Rescue At The Top Of The World

Book Description

Winter came early to the Arctic in 1897. Frigid temperatures brought pack ice that filled the waters north of the Bering Strait. As a result, virtually the entire North American whaling fleet was trapped, stranding 300 men to die of starvation and exposure. Three escaping ships raised the alarm.

Answering the call for help, three officers from the early United States Coast Guard and two missionaries volunteered to travel over 1,500 miles through the Arctic winter to reach the shipwrecked whalers. Their plan was to drive a herd of reindeer to feed the stranded men. The rescuers' perilous four-month journey, through mountainous territory and barren sub-zero landscapes never before traversed, was fraught with blizzards, wolves, steep terrain, unstable ice, hunters, and bone-piercing cold.

Unaware that a rescue team was on the way, the shipwrecked men endured freezing temperatures, malnutrition, and scurvy before falling into general lawlessness. Their struggles and those of the rescuers are meticulously recreated here from century-old journals.

This extraordinary chronicle of hardship and heroism will take you to the heart of one of America's greatest maritime disasters-and the greatest Arctic rescue story in history.

Customer Reviews:

History - up front and personal.......2006-10-09

When someone suggested that I read Rescue at the Top of the World I wasn't expecting great reading because, while I find history very interesting, I read mostly novels. What a surprise! Rescue at the ;Top of the World manages to provide fascinating historical information and provide a great story as well. The characterization is well developed. Reading the book, I was lost in the word of the main characters, feeling their determination, fear, frustration, exhaustion, and ultimately triumph as the rescue unfolds. At the same time, the book brings home fascinating historical information on the early Coast Guard, life as merchant seamen, Indian culture and funeral practices, and life of the simple frontiersmen and whalers of the frozen north. Grab a blanket to keep you warm as the vivid imagery in this book makes you feel the cold! This is not a book you will put down once you start. You won't want to put it down until you've found out what happens to the 300 seamen stranded, frozen, and starving. Will lieutenants Jarvis and Bertholf succeed in convincing the cattlemen to surrender their livelihood, their reindeer herds, that can feed the starving seamen? Will they survive as they treck accross this barren wasteland in an attempt to bring food to the hungry men? Will Charlie Brower manage to keep the angry, despondent seaman alive as they huddle in the decaying shelters, fight to survive scurvy, the intense cold, and each other? And, finally, once the ending of this tragedy is revealed, the author tells us what happened to these vividly real people later in life. Enjoy!

Rescue at the Top of the World.......2005-07-15

Shawn Shallow has produced a riveting adventure with elements of many of the recent great adventure books. This book has the historical authenticity of "Undaunted Courage" (by Stephen Ambrose), the imagination of "The Perfect Storm" (by Sebastien Unger), and even the spectacular danger of "Into Thin Air" (by John Krakauer). This is a highly readable, true adventure story of the forerunners of the current Coast Guard. There are other more famous polar adventures, but this story deserves status as one of the great Arctic adventures in maritime history.
The rescue of 300 whalers at the top of the world didn't register with a world that considered them less valuable persons than themselves at the close of the 19th century. Perhaps, the values of the culture at the time relegated this story to obscurity. Shallow has lifted the heroic deeds of Officers, Missionaries, Eskimos, whalers, and others to their rightful place in this compelling account. If you enjoy true life historical adventures, this is a must read.

A four-month odyssey detailed .......2005-03-05

The early Arctic winter of 1897 surprised almost the entire North American whaling fleet, trapping them in the ice and threatening 300 men with starvation. A distress call was answered by three volunteers from the Coast Guard who trekked over 1,500 miles to reach the whalers - a four-month odyssey detailed in Rescue At The Top Of The World. Any reader seeking true-life adventure should look no further than Shawn Shallow's book: it keeps you on the edge of your seat - and the story is entirely retail, detailing hardship, courage, and success. Author Shawn Shallow re-creates the story from old journals and his smooth narrative reads like dramatic fiction but with all the facts at hand.

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GGGGGGRRRRRREEEEEEAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Best Book Ever

History Undercover: Top Secret
Cameron Banks
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0439401488

Book Description

Can you keep a secret? This book reveals the most confidential, "top-secret" events and cases in history! You'll travel through time and across the globe to meet some incredible people who have worked behind the scenes of history...and forever changed the world! Welcome to a world where spies share a super"Sixth Sense" and a group of forbidden astronauts plan to sneak into space. From an ancient, mysterious club whose members are sworn to secrecy to a daring diplomat who saved hundreds of lives, you'll discover truths that will amaze you. But you have to promise not to tell a soul!

Customer Reviews:

GGGGGGRRRRRREEEEEEAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2003-07-30

This book was great! It tells you all about the sucessful spies in the past! I even got some cool spy info. They also have a really cool spy quiz! I got them all right! Sweet! Well, I think you should definitely get this book! It was great! I couldn't put it down until I finished reading it.

The Best Book Ever.......2003-05-02

The book has a lot of enjoyment. The story on Adolf Hitler was quite amazing in that it explored World War I and II. Both wars were horiffic and really sad. I was surprised that such a mean person who inflicted so much pain and terror on others could exist.

Customer Reviews:

Insight into Highly Classified Obscurity.......1998-09-24

This is the book I have been waiting for for seven years. If it sounds like high praise it's meant to be. I have been trying to sort out the intelligence and clandestine operations in the CBI Theatre for years. The outline has been clear for Burma but the situation in China was obscured not only by the necessity for secrecy but also by the overlapping and disputatious command setup and the rivalry between General Stillwell and his factions, and General Chennault and his.
Now we have a new work of organizational history "OSS In China" (c.f.) to add to the personal memoirs of the major participants and others. When the U.S. Army official "Green Books" were published so long ago, any mention of intelligence was very limited and most of the sources were then in the hands of the CIA---there were no official documentary sources.I have about 2000 pages from the archives and they still do not tell it all. And there were no official books on intelligence either.
Now we have a new GPO book on WW II Air Intelligence with many pages on the Far East and an Air University book on Air Force clandestine activities from WW II to the second Vietnam War to give us more leads into this story and its consequences.
But, back to the book at hand. Wichtrich was the commander of the MIS-X agency in Kunming, China, which was in charge of establishing "ratlines" and giving E & E training to U.S. personnel in China. In China most US personnel were Fourteenth Air Force personnel assigned to Gen. Chennault at Kunming. In China, if a downed airman was not immediately captured by the Japanese or their puppets, he would be immediately hidden away by the locals until U.S. personnel could come and get him. There were many safe havens between and behind the Japanese lines and it was sometimes possible to take a train, a plane, or a jeep, and not have to hoof it halfway across China to get back.
As an E & E agency, Wichtrich's outfit's cover name was Air Ground Aid Section (AGAS). AGAS was not involved in active sabotage or intelligence activities but if intelligence could be had it would be brought in. As to the relationships with other agencies in the area, the closest was with the "big brother"--the British MIS-9. There was little with the OSS which was in Chungking and which cooperated with the Koumintang Secret Police under Gen Dai Li, and much with the AGRFRTS, the 14th Air Force intelligence agency.
The AGAS also ran agents in Indochina, including Ho Chi Minh, in cooperation with the BDT group. (c.f. Ronald Spector's official U.S. Army history concerning the early advisory days in Vietnam.)
For the higher relationships of AGAS to its parent located at Fort Hunt, Va, see my review of Shoemaker's The Escape Factory on this site.

a valuable resource for any student of world war II history.......1997-12-19

A story that has never been told. It is written by the man who lived it. His insight into the history of the U.S. intelligence division that handled the rescues in China is incredibly accurate and revealing. This is a story that needed to be told.

Great Book.......1997-12-08

This is the type of book that should be in schools it show's the way life was not the way history showed it. This was written by a man that lived it.

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Rescue At The Top Of The World
Shawn T. Shallow; Foreword-William F. Merlin
Manufacturer: Paradise Cay Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MBYSQO

Book Description

The Body In Parts examines how the body--its organs, limbs, and viscera--were represented in the literature and culture of early modern Europe. Why did sixteenth- and seventeenth-century medical, religious, and literary texts so often imagine the body part by part? What does this view of the human body tell us about social conceptions of part and whole, of individual and universal in the early modern period? As this provocative volume demonstrates, the symbolics of body parts challenge our assumptions about "the body" as a fundamental Renaissance image of self, society, and nation.

The Body In Parts presents work by some of the leading figures in Renaissance literature and culture: Nancy Vickers on corporeal fragments; Peter Stallybrass on the foot; Marjorie Garber on joints; Stephen Greenblatt on bodily marking and mutilation; Gail Kern Paster on the nervous system; Michael Schoenfeldt on the belly; Jeffrey Masten on the anus; Katharine Park on the clitoris; Kathryn Schwarz on the breast; Sergei Lobanov-Rostovsky on the eye; Katherine Rowe on the hands; Scott Stevens on the heart and brain; Carla Mazzio on the tongue; and David Hillman on the entrails.

Customer Reviews:

Scholarly analyses........1997-11-01

Fourteen experts on Renaissance culture and literature dissect various elements of human anatomy to explain how the Early Modern view of the body "in parts" symbolizes the prevailing social conceptions and other aspects of contemporary understanding.
Or, as put in the Introduction: "The relations between bodily and cognitive systems of organization are in many ways most powerfully encoded by the symbolics of any given part, where the tensions between the metaphoric and metonymic, between the floating and the firmly contextualized, or more generally between conditions of autonomy and dependence are powerfully articulated".

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Shakespeare Studies, published by Associated University Presses on January 1, 1999. The length of the article is 2222 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Body in Parts: Fantasies of Corporeality in Early Modern Europe.(Review) (book reviews)
Author: Graham Hammill
Publication: Shakespeare Studies (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1999
Publisher: Associated University Presses
Page: 248

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Review of The Body in Parts: Fantasies of Corporeality in Early Modern Europe.(Book Review): An article from: Early Modern Literary Studies

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Review of The Body in Parts: Fantasies of Corporeality in Early Modern Europe.(Book Review): An article from: Early Modern Literary Studies
Peter J. Smith
Manufacturer: Matthew Steggle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Early Modern Literary Studies, published by Matthew Steggle on January 1, 2000. The length of the article is 1369 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Review of The Body in Parts: Fantasies of Corporeality in Early Modern Europe.(Book Review)
Author: Peter J. Smith
Publication: Early Modern Literary Studies (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2000
Publisher: Matthew Steggle
Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Page: NA

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Cutting edge biological concepts delivered with a greater emphasis on evolution and a logical use of analogies.

In this Essentials version of George Johnson’s textbook, The Living World which is often considered to be a student favorite. Dr. Johnson has written this textbook from the ground up to be an engaging and accessible learning tool with an emphasis on "how things work and why things happen the way they do". This Essentials textbook features a straightforward, clear writing style and a wide variety of media assets to enhance the content of the textbook.

The strength of the second edition is the integration of many tools that are designed to inspire both students and instructors. The multi-media package for the new edition stretches students beyond the confines of the traditional textbook to include high interest video clips and animations of key biological concepts.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2007-06-19

This was a really excellant text book! Compared to other biology texts, this was easily understood and was explained very clearly, very helpful to understand for people who do not enjoy science subjects like me!!

Great book.......2007-06-02

This is a great book: very easy to read, and contains plenty of information for introductory biology. In addition, it has a free website that comes with the book, and contains lots of helpful quizzes, study guides, videos, etc. A wonderful book!

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SSG t/a Essentials of The Living World
George B Johnson , and Jonathan Losos
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Essentials of The Living World

ASIN: 0073282278

The Still Point Dhammapada: Living the Buddha's Essential Teachings

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Making "Buddhism" our own
Providing a haven for the world...
Shine One Corner
Zen in the City

The Still Point Dhammapada: Living the Buddha's Essential Teachings
Geri Larkin
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Buddha | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Dhammapada | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Sacred Writings | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0060513705
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Book Description

The Dhammapada is much loved by Buddhist practitioners as a simple and straightforward rendition of some of Buddha's core teachings, and is read daily by thousands of people. While there are many translations available, few have an inclusive – and lyrical – sensibility. In studying various versions of this sacred text, Larkin noted many discrepancies and embarked upon an entirely original translation. Each instalment gets tested at the Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple in Detroit, a remarkable Zen centre in the heart of one of the roughest neighbourhoods in the country.

This small gift hardcover will have the appeal of the Thomas Byrom/Ram Dass edition, but will be made even more accessible with each chapter's introduction containing a powerful contemporary anecdote from the Still Point Temple community. This 'Downtown Dhammapada' will appeal not only to Buddhists, but to those who also appreciate beautifully rendered sacred texts as simply good reading.

Customer Reviews:

Making "Buddhism" our own.......2004-05-04

A book like this is a window into a process. This is not an introduction to meditation practice itself (that territory is amply covered elsewhere) but a look at a young community of practitioners findings its way, and the Way, in 21st century Detroit.

This community worked together on an adapted translation of the Dhammapada, a much-beloved collection of sayings of the Buddha which provide day-to-day, moment-by-moment encouragement that it is possible to let go of greed, anger, and delusion, and live a life that lists to deep awareness and compassion like a current that carries an empty boat.

This is not merely a literary project, however. This version of the Dhammapada, which breathes with fresh language and terms easily acceptable to new students in the United States, comes to us through the personal practice of the members of this community, whom we get to know through the short, anecdotal chapters that follow each canto of the text. Ancient wisdom, and the bumpy business of everyday life, interact in something almost approximating parallel text.

So it is a window into a process, a process by which a new Zen community matures, and by which an American Buddhism is slowly taking form. How wonderful to find this tradition finding its roots in our soil.

Providing a haven for the world..........2003-10-17

P'arang (the Buddhist name of author Geri Larkin) does what very few other writers are able to do these days: Write a compelling, sometimes humorous, always fiercely insightful book that's hard to put down.

In fact, I finished The Still Point Dhammapada: Living the Buddha's Essential Teachings in just two evenings -- and I'm sure I'll refer to it repeatedly in days to come.

The purpose of the book is two-fold: (1) It includes a very smooth-flowing, inclusive-language rendering of the Dhammapada, and (2) Interwoven with the Dhammapada is Ms. Larkin's observations about everything from what it's like to provide a haven for the folks in downtown Detroit, to daily struggles to abide by the Buddha's teachings to meetings with everyday (albeit fascinating) people.

P'arang's tone is always self-effacing, earthy and compassionate. Real. Sincere. She comes across as someone you'd like to chat with over a cup of tea.

For the record, I'm a Christian. Yet, I have recently become fascinated by Zen and have read many books on this ancient worldview. Why? Because I appreciate its philosophy of "mindfulness," which means to be fully awake and aware of life and to relish every minute, every thing, and every person along the way.

Zen is a simple worldview, yet it can be as deep and vast as you'd like it to be.

So it's no wonder I enjoyed Ms. Larkin's book so much. Her writing exemplifies what Zen has to offer.

If you're wondering how Zen Buddhists live their lives, you ought to consider reading The Still Point Dhammapada. It's one of the best books I've read on the subject -- although I don't think Ms. Larkin's goal was to write an apologetic for Buddhism. I think she just wanted to share her observations and comments about life as a Zen Buddhist teacher. Take 'em or leave 'em.

I took 'em. And really enjoyed The Still Point Dhammapada. I found it to be a wonderful peek into the world of Zen Buddhism from someone who knows it well. I highly recommend it -- along with The Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple web site.

Shine One Corner.......2003-06-21

Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike: read this book!! The Still Point Dhammapada is moving and wise - the translations of the Buddha's words are simple (in the best sense) yet, of course, profound. Equally compelling are the stories from the streets around the Still Point abbey and temple. There are lots of stereotypes about Detroit - and Larkin & co. add voice and vision so that readers can really get a feel for the life of the neighborhood and the practice of "guerilla kindness." But don't mistake this for some pollyanna-ish text; the stories are alternately heartbreaking, funny and gritty. Coupled with the verses from the dhammapada, they teach by showing.
This is a lovely book.

Zen in the City.......2003-04-16

She's done it again. This book is a wonderful tribute to the teachings of the Buddha and my spiritual home, Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple. The timeless teachings of the Buddha are interwoven beautifully with tales of everyday people living and breathing the dharma in Detroit. I love you and keep shining our corner, P'arang...

The Backpackers Bible: Your Essential Guide to Round-The-World Travel

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Marginal At Best

The Backpackers Bible: Your Essential Guide to Round-The-World Travel
Suzanne King , and Elaine Roberts
Manufacturer: Robson Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Job Hunting | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1861052073

Book Description

The most comprehensive backpacker's guide available on where to go, when to go, and how to go, from dealing with prickly officials to what anti-malarials to take.

Every year, thousands of people hit the backpacker trails for the adventure of a lifetime. Planning a trip is exciting—but it can be daunting, especially the first time. The Backpacker's Bible will help you make your travels as hassle-free as possible. It's packed with advice on everything you need to sort out before you set off, from planning your itinerary to packing your bags, organizing money to keeping in touch with home. There's also useful information on working abroad, tips on how to be a good traveler, and valuable advice on staying safe and healthy. All this, plus an A-Z guide of contacts and climates for each country, hints on how to cope with coming home, and much, much more.

Customer Reviews:

Marginal At Best.......2001-01-25

Brought to you by Cosmo? This book is more about travel from city to city with a four star motel meets Lonly Planet... Should not be in the backpacking section. All of the sources are limited to the UK.

The Secret Of Life - Redesigning The Living World - The Essential Companion to the Pbs Series

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The Secret Of Life - Redesigning The Living World - The Essential Companion to the Pbs Series
Joseph And Suzuki, David Levine
Manufacturer: Wgbh Educational Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IUW7QC

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Essentials of The Living World
JOHNSON
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGTIGM

Essentials of the Living World Special Edition for Bowling Green State University

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Essentials of the Living World Special Edition for Bowling Green State University
George B. Johnson
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0073221228

Selected Chapters From Essentials Of The Living World

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Selected Chapters From Essentials Of The Living World
George B. Johnson
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000W21XUW

Student Study Art Notebook t/a Essentials of the Living World

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Student Study Art Notebook t/a Essentials of the Living World
George B Johnson
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Science | Subjects | Books

The Living World, 4th Edition

ASIN: 0073106836

The Toxic Consumer: Living Healthy in a Hazardous World (Green Essentials)

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The Toxic Consumer: Living Healthy in a Hazardous World (Green Essentials)
Karen Ashton , and Elizabeth Salter Green
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Healthy Living | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1402748914

Book Description

Be scared, be very scared: toxic chemicals are in thousands of everyday products…and then they become part of our blood, our fat, our bodies. The chemicals that make things non-stick, flexible, flame-retardant, or stain-resistant are implicated in a staggering range of health issues, from birth defects to the rising rates of certain cancers.
More than ever, we want to know how to make informed, responsible choices about what we buy, for our own good and for the good of our planet. The Toxic Consumer provides the answers, precisely and accessibly. And you don’t need to be a scientist to understand the information. One by one, the guide breaks down such noxious substances as PFCs, phthalates, perchloroethylene, and formaldehyde and explains what each one is and what threats it poses, what items contain these poisons, and how they interact with our bodies and well-being. Then it outlines healthier options for bedding, flooring, cosmetics, clothing, food and drink, and everything else we need, making positive recommendations that will help us to reduce our exposure to proven harmful toxic chemicals in our daily lives.

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