5 comments about White Waters and Black.

1. When your read of other expeditions and how well they were conducted, then you read Gordon MacCreagh's humorous account of a mistake-ridden expedition into the Amazon, and you may wonder how this could happen. Clearly, the leader of MacCreagh's expedition was no Roy Chapman Andrews. Too many mistakes with both men and equipment. It is a humorous, often hilarious account of how not to conduct an expedition into the Amazon -- or anywhere else. I found it to be much better than Peter Fleming's "Amazon Adventure" and somewhat better than Arthur O. Friel's "River of Seven Stars," which has not been reprinted. MacCreagh's sense of humor and keen observations are what place this book at the top of my list of exploration/expedition books. I found it difficult to keep from sharing portions of this book with family and friends...



2. I can't believe you can get this book used! I own three copies and I don't even loan it out. This is a terrific expedition book and a wonderful book about being human. My family was thrilled to know that this book was being re-issued. Like one of the other reviewers, I was brought up knowing who the various scientists were because my father had worked with a colleague. It gave us plesure to know the names, some of whom were quite well known even today. It was also nice to know that at least for the eminent icthyolgist and the eminent entomologist the work that they produced from this expedition was very useful. I have recommmened this book countless times, and get copies for friends I really like.



3. Mr MacCreagh has maganed to write an outstanding book based on a rather unsuccessful expedition. It is the tale of an expedition of eight eminent scientist in the Amazon, who were put together not for their ability in the outdoors, but for their scientific knowledge.
   
   The author is a helper/manager of the expedition. He manages to describe the expedition from its beginning in the Bolivia highlands out to the Amazon plains and to its disintegration. It is quite clear that the scientist were not sure what to expect, and so had not prepared accordingly. Huge volumes of luggage went unused and were a huge burden. Egos and discomfort made the scientist into bickering children and inept explorers. The author masks their names because apparently these were well known figures of their time.
   
   There is a bit of scientific content in the book, but clearly the main reason to read it is for the good humor of the author in describing the situations they get themselves in. One learns more about people and how they behave when taken to extremes than one does about the Amazon.



4. I am enjoying this travel account very much. It's like Bertie Wooster goes to the jungle.



5. Over the Andes and through the jungle to ineptness we go. A quite humorous account of science gone jumbled. But not all is lost here.
   
   In 1923 eight scientists plus the author venture through the South American mountains and rainforests to make further discoveries in their respective fields of study. Touted as, "The most perfectly equipped expedition that has ever started to explore South America", it quickly unfolds into a blundering journey with many problems and mishaps.
   
   Thanks to MacCreagh's sense of humor and wit we see how every imaginable incident went from bad to worse. One by one these scientists quit the expedition to forsake the author and one other to travel up the remote Uaupes and Tiquie Rivers meeting face to face with hostile natives. What transpires is a remarkable short term study into the culture of these indigenous peoples.
   Entertaining read.

No comments about Living in Argentina.

No comments about Insight Pocket Guide Peru (Insight Pocket Guides Peru).

2 comments about Moon Handbooks Patagonia: Including the Falkland Islands (Moon Handbooks Patagonia).

1. Patagonia is of course a large area and trying to cover it in a single book is a challenge. The author made that harder by including topics that aren't really "Patagonia" and this has helped to create a book that is larger than I would want to carry. There is a lot of space dedicated to Buenos Aires and Santiago, presumably because a foreign visitor might spend time there as well as in places further south. But the book space could have been better used sticking to the point. The author includes the Chilean Lake District under the "Patagonia" banner, which most Chileans don't seem to think is appropriate (unless they are marketing something in the Lakes, and want the Patagonia cachet). There is mention of Cochamó (east of Puerto Montt) and although elsewhere in the book much is made of the Butch Cassidy connection to Patagonia, nothing is said about how Cochamó played into the lives of the Wild Bunch, since this place was visited often by them and served as the port from which their cattle were shipped to northern Chile. I was pleased to see our store (World's End) mentioned for Puerto Natales, but surprised to see the author's mention of high-speed internet. When we did have some PCs for client use (no longer - that was prior to my arrival in 2001) they were certainly low-speed. Anyway, for the past several years there have been many decent ciber-café places in town. There are other errors surrounding Natales, including the description of the post office being at the southwest corner of the plaza (it's to the east of the plaza). The name of Last Hope Sound is improperly associated with Spanish colonial governor Sarmiento de Gamboa in the Natales chapter (it was Ladrilleros who did the exploring and naming). And throughout the rest of the book there is similar (and crazier) evidence of fact-checking shortcomings. Some serious and significant information about Ruta 40 (Argentine side) is in error regarding distances and fuel availability. For example, the book says Bajo Caracoles is the only gas for nearly 500 km, but in one direction it is just 128 or so km to fuel (at Perito Moreno) and about 336 km to fuel at Tres Lagos, in the other direction, and these fuel points have been that way for many years. Similar problems plague this book, but it still has a lot of useful material, inaccuracies notwithstanding.



2. I just got home from Peru, Chile and Punta Arenas. Book was much more than I needed for my limited travels in Patagonia, but what I needed to know was certainly there. Good job Mr. Bernhardson.

1 comments about Travelers' Tales Brazil: True Stories (Travelers' Tales Guides).

1. As I wite this I am probably 30% thru the book. I like it. The best way to think of it is as a Readers Digest of short personal stories as regards Brasil. There are at least Fifty of them, if you do not count the mini-stories that often appear at the end of the longer ones. And the longer ones typically run only a few pages. Thus, my favorite part of the book besides the varied subjects, authors, and writing is the brevity of the stories themsleves. You get a feel for some trip or part of Brazil that is different each time, and you can get thru a story in no time and come back without losing your place -- as there is none.
   
   I might have given it five stars, but the writing varies from great to good, so it didn;t make top grade. But nonetheless, if you want to take a trip to Brasil as I do, this is worth a read to get a feel for the "culture" on the ground.

3 comments about The Ultimate Guide to Asheville & The Western North Carolina Mountains, 3rd Edition (Ultimate Guide to Asheville & Hendersonville).

1. I didn't find this book to be at all what I expected. It has alot of lists, may be more helpful for someone moving to North Carolina than visiting or vacationing.



2. This book is just a bunch of lists. It has no information that you couldn't find in the phone book. Unbelievably bad. Do not get this book



3. My husband's book is 476 pages long, and contrary to the negative reviews of the two other reviewers, it is not just a bunch of lists. Far from it, it is a comprehensive reference book, written in the format of a traditional guidebook, with commentary on restaurants, accommodations, natural and cultural attractions in the mountains, history, architecture and much more. It is proven guidebook,covering every aspect of Western North Carolina that would be of interest to visitors, and over 20,000 copies have been sold.

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.

No comments about North Carolina.

1 comments about Virginia & the Capital Region Smithsonian Guides (Smithsonian Guides to Historic America).

1. A friend from Massachusetts was coming to visit us in Virginia and borrowed this book from her local library. It is wonderful. It is clearly written and full of accurate information. We used it a lot both to decide where to go and for reference as questions came up as we travelled. As soon as she left I went immediately to Amazon.com to get a copy of my own. The photographs are beautiful but the information is the best ever. There is a lot to cover in Virginia and this book does it well.

5 comments about I Am Rich Potosi: The Mountain That Eats Men.

1. I'll try to make a constructive critique as a Bolivian born and raised in Potosi. As some of the books published in the US, this book portrays foreign life styles with an "american" mentality that is narrow in concept visualization as a whole. Yes, those pictures show a very harsh reality among "mineros" in Potosi. However, the pictures do not show, in any form, the subtle aspects of their lives that make them really unique and respectable. The photographer would have to live a reasonable time with them to really understand the situation and I'm sure he would take pictures with a different approach. By the way, I'm also a photographer.



2. First off, I had the opportunity to sit in on 3 of Mr. Ferry's Photographic lectures on Latin America, with one of them dealing with Potosi. At first sight of these photos I thougth they were good, but after he explained the particulars behind each and every picture, the book comes to life. It is now one of my favorite photographic books of all time. Eduardo Galeano fills in the historical aspect of the book and Ferry satiates the contemporary features of Potosi, Bolivia. In response to an earlier review(the only really negative review of Ferr'y book) I respect the fact that you are a native born Bolivian, but if you look at Latin American History as a whole, there really in not much that is good about it. I am sure there are small subtle lifestyles that are interesting, but people want to read and learn about historical mishaps and atrocities, such as the the colonial raping of Potosi and the current poverty of the same region.



3. Miners live in a world that almost defies description, except by the miners themselves. And the Potosi miners live in an exceptional world in itself, because the altitude of Potosi and the consequent thinning of the atmosphere at that height confer mining work, and even merely being there, with a permanent feeling of irreality in all your actions and thoughts. And that is what Stephen Ferry's images have captured in this outstanding book, the work of a real adventurer of the printed image. And Galeano's text is a fitting companion to such singular and excellent photographic work.



4. I thought Stephen Ferry's look at the miners in the context of the 500th year anniversary of the Spanish conquest was insightful. By looking at the effect the conquest had on this mountain's past and the current lives of the descendants as opposed to the usual anniversay scenes he summons a well balanced idea of cause and effect. He obviously has passion for this story and tenderness toward the conditions that yeild the people towards their daily work. Although this book is a general look at the people living there, the spirit of their sensiblity transcends with beautiful color and light in each photograph. The book is beutifully printed the quality is a superb 10.



5. I got the book months ago and often look at it. I was a student at ICP in New York and had the great fortune to have Stephen Ferry as an instructor. I found it a very important topic captured in a beautiful way. I can recommend his book to everyone, especially for those who have travelled in this area.