A great treasure-trove of daunting human courage; frailty; and persistence in the face of the unknown.―Library Journal From Robert Falcon Scott's final journal entry to Jon Krakauer's reckless solo climb of the Devil's Thumb; David Roberts and the editors of Outside have gathered the most enduring adventure literature of the century into one heart-stopping volume. A frigid winter ascent of Mount McKinley; the vastness of Arabia's Empty Quarter; the impossibly thin air at Everest's summit; the deadly black pressure of an underwater cave; a desperate escape through a Norwegian winter―these and thirty-six other stories recount the minutes; hours; and days of lives pushed to the brink. But there is more to adventure than hair's-breadth escapes. By turns charming and tragic; whimsical and nerve-racking; this extraordinary collection gets to the heart of why adventure stories enthrall us. Includes works by Sebastian Junger; Jon Krakauer; Edward Abbey; Tim Cahill; Edward Hoagland; Ernest Shackleton; Freya Stark; and Wilfred Thesiger.
#291828 in Books W. W. Norton Company 1998-01-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.10 x .60 x 5.40l; .38 #File Name: 0393317188168 pagesGreat product!
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. My new favorite book of all timeBy candace podger mcchesneyI love biographies; and non fiction finding the truth is sometimes so interesting fiction only can copy it. This is one of those books you cannot put down; even though it was written in a time when it was still excepted by educated people that whites had a superior intellect.John Parker credits his white father for that; his imagination and ability to hate. His intellect was as superior as anyone's; but his imagination and courage were in a class of it's own and a credit to those like him escaping bondage. This story is so good I visualized the whole thing as I read it like I was watching a movie. It is too good for one movie; more like a mini series. In this John Parker moved to Ripley after buying his own freedom in Alabama.After living in Indiana and Cincinnati first; he is closely pursued one night with his "passengers' going into Ripley; a stranger secures the group under a bridge with seconds to spare; the stranger Thomas Collins would become his neighbor and his boatman on other runs; once hiding in coffins Collins had built. His encounters with the white conductors in Ripley prompted him to move there. He is remembered in many recollections from Ripley that didn't get told in his book about his bravery in Ohio 's historical Archives.His earlier attempts at escaping north were worthy of its own book. His later life after freedom and getting married starting a family and a prosperous business; and inventor (robbed of his first invention as a slave). He risked everything almost nightly to go into the slave state of Kentucky and bring out fellow freedom seekers ; knowing how hard that was his own attempts failing; he bought his freedom for $1;800.He took the road few UGRR operators ever did he went behind the lines. More prolific than Harriett Tubman mostly working alone; but supported by the other abolitionists in Ripley who would help those who crossed the river but wouldn't cross into there to get them out. Parker stood alone perhaps because he lived that life of a slave desperate to escape that most the others had not. He was a large; strong; distant man who never bragged was educated by proxy from the children of his master. He always armed himself and walked in the middle of the street so that he was not jumped by the many who wanted to kill him; this man would go further and take more risks than most any man alive. The UGRR was driven by the escaping Freedom seekers; the slaves themselves were often conductors who could have freed themselves but stayed to help others out first.Some of the stories are funny and others inspiring; and others far better than fiction. The White abolitionists could speak out and ofter respite to the fugitives and they risked everything too; but the ones most often unnamed or overlooked in the UGRR story were the black conductors; even years after the war they faced racism and kept a low profile. John Parker never allowed himself to be photographed;it is amazing that a man this courageous and fearless had to worry his image might be used to settle an old grudge. The passion that was on both sides of the issue didn't end with the war; but the men (and women)who fought "the war before the war" as Parker called it put everything on the line for people they never met. All of their stories deserve to be heard; I am so glad Frank Gregg the original source of the story asked his former neighbor John Parker about his life; or we would never have it today. Frank Gregg couldn't sanitize the story enough for the 1880's audience to find a publisher; but Parker's own words are left so we can appreciate him today and his words are what makes it so real. It will be hard to top this!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Historical Fiction at Its BestBy DianeWell written. Good prose meets interesting history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy SalomesfredGreat book!
