4 comments about Humboldt's Cosmos.

1. Humboldt was a truly extraordinary character. He was a mixture of adventurer and scientist that has rarely been seen, especially with such developed expertise in both areas. This biography covers Humboldt's entire life, with special focus on his trip to Latin America between 1799 and 1804.
   
   This book is written as an interesting narrative, explaining with only passing remarks the actual science behind his achievements. Advances that Humboldt made cover such different fields as botany, geology, geography, anthropology, climatology, magnetism, among others. The book is very good at outlining the spirit of those discoveries; if you would like an actual explanation, look in the Personal Narratives that Humboldt wrote himself.
   
   As an adventurer, he criss crossed South America at a time when much of it was yet undiscovered and uncharted. He mapped the Casiquiare canal, which at the time was a legendary connection between the Amazon and Orinoco basins. He made it from Venezuela to Peru, climbing in the process some of the highest mountains in Latin America (including the Chimborazo, which at the time was believed to be the highest mountain in the world and yet unclimbed). He was for many years the high altitude record holder of the world.
   
   It is amazing such a towering figure is not remembered among the ranks of Einstein, Da Vinci or Darwin. I highly recommend this book and finding out more about Humboldt, especially if you enjoy science, travel or adventure writing.



2. The only thing I knew about Humboldt was that the pacific oceanic current was named after him. This book catch your attention from the very beginning, showing you the life, custom and geography of central and south america in the 1800's, places that Humboldt explored in his long journey. The author also gives a browsing on the history of the natives and the places that Humboldt trekked.
   The life of Humboldt is also very interesting, by his achievements, his relentless curiosity and by the unique opportunity to met very important people of the time such as Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon, Simon Bolivar and Charles Darwin. This is definitely a book to enjoy and learn, so much to learn.



3. Through Alexander von Humboldt's own writings, Gerard Helferich takes us on high adventure from the unforgiving, bug-infested steamy jungles of the Amazon to some of the highest Andean peaks of South America as Humboldt methodically searches for the common thread that connects the "unity of nature".
   
   For five years, from 1799-1804, Alexander von Humboldt traveled extensively in South and Central America intensely observing every facet of the natural and physical world to speculate on how everything is related. Whether it was trudging through crocodile and jaguar infested waterways of the Orinoco River, climbing 19,000 foot volcanic mountains in the Andes or measuring ocean currents and observing native cultures, Humboldt had a keen eye for every aspect of our planet.
   
   He formulated the design of isotherms which is still used to this day in meteorology, raised awareness on such varied topics as geomagnetism, plant geography, volcanology, cartography and many other subjects. Even though towns, counties, mountains (even one on the moon), forests and bodies of water have been named after him, for the most part history has forgotten this amazing man and his accomplishments.



4. Gerard Helferich has done a great service to humanity by not allowing Alexander Von Humboldt to become another meaningless name attached to a street or landmark.
   
   Humboldt was the second coming of Benjamin Franklin and shared the same worldwide recognition. While Lewis and Clark explored the North American North West using the patronage of Thomas Jefferson and the American government, Humboldt self financed his exploration of South America. This is absolutely fascinating history.
   
   For the most part reading the book is smooth sailing, at times readers can suffer from information overload and once in a great while Gerard Helferich will put the reader to sleep with expansion concerning some miniscule details.
   
   Now, this is a book I will re-read because it is so detailed and well written. I would like to thank the author, Gerard Helferich, for providing me with such a wonderful enlightening history of an extremely notable human.

1 comments about The Galapagos Islands: The Essential Handbook for Exploring, Enjoying and Understanding Darwin's Enchanted Islands.

1. The subtitle gives you an indication that this is not exactly a reading experience, but a guidebook during your actually sojourn. While it contains some useful pre-trip information, Stephenson concentrates on detailing the flora and fauna that are on each island, and their approximate locations, in a format that is almost like a checklist (or, for the birders out there, a lifelist). Stephenson is knowledgeable, and her information accurate as far as I can tell, but there's really no savoir faire here, and there's the rub. If I had only this to base my foreknowledge of the islands, I'm not so sure I'd be so excited about going. Luckily, there's other books that are better at capturing the uniqueness of the islands and their place in history and our world today.

5 comments about Category 5: The Story of Camille, Lessons Unlearned from America's Most Violent Hurricane.

1. This book, the story of 1969's Hurricane Camille, is a breezy (yes, that word APPLIES) read which interweaves several plotlines -- the powerful force of a Cat 5 hurricane, the lives it touched and the tragedies which occurred, the will to survive, the peculiar and corrupt qualities of Louisiana politics, the ongoing civil rights movement of the time, and the surprisingly primitive nature of weather forecasting in the late 1960's.
   As a person who once moved out of a city in part due to the fact that the local cable company DIDN'T carry The Weather Channel, I expected to enjoy the stormy aspects of the book. I did not expect the history and politics of the time to carry this story down unexpected avenues. It was a pleasant surprise.
   I recommend it without hesitation.



2. "Category 5" is excellent reading. The plot, with many interesting facts, keeps the reader spellbound. It is difficult to stop reading once you start! Many long hours of research had to be done for this fact filled book. The racial feelings in Louisanna, corupt polititions, and the "state of the art" science of 1969, all combine to make this book all come together for one of the best books I have ever read!



3. Once you pick this book up, you won't want to put it down until you've read the very last page and the dust cover notes as well. As a reader all too familiar with the wrath and destruction of hurricanes, I found the historical facts eerily accurate and the human drama so tense that the reader is drawn into the story as if sucked into the vortex of the storm itself. Category 5 is gripping and powerful like a well-written novel and not the true account of devastation and suffering that it is -- without the dry, clinical approach of a mere assessment of storm damage. The human element is often invisible when looking at the overall picture. Howard and Zebrowski take us to ground zero to examine the personal lives of those affected and no reader can ever put those images out of his or her mind. Excellent read!
   
   Tom Aswell
   Baton Rouge, LA.



4. The authors of this book were putting the finishing touches on it when Katrina made landfall in generally the same area as Camille. They went back and added a chapter but for the most part the book was left to stand on its own in light of the more recent disaster and it stood up quite well. All through the book there are obvious parallels between the two storms and especially the response that came in their aftermath. It is to be hoped that government officials took the lessons of Katrina to heart in a much more effective way than they did the lessons of Camille and that when the next major hurricane devastates a costal area the outside response will be far more effective.
   
   One of the few things that did improve in the years between the hurricanes was the ability of forecasters to predict the track of the storm and to get the word out. In 1969 radar tracking and computer models were in their infancy and up until shortly before landfall forecasters were sure that Camille would strike Florida. Once they did realize that it was headed for Mississippi they had trouble getting the word out and had it not been for the foresight of local officials the death toll would have been much higher. These authors take the meteorological aspects of this story and present them in a remarkably easy to understand way and do so to the extent that the reader will almost be able to feel the angst of forecasters as they try to figure out just what Camille is up to. These Hurricane Center people are remarkable.
   
   These authors do an excellent job of relating how local authorities had taken to heart the lessons learned from hurricane Audrey in 1957 and the precautions that they had taken because of those lessons. It is not hard to see in this narrative that state and federal authorities were far behind the local authorities in preparedness for Camille and that the same was true all those years later when Katrina came ashore. This is not however just a story about the failure of government though, it is also very much a story of the people who were the victims of this great storm. This is a story of the heroism of and resilience of people who were hit with the worst that nature has to offer.
   
   These authors do a marvelous job of relating the stories of individuals and families who were in the path of the monster Camille. Through the reminiscences of those who survived the authors tell the stories of families ripped apart and of whole families who just vanished. They tell the true story of the much publicized collapse of the Richelieu apartments in Pass Christian, they tell the story of a group of men out for a sail who end up weathering the storm near the mouth of the Mississippi as their boat breaks up around them, they tell the story of people who sought refuge in local churches only to find the large old building disintegrating around them and they tell the story of quiet communities in Virginia where the people went to bed with no warning at all that many of them would be washed away before dawn. Through it all the survivors immediately turned their attention toward helping each other once the storm had passed and these survivors, many of them wounded or in mourning themselves immediately began rescue efforts that saved untold numbers of people. It is the heart and soul of these people that is the true story to be found in this book and these authors have truly done these people justice in this highly readable account of one of the great disasters in American history.



5. Enjoyed reading this book. I had family who survived Camille in Nelson County, spent several weeks there during the summers visiting during my youth and remember vividly going there as soon as we were allowed in to see the damage. This book did an excellent job describing the storm, the aftermath and how it changed the lives of so many people who lived in that area.

4 comments about William Bartram: Travels and Other Writings.

1. I didn't read it , but my son, the Forester has worn out his older copy.



2. This is the best edition of Bartram that is available today.
   Like all Library of America volumes, it is an attractively designed book with a ribbon marker.



3. Imbued by his father, John Bartram, with a love of nature and a passion for learning, William Bartram set forth in 1773 to explore the flora and fauna of the wild frontier country of the American Southeast.
   The elder Bartram had established a Botanical Garden on the outskirts of Philadelphia, where he cultivated trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants indigenous to America. He sent seeds, animal and plant specimens to horticulturists and naturalists in England, sometimes including drawings by his son. William had accompanied his father on botanical expeditions to Connecticut, New York, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
   
   The Travels reported in this volume were sponsored by Dr. John Fothergill of England, to whom William sent drawings, specimens, and a 2-part written account of his discoveries.
   Publication of his pioneering work was delayed by the intervening Revolutionary War. The American edition, containing numerous errors, was printed in Philadelphia in 1791; a British edition followed in 1792. Irish and German editions appeared in 1793, and a French translation in 1799. The "Travels" had a significant influence on European Romanticism. Coleridge, Wordsworth, Chateaubriand among others drew on their imagery.
   
   William Bartram's travels took him, between 1773 and1776, from Charleston and Savannah to the coastal region and the interior of Georgia, then to Florida as far south as Cape Canaveral and as far west as Pensacola. He ventured into Alabama, visiting Mobile, and journeyed on to Baton Rouge. Sometimes he joined survey crews or traders, but mostly he traveled alone - on horseback, by boat, or on foot. He kept extensive lists of the plants he found, some of them heretofore unknown or unreported. Franklinia alatamaha and Magnolia auriculata are famous examples.
   
   But he also gives vivid descriptions of the wildlife he encounters: alligators, wolves, bears, panthers, turtles, snakes, fishes, birds and insects in great profusion. He examines the soil and the quality of the water, comments on meteorological phenomena - in short, nothing escapes his observant eye. His Quaker spirit fills him with admiration and gratitude for the magnificent design of nature; it might be called Edenic except for the mosquitoes - and he doesn't appear to be too fond of alligators, either. Curiosity wins out over fear, however, when he pokes into alligator nests to see how they are constructed and how the eggs are arranged.
   Forty-eight splendid plates and a number of drawings accompany the text and give a lively impression of what he saw and how he saw it.
   
   His gentle disposition renders his encounters with Indian "savages" peaceful and friendly, marked by mutual respect. The Seminoles call him Puc Puggy, the Flower Hunter, and offer him hospitality, protection, and assistance in his quest for medicinal herbs. He gives a highly sympathetic account of the daily lives, customs, social organization and religious beliefs of various Indian tribes. An expanded version of these observations is part of the Miscellaneous Writings included in this volume.
   In a philosophical vein, he muses about the "innate moral principles" that guide unlettered and untutored men, and deplores the detrimental effect civilization has on them: commerce with white traders who provide them with luxury goods in great profusion causes the Indians to kill more animals than they would normally need, because the traders take the hides and pelts in exchange for their wares; and the women are beginning to forget the ancient skills of weaving and pottery-making since everything can be obtained ready-made from the white men.
   He does not fail to mention the existence of slavery among the Indians as well as among the white planters, but he takes no definite stand on this issue.
   
   After his return to Philadelphia, William devotes his time to reading, writing, teaching, and cultivating his father's garden which is visited by many famous men, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and the leading horticulturists and naturalists of the time. It is still there today, "worthy of the attention of lovers of Science and admirers of Nature", as envisioned by its creator.



4. The miscellaneous writings include (among other writings) Bartram's responses to carefully worded questions about Creek and Cherokee Indians. This edition has numerous glossy color and black and white prints. There is a picture on Amazon that shows the book in a slipcover--it doesn't come in a slipcover. Otherwise, a high quality edition.

1 comments about Chicago: A Pictorial Celebration.

1. Most of the pictures were great, some were just lame- like they took a bunch of pictures indiscriminately and threw the book together. But I got the book supercheap and my uncle loves it.

5 comments about Eight Feet in the Andes: Travels with a Mule in Unknown Peru.

1. Dervla Murphy is definitely a one of a kind treasure. The vistas she conjurs up in this book are breathtaking. The hardships she endured are more than most of would care to experience in our travels. Still, it's a great armchair experience! (This review has migrated from its proper location. It is for the book Eight Feet in the Andes by Dervla Murphy.)



2. It's a travelogue, after all, how good can it be? Very good, actually. The Misses Murphy are not only intrepid explorers (lunatic also applies, as Ms. Murphy herself notes), but excellent observers. I suppose that is why she gets published. "Eight Feet" is not only funny but educational, and cannot help but kindle wanderlust in the reader. Best read episodically (think every night before bed) because that is how it is written, one travels with them by sharing in the emotional triumphs and tribulations. While her nature descriptions are evocative, one really connects with the more human aspects of the journey. I can only try to imagine the rivers and mountains, and it took me half the book to grasp what 'puna' referred to geographically. Banks, thievery, and rumbling bellies are in abundance, however, and are what make this book worth reading. The same holds true for "Where the Indus is Young" and, I imagine, the rest of her books. When I've read them, I'll let you know!



3. In true Dervla-style, this book logs her journey through the Andes with her young daughter and a mule. The little family traces Pizarro's route through Peru from Cajamarca to Cuzco. Dervla's ability to live so simply, and quite frankly endure such hardships, never ceases to amaze me. Her daughter, Rachel, shares that same talent. As with her other books, she paints a realistic picture of the country; the good, bad, beautiful, and ugly. Ever empathetic and never judgemental, she describes the land, people, villages as well as economic/political situations in an easygoing style.



4. Dervla Murphy grew up in Lismore, County Waterford, to parents she called "Dublin bourgeoisie". Her father was the local librarian and her mother suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. Murphy's parents met in Poland, he on a biking trip, she on a hiking trip, and renewed their relationship which had started at a birthday party when the two were seven years old.
   
   Murphy inherited wanderlust; she writes that at her tenth birthday she received an atlas and a bicycle and decided to cycle to India. She left school when she was 14, and took care of her mother, spending month-long cycling trips in Europe. Her mother died in 1962, and Murphy left on a solo trip from Ireland to India.
   
   The result was Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, the first of over twenty travel books, describing her adventures, usually alone and usually totally self sufficient, relying on the generosity of people living in the area.
   
   In 1968 she gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Rachel, who she raised alone, "a brave choice in 1960s Ireland." Murphy started taking Rachel on her trips when Rachel was five, and this journey through the Andes when Rachel was nine.
   
   Murphy, Rachel and the mule named Juana followed Pizarro's route from Cajamarca near the border with Ecuador, to Cuzco, the ancient Inca capital--traveling over 1,300 miles at high altitudes. Murphy's book is basically a travel journal, with short essays about the difficulties of the journey (including the theft of Juana), the failures of modern society, interactions with native Peruvians, and commentary by Rachel.
   
   For example,
   
   "...When the blizzard started at 2:30 Rachel agreed that we shouldn't complain because the wind was behind us. As she put on her waterproof poncho I covered the load with our cape and wrapped myself in a space-blanket. Then for two and a half hours we plodded on through swirling soft snow that restricted visibility to about fifty yards. It wasn't intolerably cold but soon our feet were numb. And poor Juana, with her head down and ears back, was misery personified. At last Rachel began to crack up; for the first time she complained, of cold feet. I knew the agony she was enduring - you might say we were in the same boot - but as the sky was lightening slightly I urged her to keep going in the hope that soon we could set up a dry camp. Then the snow became rain/sleet and soon there was a lull, though the clouds remained low and unbroken. We rushed the tent up and were just putting down the last peg when the sleet started again.
   
   "As I was writing this Rachel drifted back from the edge of sleep to say drowsily - 'Do you know what you're like? You're like those Spartan mothers who left babies out all night on mountains to see if they were worth rearing!'..." (page 167)
   
   I bought this book to learn about Peru, and it filled in some blank spots very well. But more than that, I found a charming, witty, interesting travel writer who I plan to read a great deal more of.
   
   
   Robert C. Ross 2008



5. Dervla Murphy always delivers good travel stories, liberally dosed with history lessons. Despite all the decriptions of hardship, privation and poverty, Eight Feet in the Andes is lyrically written and exciting: makes you want to trek through the Andes eating stringy goat meat, which is saying something for the author's talent. However, she can overplay that "Look at me, I'm an eccentric gringo lady" hand a bit too often. (She also never seems to have mastered enough Spanish to know that she's using the masculine form of the word.)
   
   The book is marred in places where Murphy can't keep her Western judgments or personal prejudices from coloring her descriptions. Sure, it's her perspective, but seeing her list homosexuality alongside violence and drunkenness as examples of "Indian" depravity is a little startling. Especially in the second half, there are repeated references to the "stupidity" and "low IQ" of the "Indians," and the "intellectual dishonesty" of the entire country. Murphy dismisses the value of literacy in the Sierra when she discovers magazine vendors selling soft porn, calls Peru "a nation of hypocrites," etc. It's funny how she condemns the 16th-century Spanish accounts of Indians as beasts and savages, yet makes similar observations herself and complains that Peruvians having the nerve to drive their trucks through the Peruvian mountains is a kind of "desecration." It's also not clear how she feels able to gauge the natives' intelligence when she herself makes it clear that she has never bothered to learn more than a few words of Quechua. It's definitely worth a read, but brace yourself for some of the more self-righteously arrogant spots in an otherwise broad-minded account.

1 comments about In the Heart of the Amazon.

1. I read Nick Gordons book whilst travelling from South America back to the UK. I didn't want the book to end, and when I finished it, I was left wanting more.
   
   Nick Gordon has a magical ability to tell a story. From the full gory details of the tarantula to the ghostly glimpse of a panther. He also lets you into the details of the human side of filming in the amazon... its frustrations and joys, the characters of his film crew, and the cultures of the indigenous tribes.
   
   I could hardly put it down, and just wish there was a sequel telling of his time tracking and filming the rare wild cats of the amazon.

No comments about The Romance of Reunion: Northerners and the South, 1865-1900 (Civil War America).

2 comments about Arlington National Cemetery : Shrine to America's Heroes.

1. This is by far the best text devoted to the history of Arlington national cemetery I've seen. It begins with a detailed hisory of how the Washington-Lee family aquired the property, and the government seizure during the Civil war.. The property was used as a burial ground in part to prevent Robert E. Lee family from returning. The book goes on to list numerous notables now buried there and includes a brief but informative biography of each, most have pictures of the gravesite. Finally the book lists the many memorials inside and around the cemetery and the offical requirements for burial at Arlington.. A Fascinating book, I've read it several times and find something new every time I pick it up. Well worth purchasing for the history buff, or the casual tourist who wants to learn more about our most important national shrine.



2. I first found this book in it's first edition in 1994 after a trip to D.C. After picking it up from the library, I really wished that I had it when I was in D.C. I read it from cover to cover and learned so much about Arlington. I picked up the second edition during a visit to ANC in September, 2001. Every grave marker and memorial of renown is mentioned and the history behind the larger monuments is very good. It would be really nice if color pictures accompanied the text. I hope that Mr. Peters continues to update the book every now and then.

1 comments about Wallpaper City Guide: Rio de Janeiro (Wallpaper City Guide Rio De Janeiro).

1. just a bunch of pretty pictures with short descriptions. Maybe useful for a few restaurants to go to (like Garcia e Rodriguez for brunch). Other books are better.