History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Depressing
This book took me out on the water with the author!
big thoughts on a big lake
Spirtual: Yes; Kayaking: Maybe
A Spiritual Awakening

Deep Water Passage
Ann Linnea
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671002821

Customer Reviews:

Depressing.......2007-08-05

I admire this woman for the undertaking, kayaking around Lake Superior. But the descriptions of downpours, thick fog and cold water 24/7 was as depressing as her thoughts of her lost friend. Beautifully written, this book is not for the joyful-at-heart as it touches on a subject we all must face with time: the passing of a loved one and mid-life doubts.

The book worked because as the journey moved on around the lake, Ann described the boulders, the lichen, the flora and the immediate surroundings, all which were backdrops to her thoughts.

There was a distinctive difference in the wilderness between the Canadian and American sides of Lake Superior that she detailed along the way. Fewer but more interesting people were found on the Canadian side and some of the shore descriptions were so detailed I could smell the water and trees.

But there were times I fast-forwarded to get away from the depressing parts (when she talked about old times with her dead friend) and read more of the adventure of the trip, as she and her partner amassed miles, met up with friends or strangers along the shore, built a campsite for the night, etc. That she was able to finish the entire circumference is in itself amazing, not because she did it (she is afterall an endurance athlete) but because of the strong demons she had to fight inside.

I recommend this for people who love the seas, lakes, kayaking and pushing oneself to ones physical limits.

This book took me out on the water with the author!.......2004-09-19

I couldn't put this book down! I was there with every storm, every breathless moment of this incredible journey! I was exhausted when I finished this page-turner strictly from the adventure standpoint, but the emotional journey which parallels the physical is equally compelling and I found the author's honesty to be refreshing and comforting. This is a beautiful book to read and re-read when your own life's journey makes you wonder if you're on the right path and it makes a wonderful gift as well!

big thoughts on a big lake.......2004-09-05

Linnea's book is one of only a handful of kayaking books really worth dipping into. Her prose and purpose are conveyed perfectly to the reader. Both kayakers and students of water will enjoy this work. Only Chris Duff's book comes close to matching it for creating lingering memories. Both works figure strongly in my book which reviews outdoor water recreation - Deep Immersion: The Experience of Water. Linnea writes with passion and enjoys getting wet and immersing herself in Lake Superior's coasts. As Thoreau wrote " That part of you that is wettest is fullest of life" (quoted from Profitably Soaked: Thoreau's Engagement With Water; Green Frigate Books, 2003).

Spirtual: Yes; Kayaking: Maybe.......2003-09-01

I picked up this book expecting it to be a book about not only a woman finding herself and understanding the place where she was in her life better but also a book about kayaking around Lake Superior (a trip I'm about to embark on next spring). I was not disappointed by the Spiritual nature of the book (even if it was a bit too New Agey for me) but I was disappointed by the lack of good kayaking stories (other than the obligatory toughness of the trip type stories). I was also surprised by how "unexpectedly harsh" the author found Lake Superior and the lack of real knowledge of the lake she possessed (especially since she lived on the shores of the lake in Duluth, MN). Anyone preparing to make this trip should have been better prepared for the fickleness of Lake Superior and anyone who actually lives on the lake should have known this wasn't going to be your summer camp paddling trip. Like many other reviewers, I did find her whinning a bit much at times. BUT overall I found this book enjoyable, touching at many points and made me anxious to start my trip at Sault Ste. Marie in June. (Picky-Nicky note here: This town is called "The Soo" by us native Michiganders and not "The Sioux" as the author spells it in the book..it is a local shortening of Sault Ste. Marie pronounced "Soo Saint Marie", not named after the Indian tribe)

A Spiritual Awakening.......2003-07-04

The day after her 43rd birthday Ann Linnea (and her brother-friend, Paul) begin circumnavigating Lake Superior by kayak, a 1200-mile spiritual and physical journey of 65 days. In order to complete this passage, and move onto the next phase of her life (which includes leaving her husband of 21 years), the author struggles to overcome physical and emotional limits while battling raging seas, bitter winds and freezing temperatures. Her desire to understand the changes she needs to make lead her on a search for life-affirming answers, and ultimately allow her to find purpose and meaning in her life. The insights she shares enable the reader to bear witness to her transformation as she faces self-doubt, life-threatening danger and exercises her choice to live. A marathon runner and cross country skier, Linnea is no stranger to the elements, no idle pursuer of physical challenges. Her life lessons are learned through her body. In the summer of 1992, Ann Linnea became the first woman to circumnavigate Lake Superior. Her experience with "She-Who-Is-The-Biggest" changed her life. The telling of that experience is both moving and meaningful.

Zero Break: An Illustrated Collection of Surf Writing, 1777-2004

Average customer rating:

for those flat days
Surf lit!
zero break

Zero Break: An Illustrated Collection of Surf Writing, 1777-2004
Matt Warshaw
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0156029537

Book Description

The author of The Encyclopedia of Surfing returns with this definitive anthology of the best-ever writing about surfing, illustrated with classic and cutting-edge photographs and artwork. Hip and eclectic, the collection speaks to surfing's widespread and longstanding appeal: from Mark Twain's nineteenth-century description in Roughing It to Susan Orlean's essay on girl surfers in Maui and Tom Wolfe's "The Pump House Gang."
This anthology covers it all-from early surfing literature to descriptions of the sport's most colorful characters, from hair-raising tales of big-wave surfing to an exploration of surf culture.

Includes contributions by:
R. Crumb, Daniel Duane, William Finnegan, Rick Griffin, Frederick Kohner, Jack London, Herman Melville, Susan Orlean, Charles Schulz, Mark Twain, and Tom Wolfe

Customer Reviews:

for those flat days.......2007-05-05

When I can't surf because I am away from the ocean or the waves are flat, I like to read surf inspired books, etc. This is one great compilation of such writings. The range and variety of works is great and I loved them all.

Surf lit!.......2006-12-04

For all of the literate surfers out there (yes, they are legion!), this is an exceptionally enjoyable read. Great for an historical perspective on the art and sport of surfing as well as authentic insights on surfing from many perspectives. I have read additional material from the authors presented in this volume and am grateful to Matt Warshaw for the introduction.

zero break.......2005-11-08

excellent reading:informative, entertaining,interesting,due to the diversity of the collected articles that span generations, time,numerous points of view and emotions, well organized. I have purchased numerous copies as gifts to share with old surf buddies!

Crossing the Danger Water: Three Hundred Years of African-American Writing

Average customer rating:

Underrated Black history classic
very informative
Best I've read on Black History
This book is a fantastic reference for teachers.
excellent documentation of african american writings

Crossing the Danger Water: Three Hundred Years of African-American Writing
Deirdre Mullane
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0385422431
Release Date: 1993-09-01

Book Description

The history of African-American life and thought presented in this anthology represents a far-reaching written and oral tradition, which is thought-provoking, inspiring, and impressive in its breadth. It includes poetry and prose by today's best and most well-known writers.

Customer Reviews:

Underrated Black history classic.......2006-04-24

It's a shame this book is not better known than it is. It is a classic collection of lesser-known writings of Black history mixed with familiar things such as MLK's Dream Speech and Booker T. Washington's Atlanta address. Among the lesser known items are important, but seldom-read documents such as the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments (reparations fans would do well to read article 4 of the latter document), and my favorite is Frances Harper's moving letter of sympathy for John Brown's widow (studients in my own Black history classes have always been in awe of this as I've read it aloud).

But enough said, read it, learn, think, and enjoy.

very informative.......2005-09-26

This book is very informative because it tells the story of black slaves from their point of view.

Best I've read on Black History.......2001-08-10

I used this book while taking a Black History course. Everyone in the course agreed that it was the best book we had read on Black History. This was not just a book on history or literature (like most Black History books are) but a very enlightening combination of both subjects. The first thing that caught our attention was how it touched on those people that were involved in our history that are rarely if ever talked about. Also, some of the literature was from African stories that touched on the history of slavery from Africa. This was important to me, because many people blame slavery totally on whites, without an understanding that Blacks held slaves (in Africa and America also) and captured slaves for White Europeans. The letters written, such as those by the lawyers for Dred Scott, and John Brown gave you an interesting perspective of the struggles and the twisted legalities of the decisions passed down in those cases. Also, the personality differences revealed between some of our early leaders, such as W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington and other contemporaries further demonstrated why our fight for freedom has been such a struggle. This is a very good book and one worth reading and adding to your personal library.

This book is a fantastic reference for teachers........1999-08-24

This book contains just about everything of importance in black history. It includes an information page about each person's work that is in the book, people like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Alice Walker, Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey to name a few. I use this book extensively when teaching my history classes.

excellent documentation of african american writings.......1999-06-08

A book that should be owned by all African Americans. It gives you a history of the people from the begining with how African were here before columbus and ending with the LA riots. The material contained in this book alone would allow young African American to understand what their ancestors went through to get them where they are. Any serious African American scholar or educator should share this book with their students. Thanks to a fine African AMerican Rheotric teacher this book has been shared with many young African American students

Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes

Average customer rating:

Fresh, indeed
A deeply moving compilation

Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes

Manufacturer: Michigan State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0870137891

Book Description

Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes is a collection of nonfiction works by women writers. These works focus on the Midwest: living with the five interconnected freshwater seas that we know as the Great Lakes. Contributing to this collection are renowned poets, essayists, and fiction writers, all of whom write about their own creative streams of consciousness, the fresh waters of the Great Lakes, and the region's many rivers: Loraine Anderson, Judith Arcana, Rachel Azima, Mary Blocksma, Gayle Boss, Sharon Dilworth, Beth Ann Fennelly, Linda Nemec Foster, Gail Griffin, Rasma Haidri, Aleta Karstad, Laura Kasischke, Janet Kauffman, Jacqueline Kolosov, Susan Laidlaw, Lisa Lenzo, Linda Loomis, Anna Mills, Stephanie Mills, Judith Minty, Anne-Marie Oomen, Rachael Perry, Susan Power, Donna Seaman, Heather Sellers, Gail Louise Siegel, Sue William Silverman, Claudia Skutar, Annick Smith, Leslie Stainton, Kathleen Stocking, Judith Strasser, Alison Swan, Elizabeth A.Trembley, Jane Urquhart, Diane Wakoski, and Leigh Allison Wilson.

Customer Reviews:

Fresh, indeed.......2007-05-12

Having grown up on Lake Ontario, living now in high desert country, I was longing for the big vista of "my lake". Fresh Water is full of well written strong experiences and images that vividly recalled my years on the lake. I could almost smell and feel that big body of fresh water, remember the intensity of storms and forgotten mystery, as well as the joy of quiet early morning swims. Gifts from Alison Swan and all the contributors!

A deeply moving compilation.......2006-11-05

Edited by award-winning environmentalist Alison Swan, Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes is an anthology of brief yet contemplative reflections upon the Great Lakes, all written by women. The essays are contemplative rather than scholarly in nature, dwelling upon emotion, history, the beauty of the Lakes and the need to preserve them. A deeply moving compilation filled with passion and respect for the spiritual bounty of nature.

Average customer rating:

The holy Ishbitzer in English - Gevalt
Good Find

Living Waters: The Mei HaShiloach
Mordecai Joseph Leiner , Betsalel Philip Edwards , and Mordechai Yosef
Manufacturer: Jason Aronson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0765761475

Book Description

Living Waters - The Mei HaShiloach: A Commentary on the Torah by Rabbi Mordechai Yosef of Isbitza (1800-1854) is the collected teachings on the Torah by the hasidic master Rabbi Mordechai Yosef of Isbitza. Born in Poland to a rabbinic family, Reb Yosef was a student of Reb Simcha Bunem of Pshiske. It was from Reb Bunem that he received the well springs of the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the hasidic movement

Customer Reviews:

The holy Ishbitzer in English - Gevalt .......2004-11-04

Bezalel Edwards has done a service to the entire Torah- loving- through - English - primarily world by translating the Mei Hashiloach into English. This is one of the great Hasidic commentaries on the Torah. Many are those who champion it and find in it the deepest of Torah insights. The Ishbitzer in some ways has a psychological acuity which seems to speak most strongly to those of the present generation. Of course Rav Shlomo Carlebach repeatedly learned from and taught Ishbitz. So too did one of his greatest pupils , the Holy Teacher David Hertzberg whose profound insights into the Ishbitz were part of the Torah given over in his own sefer ' Pri Mayim Chayim' Bezalel Edwards shows a good command of the text. One would like very much however to see this translation printed with the original text alongside, a dual- language volume. Perhaps some enterprising publisher in the world of Judaica could start bringing out such dual- language volumes. Another candidate for this would be the Ishbitzer's great teacher, the Kotzker.Somehow for certain readers anyway the dual- language works add a dimension to our learning which having the text in the language of translation alone does not.
But again Yishar Koach to Bezalel Edwards on this excellent work.

Good Find.......2001-08-22

The Mei Ha'Shiloach is not a relatively popular commentary when compared to those commentaries written by other Chassidic masters. It was therefore pleasantly surprising to find an English translation. The translator (Edwards) sticks to a fairly literal translation of the text without offering a whole lot of explanation into the author's meaning. This is great for the passages in which The Iszbitzer (author of original) provides more expansive comment. For some of the passages that are somewhat esoteric or cryptic almost, the reader would have been served by some expansion by the translator. That said, Edwards did a fine job in bringing this hard-to-find but important commentary to the public. He does go out of his way to break the language down so that the comments are understandable by even the uninitiated without going so far as to alienate more experienced readers.

Finally, Edwards does provide some welcome historical context relating to The Iszbitzer in which he refers the reader to the translation of the book's original forward (also provided). Additional objective historical detail would have good inasmuch as that forward was written by the author's own grandson. But that's just being picky. All in all, this is a good addition to one's library.

Average customer rating:

forward ever forward

A Wonderful Read

I had to put the book down to say "wow" at least every other page

Do you teach?

I was blown away .. this really hit home

Walking On Water: Reading, Writing And Revolution
Derrick Jensen
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A Language Older Than Words

Endgame, Vol. 1: The Problem of Civilization

The Culture of Make Believe

Endgame, Vol. 2: Resistance

Welcome to the Machine: Science, Surveillance, and the Culture of Control

ASIN: 1931498784

Book Description

Remember the days of longing for the hands on the classroom clock to move faster? Most of us would say we love to learn, but we hated school. Why is that? What happens to creativity and individuality as we pass through the educational system? Walking on Water is a startling and provocative look at teaching, writing, creativity, and life by a writer increasingly recognized for his passionate and articulate critique of modern civilization. This time Derrick Jensen brings us into his classroom--whether college or maximum security prison--where he teaches writing. He reveals how schools perpetuate the great illusion that happiness lies outside of ourselves and that learning to please and submit to those in power makes us into lifelong clock-watchers. As a writing teacher Jensen guides his students out of the confines of traditional education to find their own voices, freedom, and creativity. Jensen's great gift as a teacher and writer is to bring us fully alive at the same moment he is making us confront our losses and count our defeats. It is at the center of Walking on Water, a book that is not only a hard-hitting and sometimes scathing critique of our current educational system and not only a hands-on method for learning how to write, but, like Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, a lesson on how to connect to the core of our creative selves, to the miracle of waking up and arriving breathless (but with dry feet) on the far shore.

Customer Reviews:

forward ever forward.......2007-07-14

While evangelicals/creationists strive to retard education Derrick Jensen encourages us to inspire and challenge students. Instill passion and imagination and refute mind-numbing dogma.

A Wonderful Read.......2007-07-10

This is one of the most moving books I've read in several years. If you are a teacher this book will lead you to re-evaluate and think about what you are doing and how you treat your students. This was the first book that I've read by Derrick Jensen and I look forward to reading the rest of his books in the near future.

I had to put the book down to say "wow" at least every other page.......2007-04-03

No seriously, this book is phenomenally self-aware, and self-critical, while also making a strong case for totally dismantling institutionalized education. But Jensen doesn't simply condemn a system built to squash the human spirit, he goes far, far beyond that. For every page explaining the horrors of the traditional educational model and his problems working within it, he provides ten pages of real life examples of how he answered the toughest question of all, "what would you do instead?" The fact that he gives us a peek into his fantastic classes is tempered by his constant reminders that there is no one answer. Instead, we all must constantly probe our innermost depths to find our own answers. How will we confront systems of conformity and discover how to be ourselves?

Do you teach?.......2007-01-13

A must have for anyone who works with education...It gives you a fresh outlook on teaching & and that there is a refreshing way to teach various subjects...

I was blown away .. this really hit home.......2006-02-09

I read this book and throughout I laughed and I cried. No, I am serious. This was one of the most profound and intense and well written books I have read in YEARS.

Derrick Jensen's passion for the subject and the way he conveys his message is too the point and inspirational.

I have read LANGUAGE OLDER THAN WORDS (another excellent book) and I think I was expecting something different from Walking on Water. I didn't really expect it to be really about writing. Yet, while he gives great information about the writing process,he manages to instill an inspirational message about passion, and courage and love and the world around us.

I am impressed with Mr. Jensen overall. I was so inspired by the book that one evening I wrote a letter to him and he had responded by the next day.

I HIGHLY recommend this book and feel it is one of those "required" reading books.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding story: Incredible voyge
The Greatest Adventure At Sea Ever Told

40,000 Miles in a Canoe
John C. Voss
Manufacturer: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0071414266

Book Description

The Sailor's Classics library introduces a new generation of readers to the best books ever written about small boats under sail

The incredible story of Captain John C. Voss, who, in 1904, completed a three-year journey across three oceans in a Native American dugout canoe converted to sail.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding story: Incredible voyge.......2006-10-01

Voss is more than just an expert sailor. He is cunning and has a genius for understanding the sea in all of its moods. The story is every bit as good as any other sea tale including Slocum's and Chichester's stories. Voss describes, in a matter of fact way, conditions that would frighten even the saltiest of sailors. To imagine being in those situations in a modified canoe is all the more incredible. Yet he survives and describes in great detail his recommendations for small boats in large breaking seas. And swears that a small boat can be comfortable in such conditions if handled properly and if the equipment is up to it. Although obviously dated in many respects his love of the sea and his understanding of how to survive the worst of it are timeless. I have read several of the great sea tales over the years; I don't know how I missed this one. It was a joy to read. He uses some very old nautical terms ("We made a board to shore." I think was one of his statements) but a good dictionary usually put me back on course.

The Greatest Adventure At Sea Ever Told.......2001-06-08

I am not someone you would normally find reading a book on high sea adventure but for other reasons I purchased this book and I was hooked. It is a wonderful story full of humour, adventure and suspense. The characters become alive, paticularly Captain John C. Voss and you feel you are making the journey with him. The story is compelling and the reader finds it difficult to put the book down. The book actually contains two stories but the one that captured my attention was the journey on the Tilikum with Norman Luxton. The story awoke an interest in me to the point where I continued to research the characters and the vessel and the story of what happened to the Tilikum after she reached Margate, England. The Tilikum just celebrated her 100th anniversary of her departure from Oak Bay (Victoria, B.C.) where they have erected a plaque. She has been fully restored complete with new rigging and is now on display at the Maritime Museum in Victoria. For a book to interest a reader to the point where she will track down the vessel in order to see her means you have a very powerful and well written story.

River : One Man's Journey Down the Colorado, Source to Sea

Average customer rating:

Are we there yet?
A book for the ourdoor type
Well worth the read!!
Motivating book as one eases out of "youth"
An excellent "thinking" book

River : One Man's Journey Down the Colorado, Source to Sea
Colin Fletcher
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0375701826
Release Date: 1998-05-05

Amazon.com

Colin Fletcher, the author of the Grand Canyon classic The Man Who Walked Through Time, adds to his life list of desert voyages with a trip down the 1,700-mile-long Colorado River. From its sources in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming to its union with the Gulf of California, Fletcher traces the Colorado in an entertaining and often quite funny travelogue. More seriously, he ponders his own life's passage, musing on lost loves, the experience of war, the onset of old age, and impending mortality. Despite the title, other travelers have made this journey--devotees of the Colorado will know the writings of John Wesley Powell and the Kolb brothers, among others. That notwithstanding, Fletcher makes keen observations of the area's geology and wildlife, and of human behavior.

Book Description

At age sixty-seven, Colin Fletcher, the guru of backpacking in America, undertook a rigorous six-month raft expedition down the full length of the Colorado River--alone. He needed "something to pare the fat off my soul...to make me grateful, again, for being alive." The 1,700 miles between the Colorado's source in Wyoming and its conclusion at Mexico's Gulf of California contain some of the most spectacular vistas on earth, and Fletcher is the ideal guide for the terrain. As his privileged companions, we travel to places like Disaster Falls and Desolation Canyon, observe beaver and elk, experience sandstorms and whitewater rapids, and share Fletcher's thoughts on the human race, the environment, and the joys of solitude.

Customer Reviews:

Are we there yet? .......2007-06-03

I have to agree with many previous reviewers. This book is slow. I imagine Mr. Fletcher would be very interesting to talk with, perhaps even to tour a river with. However, reading him, his introspective observations become arduous and strained. I put the book down years ago at page 249 and I can't convince myself to pick it up again.

A book for the ourdoor type.......2003-08-26

This is a good book for those who are genuinely interested in a journey in the wilderness. This is not a book for those who look for thrilling adventures, or those "armchair travelers" who look for commercialized travel books (such as those by Bill Bryson). You can say that the book lacks drama, it is too "plain". To a certain extent I agree with that. As Fletcher says in his book (about the Colorado), it plays "themes and variations". The same can be said about this book, most of the time it flows slowly, but along the way there are reflections, thoughts, observations, etc. It is not as "exciting" as the commercialized writings of Bill Bryson and the like, but you can sense the honesty in Fletcher's writing, that is, he did not take the journey with the goal of writing a book about it, he genuinely wanted to take the journey just for the sake of it.

This is not an Edward Abbey type of book either. Abbey's writing is definitely better. Comparing this book to "Desert Solitaire" is like comparing a amateur's snapshots to Ansel Adams' murals. But, like I said, if you are genuinely an ourdoor and wildness person, especially if you hiked or rafted in the canyon country, you will find much to enjoy in this book.

Well worth the read!!.......2002-04-04

I did a whitewater rafting trip last year through Canyonlands NP and this book brought the wonderful memories of that trip - the beauty of the scenery and excitement of the rapids - back to me full force. I LOVED this book. Colin Fletcher's descriptions really bring you to the river and its surrounding beauty. I love how he describes everything, and how he goes off on tangents back to memories of his own life. This book is well worth the read!

Motivating book as one eases out of "youth".......2002-03-02

Colin Fletcher was one of my early "guides" into backpacking, and many of his hiking tips still stand up well as I continue to backpack in my 50's.

His trip down the Colorado provides more inspiration for what can be achieved as you get wiser and, oh yes, older, too.

This isn't an "adventure" story in the trite sense, nor a river guide. It's a sharing of a person's thoughts. Fletcher is a different kind of person than most of us, but his musings cause me to think about my own life strategies and outcomes.

-- P.C.

An excellent "thinking" book.......2001-05-17

This is a book for those looking to take some quiet time to think about life, the river, and the environment. It is not a logistical book for those wishing to duplicate the experience. Fletcher's journey reveals the river from the perspective of an elderly man traveling at a slow pace (6 months) who is absorbing the spirit and feel of the Colorado and reflecting upon a lifetime of wilderness travel. It is slow, methodical, and at times a little tedious, but rich in detail and thoughtfulness.

This is a book for the thoughtful and reflective, not the pump-me-up, thrill seeker. The little mistakes the author makes are usually pointed out by himself, and they mark the book as authentic in that Colin is a lot like the rest of us in his amateur knowledge of the details of wildlife. He differs, though, in his ability to tell the story, a unique story, of adventure and life.

Average customer rating:

Too bad.

Yawn... pass on this one

Pales against Paul Caffyn's Book

a depressing account of a great achievement

If you've got adventure in your blood... you'll LOVE IT!

Keep Australia On Your Left: A True Story of An Attempt To Circumnavigate Australia By Kayak
Eric Stiller
Manufacturer: Forge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Southern Exposure: A Solo Sea Kayaking Journey Around New Zealand's South Island

On Celtic Tides: One Man's Journey Around Ireland by Sea Kayak

The Only Kayak: A Journey into the Heart of Alaska

Sea Kayaker's Deep Trouble: True Stories and Their Lessons from Sea Kayaker Magazine

Spirited Waters: Soloing South Through the Inside Passage

ASIN: 0312874596

Amazon.com

It sounds like a pilot for a new Fox network live broadcast: a self-searching Manhattan kayak salesman teams up with a rowdy Australian male model to circumnavigate Australia by kayak. Thankfully, though, chest beating and contrived conflict are absent in Eric Stiller's true account of his attempt to kayak the 10,000 miles around Australia with Aussie Tony Brown. What we get instead is a look at the tedium, death-defying stamina, and hilarious blunderings of two men with little experience to prepare them for their chosen expedition. "The Australian coastline is a nightmare of tightly coiled inlets and rocky coves and sheer rock cliff faces and bays as huge and forbidding as Saharan deserts," Stiller muses while he kicks off his training with Brown by paddling around Manhattan. Raised in a family that sells Klepper kayaks, the German-made folding expedition kayaks known for their resilience in violent conditions, Stiller is an expert on the technical details of the equipment. He is not, he admits, accustomed to spending more than three months in a 17-foot-long kayak with anyone, much less Brown, a natural athlete filled with joie de vivre whose navigational strategy is simply, "Just keep Australia on your left, mate."

The curious pair encounters an impressive variety of harrowing sea conditions. The first month is a daily battle against capsizing during beach landings amid Australia's legendary skyscraper-high waves. Marathon paddling sessions through maddening back-eddies rip open their hands and scrape their torsos. The inhospitable Tasman Sea is rife with deadly creatures, including crocodiles, sharks, and sea wasps, a toxic jellyfish with tentacles several meters long. At one point the two must cross the Gulf of Carpenteria, the most arduous leg of the trip, requiring seven days on the water with no land in sight. For all their travails, however, there is relief in the form of friendly hosts (nearly everyone they meet is happy to have a smelly kayak team at the dinner table), striking scenery, wild nights in isolated cities, and the personal reckoning that comes with an effort of this magnitude. --Lolly Merrell

Book Description

A harrowing and hilarious portrait of two men, a tiny kayak, and one hell of a huge continentThe challenge? Paddle a kayak around Australia. s Eric Stiller and Tony Brown would discover, the attempt would be a fascinating, frustrating, maddening, and at times hilarious crawl around what many consider the most beautiful but treacherous coastline in the world. Swamped by high waves and rain, ampered by faulty technology, baked by a broiling sun or chilled by sub-zero temperatures, battling loneliness and exhaustionand sometimes each otherit would be the most demanding emotional and physical challenge either had ever attempted. In short, it was the adventure of a lifetime!Keep Australia on Your Left is a story of friendship forged under demanding circumstances. It is also the personal portrait of Eric Stillers journey around a continent . . . and into himself.

Customer Reviews:

Too bad........2007-06-15

I wished they could have finished the trip, but it kind of seemed like they wanted it for the wrong reasons. Don't get me wrong they accomplished quite a feat and I"m not trying to take away from that. It's just that Eric and Tony seemed to grow up rich and be given all the oppurtunites in life, so when presented with severe obstacles they had a hard time dealing with them. It seemed more like an extended vacation rather then an expedition. Maybe, I"m just a little biased after reading Paddle to the Amazon and discovering all they went through. Still, this book isn't as bad as some say, it's good read, and you get a good sense of thier journey, it just could have been better.

Yawn... pass on this one.......2006-11-17

I struggled through 106 pages before I gave up on it altogether. The book held every potential of a great adventure but sorely lacked in its characters - the whining and vain Stiller coupled with a boorish Tony made for a literary flop. Their trip was doomed from the beginning, the two seemed to be in a state of constant bickering - where was the camaderie? The whole thing begged for credibility and substance. Sorry - just couldn't take it. Save your money and buy Chris Duff's 'Southern Exposure'.

Pales against Paul Caffyn's Book.......2006-01-28

Caffyn's "Dreamtime Voyage" is the best on kayaking around Australia. It is more of a 5 star book. And his NZ book "Obscured by Waves" is back in print!

a depressing account of a great achievement.......2005-04-20

I got this one for my birthday and started reading it with great enthusiasm. Few people have attempted to circumnavigate Australia in a kayak and except of Paul Caffyn no one succeeded so far. Therefore, Eric Stiller (the author) and Tony Brown (his paddle partner) are in good company with their failed attempt to complete the circumnavigation. This book is Eric's account of five months of paddling over 3500 miles from Sydney along Oz's east and north coasts to Darwin.

Paddling almost half the way around Australia in a Klepper foldable boat in five months is a great adventure. It must have been quite an amazing journey along one of the worlds most beatiful shorelines. However, there is hardly any of this aspect in the book. Instead you'll get bored of Eric's dwelling in endless complaints about his sore butt, the always higher-than-expected swell, and his ever ongoing struggles with Tony. The only thing more disappointing than Eric's whining about all the evil surrounding him is the stretch of lousy b/w pictures (on all of which the water is as flat as a mirror, so there must have been a couple of good days at least).

The title refers to Tony's rejection of Eric's request to buy charts for the trip. Instead, he recommends, to simply "keep Oz on the left". I would not want to go on a week-long trip with a guy as naive as that. Tony's naive attitude and Erics subordination to Tony's moods borders on stupidity more often than not. Day after day the two get up too late to make their distance in daylight, they have to make a dangerous landing at some beach they can hardly see in the dark, they find some food and exhaustedly fall asleep, which makes them get up too late the next morning and so on. They once take off in a storm out of a "cabin-fever" mood and almost die that day, triggering a coast guard search. A long list of misjudgements and rants of self-pity later, the duo almost get themselves killed in the gulf of carpentaria and, to the big relief of the reader, give up their journey shortly thereafter.

Eric does not seem to really enjoy any of this whole trip - everything always seems to be worse than expected. He doesn't seem to live the journey, he seems to long for it to end before it even started. The book reads as if all this was pushed onto him, and this way it ends up to be a depressing account of quite a tremendous achievement. Unfortunately, Eric does not seem to understand anything of what has happened. Instead of writing a pity-party of a book like this, he should fall down on his knees and thank his god for the fact, that he pulled his sorry butt out of this alive.

If you've got adventure in your blood... you'll LOVE IT!.......2005-01-17

If you ever catch yourself sitting in your office and daydreaming of abandoning everything to embark on something really big and stupid then this is the book for you. Once I started i couldn't put it down. I agree that the writing style has something to be desired, although in a way i think it adds to the book. Remember the author is a kayak salesmen not a professional writer. Bottom line is I can't remember the last time i read a book that really inspired me to do something. Those of you with any adventure in your blood will surely be planning your next outdoor excursion by the time you finish this book, and just maybe you'll try something bigger and stupider than you ever thought yourself capable of...

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