No comments about A Yankee in Patagonia, Edward Chace: His thirty years there, 1898-1928.

No comments about Patagonia Sur Tierra del Fuego Costa a Costa.

No comments about Provincias de Jujuy-Salta, Argentina, Mapa Vial y Turistico.

No comments about Nordeste/ North East (Guia De Las Reservas Naturales De La Argentina/ Guide of Natural Resources of Argentina) (Guia De Las Reservas Naturales De La Argentina/ ... Guide of Natural Resources of Argentina).

No comments about Michael's Guide Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

5 comments about Uttermost Part of the Earth: Indians of Tierra Del Fuego.

1. An outstanding account of the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. A truly memorable work. A towering achievement to have written such a telling account of life on the edge of civilization. Tschiffely's achievement in persuading E. Lucas Bridges to commit the story to paper has preserved the memory of a lost race.

   Why it is out of print is beyond me.




2. I was given an old hardback copy of this title by my husband's granny, who lived in Tierra del Fuego for several years. It's the most rivetting book I've ever read. I'd love to recommend it to my book group, but where is it?

   This is the remarkable story of a family which, whilst colonising, nevertheless also became as assimilated into, and trusted by, the native community as it is possible to be. E. Lucas Bridges' account of his family's relationship with the soon-to-be-extinct Indians of Tierra del Fuego is one book I'll read (and be completely absorbed by) again and again.

   It left me with enormous respect for the writer, and deep regret for the extinction that incomers (sometimes unwittingly, sometimes consciously) meted out to this fascinating and multi-faceted people.

   One very minor lack in this brilliant book is the expression of any emotional response to the events that unfold. The story is narrated very factually and presumably accurately, but I often found myself wanting to know "What did the writer really feel when this or that intriguing or absurd or dangerous sequence of events played out before him?".

   No book has more made me want to visit a region than this one. An absolutely unforgettable read.




3. I visited Tierra del Fuego & Patagonia in March of 2004. When attending a lecture aboard ship regarding the early settlement of this area I was told a good resource book on this area was Lucas Bridges book "The Uttermost Part of the Earth" - it was a great recommendation. I was able to obtain the book via Interlibrary loan (believe it came from a library in Minnesota). A great read! Lucas was one of 6 children of Thomas Bridges a missionary sent from England to Christianize the natives. 5 of his 6 children were born there. The book doesn't deal that much with actually missionary (ie: church) work as it does the experiences of Bridges family members with the native tribes. What endurance those people had! I'd recommend it to anyone interested in that part of the world.



4. No other book has been written, to my knowledge, that is similar to the "Uttermost Part of the Earth." The book is well and evocatively titled. The author was the third white child to be born in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina in 1874. Ushuaia has become today the southernmost city of the world -- a place where 60 degrees F is a hot summer day and the wind never stops blowing.
   
   The author's missionary family came to Ushuaia to convert the Yahgan Indians who eked out a cold existence around the waters of the Straits of Magellan. Growing up, the author became even more fascinated with the Ona Indians who lived in the interior of Tierra del Fuego and hunted guanaco, a wild version of the llama. The author spoke the languages of both tribes, lived with them, and recorded their culture and lifestyles. These two peoples are now culturally extinct. In 1947 the author estimated that their numbers had declined from more than 7,000 when he was born to about 150. Disease brought by the White Man along with White settlement of Tierra de Fuego for sheep herding, mining, and fishing doomed the Indians.
   
   The "Uttermost Part of the Earth" is also an adventure tale, told in a dead-pan understated style that accentuates the extraordinary events in the author's life. There are tales of sailing in waters that probably have the worst weather in the world and of being the first to cross Tierra del Fuego on foot. One does not doubt Lucas's veracity; there is little of the contrived excitement lesser adventurers try to generate. Indeed, he seems guilty of understatement. One would welcome from him more forthright expression of his views.
   
   This book deserves a place on the short bookshelf of travel and adventure classics. "Uttermost" is one of the finest and most unique reads you will find, and one of the most informative also.
   
   Smallchief



5. This is one of the true golden nuggets, the rare find that few people know about... it captures an era and a people long gone with poignant, personal anthropology in a voice filled with empathy, objectivity, and humility. How many peoples like the fierce, brilliant Ona will never again walk the earth? What secrets, innovations, and knowledge bred of millenia living within the ecosystem are lost forever? It's an unknowable question, but the depth of the answer is suggested in the unvarnished portrayal of life growing up among the peoples of southern tierra del fuego. This book is a journey into a time and place filled with danger, adventure, enterprise, cultural exchange in the deepest sense, and above all comradeship and family bonds. I have read Uttermost Part of the Earth numerous times and am so grateful for its existence.

No comments about La Patagonia de Chatwin (Rumbo Sur).

No comments about Travels in South America, during the Years 1819-20-21: Containing an Account of the Present State of Brazil, Buenos Ayres, and Chile. Volume 2.

1 comments about Buenos Aires Map.

1. I'm going to Argentina in a month and figure I can get maps there, but wanted to familiarize myself with the area before going to plan hotels, etc. I received the map today and it looks pretty good. It's only printed on one side which is a little odd. It covers the area surrounding Buenos Aires up beyond Palermo and down to part of La Boca. Looks like the streets are all clearly marked and the neighborhoods (San Telmo, Recoleta, etc.) are all nicely called out. It includes a street index in small but readable type. Should be easy to follow, trains, subways etc. are all marked. I'll update my review once I go there and see if all the info is accurate (printed in 2000 but the most recent I could find on the internet in English).

5 comments about The Last Cowboys at the End of the World: The Story of the Gauchos of Patagonia.

1. If you cherish the ways in which John McPhee and Barry Lopez make meaning out of landscape, if you appreciate a writer with an observant heart and a feel for language, and if you wonder how people manage to live--for well and for ill--in a world turned inside out, this is the book for you. By turns harrowing, hilarious, and touching, "The Last Cowboys" will command your attention and remain in your thoughts long after you have read the last page.



2. If you have been to Cisnes,Patagonia (or want to go there) this is a must book to read. I spent 10 days in this area in February, 2002 and saw some of the people that Nick writes about. In reading the book Nick made me feel that I was back there as I could visualize where the events were taking place. The changes to Coyhaique have continued since 1999 as I found it to be a very modern town. After reading this book I would like to make a return trip.



3. This is just to correct a gross mistake from one of the other reviewers. Gauchos are the archetypical argentine country men, not chilean. and Patagonia is argentinean in more than 90% of its extension.
   Gaucho literature is almost exclusively argentinian. An obligatory introduction to the world of gauchos is José Hernández' Martin Fierro. See this book first to get a glance at the gaucho's rough life before embarking in a second-hand misleading historiography.



4. I had the pleasure of meeting Nick Reding earlier this year, and as I chatted with him over some drinks, I was really struck by the thought, "This guy has led a really amazing life!" As a result, I went out and grabbed this book and as I read it, I became even more amazed.

   Nick tells the story of his experiences in the Chilean Patagonia in a way that draw you in to every moment. The vividness of his writing and the beauty of some of his comparisons made this quite an enjoyable read. His attention to detail leaves the reader with a feeling that they are right there staring over Nick's shoulder as he goes about life in a very different part of the world.

   Nick has that knack that some of the best writers have of being able to see the common thread that exists between very different experiences and places. This book is also extremely well researched with a lot of attention to historical detail, but this detail is not integrated in a dry textbook like manner. Instead when Nick feels it is neccessary to illuminate the reader about a particular piece of history to provide context for an event, he explains that history without distracting from the main storyline.

   Overall, this is an excellent piece of writing and I look forward to future books by Nick (he assures me at least one more is on the way).




5. This is an exceptional study of the Patagonian gauchos and their life style and habitat before it is extinguished forever by western values, money and culture. As a tourist in Patagonia it should be required reading, especially if you are attempting a riding trip there as we were, across the Andes. For a moment you can understand what you are seeing and experiencing, for a second you are part of the scenary, not just watching it voyeuristically unfold before you. I don't think I understood travel until I read this book.I will never travel again with my eyes open and my mind closed.