May not be precisely what you're seeking but a must read as far as I'm concerned.
Posted on 11/18/2007 8:50:35 PM PST by GodfearingTexan
Ladies and Gentelmen, I'm writing in hopes that some of you could make a recommendation on books that deal with courage and adventure. Nonfiction books only please. I'm stationed out in the middle of nowhere and reading is my only real R&R. I'm especially interested in nautical adventures or adventures relating to the exploration of Africa or the Middle East. I've searched amazon for hours trying to find that sort of a book, but I have yet to find something worthwhile.
By the way, I recently read In the Heart of the Sea, the story about the whaleship Essex, and it was awesome. I highly recommend it.
Thank you.
Anything by Stephen Ambrose. “Undaunted Courage” “Band of Brothers” and “Pegasus Bridge” are my favorites.
I am currently reading (for the second time) the Mutiny on the Bounty trilogy. Mutiny on the Bounty, Men Against the Sea, and Pitcairn’s Island. Historical novels dealing with the real lives of Captain Bligh, Fletcher Christian, and the men of the HMS Bounty.
Endurance by Alfred Lansing, about the Ernest Shackleton expedition to Antarctica. I’ve read it several times, and I still can’t put it down. Lots of great pictures and so many cliffhangers that I wonder how much of it is true. Those guys were put to the limit of their endurance and all lived.
Hmm... James Bowman wrote Honor: A History, could be what you’re looking for. Its references alone might lead you to some great books.
May not be precisely what you're seeking but a must read as far as I'm concerned.
Thank you all so very much. I have more than enough excellent recommendations here to last me out and then some. Happy Thanksgiving!
“Three Roads to the Alamo,” by Wm. C. Davis
ping
It’s an interesting analysis of ‘what and can go wrong’ when you are not prepared to go into the wilderness. ;)
I haven’t seen the movie [I hope they didn’t glorify McCandless].
anything on Lewis and Clark
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini if you’re interested in the ME [Afghanistan].
FReepmail me and I can arrange to send you my copy, gratis.
Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake
Kon-Tiki
My Old Man and the Sea: A Father and Son Sail Around Cape Horn by David and Dan Hayes. [”As a child, David Hays regarded sailing around Cape Horn as the ultimate adventure. Now, in middle age, he makes the voyage with his 24-year-old son, hoping to regain a youthful perspective on life. Daniel, just out of college, wanted time to think about commitment to a career. Together, they built a 25-foot sloop, Sparrow, and set out across the Caribbean, navigating by compass and sextant. Sparrow carried neither motor nor radar, only a two-way, short-range radio. Father and son take turns giving their accounts of the 17,000-mile voyage. Their course was through the Panama Canal, then south by way of the Galapagos and Easter Islands. On day 179, they passed the Horn, having made 230 miles in 36 hours without being able to search the sky for sights because of the weather; in return for that feat of navigation, Dan became the captain. It is an engaging adventure, and a remarkable story of a father-son relationship.”]
Inexpensive as used at Amazon ...I gave my copy away, or I’d offer to send that to you too. ;-(
If you like histories of the sea try Roy Adkins, “Nelson’s Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World” He also has a book out about the entire naval history of Britain and France in the Napolionic era.
“Dreadnaught” and “Castles of Steel” by Massie are outstanding reads as well. They take you through the navel race that led up to WWI and the War itself.
A biography I have put off reading for forty years that has a 50th anniversary edition in trade paperback is “Witness” by Whittaker Chambers. It is unbeleivably engaging. Tells the whole story of his life and gives the inside of the battle between him and Alger Hiss.
Drury and Clavin have out “Halsey’s Typhoon” which is a great read. There is another book out on the same event called Sea Cobra, but I haven’t read that.
I always recommend the first two volumes of the uncompleted trlogy that Manchester wrote on Churchill, “The Last Lion.” It is an epic story.
Then, to get another 2800 pages laid out for you, I recommend Shelby Foote’s epic trilogy of the Civil War.
Much of the civil war histories are dry and obtuse. As a narrative history this one will never be equaled.
None of the books I have recommended are brief, but if you are looking to fill a lot of time, none of these will bore you.
Sherry Sontag & Christopher Drew, Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage
Ping! Lots of good reading recommendations that might interest you or Mr. Mercat.
I don’t have time to look up the title now, but I believe it’s just called “The Donnor Party.” Nothing in my life has seemed worth complaining about since I read that book.....
who authored the siege of malta? there are multiple different books by that or a very similar title... thank you
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