of long-distance train travel. Anyone planning to follow her example and journey around North America by train should also get hold of the excellent USA by Rail guidebook by John Pitt. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. British    7. Description And Travel    8. Diski, Jenny    9. History    10. Literary    11. Novelists, English    12. Railroad travel    13. Regional Subjects - West    14. Travel    15. Travelers    16. United States    17. Women   

Reviews (5)

A move from Wall Street to the African bush
South Africa was far removed from everything businesswoman executive Carol Batrus knew: so what led her to move from her high-powered, successful job on Wall Street to the heart of Zululand to help the tribe's economic development? WHEN ELEPHANTS FLY: ONE WOMAN'S JOURNEY FROM WALL STREET TO ZULULAND is a moving memoir of her journey, which was to help the tribe economically without destroying the environment. Her decision and journey is inspiring and provides plenty of insights into South African and local environmental issues.
Outward Bound?
This book will be of interest to anyone going to a Third World Country.Whether one is a casual traveler or an NGO professional, Carol Batrus' experiences become lessons that will make the journey more effective.She shows that the steps needed to accomplish organizational priorities remain similar in large companies, family life, or in the bush.If her entertaining prose is motivational, you will be glad that she went first.

a trip thru life
Carol Batrus captures the flavor of finding oneself in the oft difficult world of 20th and 21st Century America through living in Africa.By way of her travails she discovers,in no particular order, life, herself, a whole new culture, and a myriad of friends that make life as fulfilling as could be for one who persues it.Uplifting and inspriational.A terrific read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americans    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. International Wilderness Leadership Foundation    7. Personal Memoirs    8. Rural development    9. South Africa    10. Travelers    11. Women    12. Zululand   

Reviews (1)

Navigating the Iron Curtain
What Tristan Jones lacks in great writing skills he makes up for withgreat story telling and sheer guts. In 1985, as the Soviet Union wasquickly approaching its high water, mark he threw caution to the wind andbegan a tumultuous journey that would take him through the badlands of theIron Curtain. Plunging up the freezing Rhine in his ocean going tri-hulledyacht, wintering in Germany, and losing his American crew of two tohomesickness and better job opportunities were bad enough for this onelegged sailor, but Jones had an objective that he wouldn't put asidelightly. He took on a fresh crew of one, a young German boy, and set off toconquer the Danube and Eastern Europe as the first person to transnavigateEurope in an ocean going tri-hull.The Improbable Voyage is a thoughtprovoking perspective of Central and Eastern Europe at the height of thecold war. It highlights Europe's divisiveness during this time from one ofEurope's major arteries, the Danube. It is realism at its best from theheart of a spirited traveler. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1924-    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Danube River    4. Description and travel    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. Jones, Tristan,    7. Rhine River    8. Sailing    9. Sailing - General    10. Sports    11. Sports & Recreation    12. Travelers    13. Jones, Tristan    14. Journeys    15. Sports & Outdoor Recreation   

Reviews (13)

Unbelievable read
Please get yourself comfortable, settle in and be prepared to be separated from your surroundings while you read this book from cover to cover. You will not be able to put it down. His story will transport you to a far away place and when you are done, you will have a hard time coming back! His story is just a fantastic adventure, reading it will make you feel like you are there. I was swaying to rhythm of the sea as I read. A wonderful modern day adventure story that left me very unsatisfied with my own life adventures so far. Eye opening and thrilling! Best read I've had in a long time. Highly recommended for anyone who can read, old or young.

I'm late for work!
I know there are already enough 5 star reviews, but I just finished the book and need to say, "Oh my gosh this book is great!" I allowed myself one chapter per night before lights out, and broke my own rules every time. I'd stay up so late I'd sleep in and be late for work. Now exotic imaginations are racing through my mind and heart. What a treasure. A book full of life in our time when so much entertainment celebrates destruction and degradation. This book renews the spirit and restores a sense of adventure. I'm 56 years old but feel like a 20 year old about to embark on an adventure, if only I can persuade my wife to sell all and head out to sea, after she reads the book! Oh Oh, maybe I should let her read it once we're out of sight of land.

Sea Adventure
Highly entertaining true narrative of an incomplete sailor attempting
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. General    3. Historical - General    4. Pacific Ocean    5. Pagan (Cutter)    6. Travel    7. Travelers    8. Boating    9. True stories of endurance & survival   

Reviews (7)

Music Lover
I first heard Gamelan was coming out of the oldest temple on the Island of Bali, near Ubud, and was reading this book at the time. I purchased the book at the Jakarta airport and was hooked by the first paragraph. I think that this is a wonderful, insight into the island, the music, it's people and culture. If you have a love for exotic music and or artform, this historical work is a captivating read. My only regret is that Colin McPhee never went back to his beloved Bali.

A good read
I am Balinese and live in Ubud, about 10 minutes walk from where Colin McPhee stayed, when he came to Bali in 1931. My aunt worked for him. Quite an interesting and well presented account of Bali
It's a very interesting book in regards to what I have actually read. It seems to have accounts on Balinese culture. I found it enjoyable and interesting to read because it not only talks about Balinese culture but about the conflict and clashes within the village like the little dancer named Sampih and his dance teacher Nyoman Kaler. Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Composers & Musicians - General    3. Historical - U.S.    4. History & Criticism - General    5. Music    6. Travelers    7. Bali    8. Non-Western music: traditional & "classical"    9. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (8)

Wasted my money
Just about every page bulges with the "to be" verb, making the reading dull and monotonous.Sentences are unnecessarily packed with useless wording when simpler constructions would be far more clear.I can't imagine this book was edited by a professional.Simple grammar is incorrect in places.I got as far as the fourth chapter and gave the book away.

Amusing, absorbing, and just plain funny
If you enjoyed Memoirs of an American Housewife in Japan, and A Year In Provence, you won't be disappointed with It's All Greek to Me! You'll love it. All three books have the same ingredient, which makes them so enjoyable: humor.The sub-title: A Tale of a Mad Dog and an Englishman, Ruins, Retsina - and Real Greeks, tells it all. As an Englishman, John Mole truly captures the psyche of these seemingly simple Greek people. Mr. Mole's writing is concise and a pleasure to read.

Excellent writing, a fine eye for detail, and very witty!
Mole is an excellent writer with a fine eye for detail and a very nice sense of humor. His observations capture the essence of Greek village culture with very funny descriptions of the locals, and particularly their conversations. He keys in on the rampant individuality of the Greeks in a warm-hearted way. He is really good at writing dialogue, athough with the normal problem of trying to convey Greeks speaking broken English and Anglos speaking very broken Greek. But he does manage to pull it off! A light-hearted, funny journey through Greek village life!
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Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Description and travel    4. Euboea Island    5. Euboea Island (Greece)    6. Europe - Greece    7. Greece    8. Humor    9. Mole, John,    10. Non-Classifiable    11. Nonfiction    12. Topic - Family    13. Travel    14. Travelers    15. Humor / Topic / Family    16. Travel writing   

Reviews (6)

Mixed Emotions, and By The Way It Is Not a Novel.
I have a lot of mixed emotions about this book. I thought his book "Call of the Wild" was one of the best ever works by an American writer. That novel was the peak of the Jack London's career.
first time reading "The....Snark"
Even though I consider myself a London fan (starting when I read "The Call of the Wild" and "The Cruise of the Dazzler" as a boy), I have never felt the urge to read "The Cruise of the Snark"...until now.I must admit that is one easy, enjoyable read yet there are a couple of chapters which in my opinion seem to be "filler" material, possibly created when Jack was sick and do not seem to fit the adventure billing (Beche De Mer English for example).Regardless, most of this book is very enjoyable and you get a few chuckles when Jack interjects some of his dry, sarcastic humor into the reading (when he mentioned that the Snark was actually shorter than expected and suggested that "the builder was not on speaking terms with the tape-line").Jack's life was an adventure and this was the culmination of an adventurous soul.It's a wonderful story and a prime example of Murphy's Law.

The best story is the one he lived
It has been said that the best story Jack London ever conceived is the one he lived.You need look no further than THE CRUISE OF THE SNARK to confirm that.In this book, all of London's passions come together: action, experience, sailing, foreign travel, writing and reading.It is a "real adventure" tale, a travelogue and above all a well-crafted book full of London's personal voice and vibrant outlook on life.One may say it is also full of his ego, but he earns the self-satisfaction by putting action and hard work behind his beliefs and words.He is fearless.He is the first to get the irony in a situation and the first to laugh, especially at himself.
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Subjects:  1. 1876-1916    2. 20th century    3. Americans    4. Authors, American    5. Biography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Historical - General    8. History    9. London, Jack,    10. Ocean travel    11. Oceania    12. Railroads - General    13. Sailing - General    14. Transportation    15. Travel    16. Travelers    17. Encyclopaedias & Reference Works    18. Journeys    19. London, Jack    20. Transportation / Ships & Shipbuilding / History   

Reviews (10)

SAVE YOUR MONEY ON A TICKET TO JAPAN
I brought this book thinking that it would give me some info on teaching in Japan. NOT SO! If you buy this book all you will read about is the author's big ego.
Give it a miss
This self-published memoir might be mildly entertaining for men who have lived or are living in Japan at the moment and have first hand experience of dalliances with Japanese women and know about the headaches that they can cause. For others it will be baffling. Most of the book details the authors attempts at getting laid until he finally has a 'breakdown' at the end. (though the reason for this breakdown are not readily apparent).
Why does all of this sound so familiar?
Donald Richie once said of Japan that "Sex was the ultimate souvenir." There is a well-known reason why many of the foreign English teachers make the long trip over the ocean, and it isn't for the green tea and onsens. I certainly remember the magical moment when a Japanese chick first took off her clothes for me. And the second time. And the third time. And...you get the picture. Well, needless to say Josh Muggins didn't come to Japan for the green tea and onsens either, and he is here to tell you his tale.
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Travelers   

Reviews (3)

A first-person journey which is stimulating, fun, and never too predictable
Thomas Swick's A Way To See The World: From Texas To Transylvania With A Maverick Traveler isn't your usual travelogue of wild and woolly adventures; for Swick chooses no ordinary path for his journeys. His accounts are unconventional at the least; from attending a hobo convention in Iowa to his search for James Thurber's spirit in Columbus, OH and his entry to the forbidden Cuba on a cultural exchange program. Colorful observations of counter-culture and local color provide a first-person journey which is stimulating, fun, and never too predictable. A fine armchair adventure awaits.
Beyond travel
Tom Swick has written not just an exceptional travel book, but an exceptional book.Period.Horizon broadening, mind opening, amusing, pure pleasure.

The world's mine oyster, which I with pen will open.
Delightful!Thomas Swick's writing is elegant, his observations about the places I've been to are perfect, and his descriptions of places I haven't seen make me feel like I've just been there.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Canada - Atlantic Provinces    3. Personal Memoirs    4. Swick, Thomas    5. Travel    6. Travelers    7. Travelers' writings, American    8. Voyages and travels    9. Travel / Canada / Atlantic Provinces (NB, NF, NS, PE)   

Editorial Review

As ornithologist Kenn Kaufman recounts in his lively memoir Read more

Reviews (18)

Great book for birders
Kenn Kaufman began birding at an early age, and as a young teenager he hid his "geeky" habit from his friends.Eventually, as he became older, he realized that there was a birding fraternity and he began to bird with others who loved it as much as he did.At 16, with his parents' blessing, he dropped out of school and began doing cross-country birding by hitchiking around the country.His knowledge of birds grew and his contacts with other birders increased.In 1973 he decided to go for a Big Year, that is a year in which he attempted to break the record for most birds seen in a year.The pace of Kaufman's quest was amazing and he relates his adventures in an interesting and down-to-earth style.Towards the end of his Big Year, Kaufman begins to question his own motives for building up his list and his introspection brings a new maturity to him and his methods of birding.This is a great book for any bird enthusiast.

A road book with a passion
I read this book a couple of years ago ,haven't been writing reviews for long;but thought I would go back to this fine effort.I've read a lot of " road" books by some of the best; such as Heat-Moon,Kerouac,Mc Murtry,Peterson/Fisher,Steinbeck,Teale,Caldwell ;but as good as these were, none were written with the passion and self involvement that Kaufman brings to this book.He didn't set out to roam the country to escape,find himself,to discover the people or country.He set with the purpose of finding as many bird species as he could in one year ; wrote a book about it,and even though the goal was not just to write a book; he produced one that is as good as the "best".As a Birder ,we have all experienced many of the things he did ;but without the endurance,passion and commitment that he did.I thought I experienced cold along the Niagara River looking for Gulls in the Winter;but this was mild compared to sleeping in a car on the East coast when it was "cold as an Eskimo's tomb",eating from a can of cold soup at the ABA onvention,or having "his" scope blown away during a storm while doing the Christmas Bird count.If you like road books;but even more so if you enjoy nature/birding you just gotta read this gem !In my opinion he is right up there with the best of them.

Kaufman Becomes a Birding Fanatic
Great read. Any serious birder will like it as will a general audience that likes books along the lines of William Least-Moon. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Essays    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Travelers    6. Birds & birdwatching    7. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (2)

Interesting story; not an easy read
I bought the book due to my interest in the period it covers -- early Alpine mountaineering. Edward Whymper was an interesting guy, and certainly one of the foreign pioneers of mountain climbing (including the first climb of Matterhorn). I found him to be less inspiring as an author -- the book's pace is slow, punctuated by various tangential discussions, e.g. geology of glaciers. Whymper's writing achieved the summit of excellence.
As one of the early mountain climbers, Whymper was not only a dedicated climber but also an astute observer of human nature and the natural environment. His writings reflect a strong will and great intelligence. The artistry of his mountain scenes vividly illustrate his book and combined with his witty prose make for a mountaineering classic ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adventurers & Explorers    2. Alps    3. Description and travel    4. General    5. History - General History    6. Mountaineering    7. Travel    8. Travelers    9. Climbing & mountaineering    10. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY    11. Travel / General    12. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (2)

A Travelogue to the Andaman Islands
This is a travel rather than a scientific book. Like any good travelogue it contains a great deal of interesting historical and ethnological information in easily digestable tidbits. It is a good read and is small enough to carry around. Indeed, it is light enough to be read with one hand while - wait for it! - sitting down and holding on to your backpack against thieves with the other. Islands of Lost Souls
Perhaps due to their remote location, surrounded by treacherous seas in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Burma, the Andaman Islands have always been a source of fear and fascination for travellers.