Persian pearl fishers, raiding Norseman, kings draped in fox fur, Turkish nomads crossing frozen rivers, chess players, astronomers, warring elephants, jewel-filled tombs, spitting volcanoes and terrifying seas: these are just some of the incredible sights Mas'udi has discovered, since he left his beloved Iraq as a young man, bound for a lifetime of adventure. Now, exiled from his beloved homeland, he sits down to write the greatest history the world has seen ... ... Back cover Blurb
Soaked to the skin, zoologist Walter Henry Bates lies shivering in a canoe, waiting for dawn, hoping the pattering sound is not a prowling jaguar. At least he had had a fascinating morning, collecting specimens of insects never recorded before. His battered notebooks tell his story - an incredible eleven year old adventure in the amazon jungle, hunting fish and precious turtle eggs, avoiding deadly snakes and killing alligators with one blow ... ... Back Cover Blurb
He heard tales of rubies as thick as a man's arms. He knew of the king, naked but for a jewelled loincloth of dazzling pearls, who had a hundred wives. He described birds of every colour, and could explain the true appearance of the legandary gryphon. As Marco Polo explored the Indian Ocean, his reports of wonderful creatures, strange tribes and far-away lands astounded all who heard them. ... Back Cover Blurb
They were all racked with fever. The daring canoe trip from the Nicobar Islands had been full of hazards - not least of starvation, dehydration and terrible storms. But William Dampier was a hardened adventurer. His chaotic career on the high seas encompassed three around-the-world trips and his journals became the stuff of legend. He seemed immune to danger; as sailor, explorer, amateur anthropologist and pirate, his life was always at risk. ... Back Cover Blurb
MY THOUGHTS ... Each book a small but concise collection of abridged excerpts (ideal for those who may otherwise have found the longer accounts daunting), each man and indeed women a pioneer in his or her own right.
Despite synopsis that by and large read like something you'd find in an edition of Boy's Own, not one of these four books was in fact like that.
No matter the content, that much of it was actually interesting, the writing is invariably dull, some of the language used ... Hmm! Lets just say that some of the depictions whilst very much of their time will doubtlessly be construed as unacceptable nowadays.
That said, individuals I know relatively little of, my appetite whetted, I'm keen to learn more about them.
With these four books plus ...
- To the Holy Shrines by Richard Francis Burton
- Can-Cans, Cats and Cities of Ash by Mark Twain (Review as linked to above)
- Sold as a Slave by Olaudah Equiano
5 comments:
Well.... I guess anything that inspires you to want to research and learn more on your own can't be all bad.
I imagine the writing is very dated given when they were written. Sounds like an interesting collection. I admit that whenever I see the word "abridged", I cringe. I know sometimes abridged versions have their uses and reasons though.
I didn't know about them but it's a bit too bad though...
Felicity,
Although all of these four books
sound interesting and varied. I will
definitely take to heart what you said
about the writing, language and depictions.
But I will keep this series in mind.
Raven
Though I tend to like complete text. Some of these old accounts can be difficult to wade through. I would actually recommend abridged versions of the texts.
I might give this a try.
Post a Comment