Good Reads - TITLES and Bibliographic Info.
Books which I have read and recommend.

- TITLES and AUTHORS - only in this abbreviated list

Links to LISTS of Good Reads Books
Author list with LINKS to description of each book
Title list with LINKS to description of each book
Subject list - non-ficton with LINKS to description of each book

Riddle of the Compass: The Invention that Changed the World
by Aczel, Amie D.
pub by Harcourt, NY, 2001 - -       - isbn 0-15-100506-0 - LCCN 00--47153 -- Preface p. xi-xvii -- A Note on Sources p. 161-163 -- References p.165-168 -- Acknowledgements p. 169-170 -- Index p 171-178 -- Total 178 pages.

This book is a breezy walk through the ideas about who is responsible for the nautical compass as it has been known for the last 500 years. Also about the preliminary steps, floating a needle on water etc. understand the Western compass.
~2020-04-19~

Man Who made things out of Trees
by Penn, Robert
pub by W.W. Norton and Co, NY, 2016 - also pub by Particular Books in Great Britain, an imprint of Penguin Bks in 2015 ) -       - isbn 978-0393253733 - LCCN 2016 003028 -- Prologue p. 1-21 -- Inventory (of things built) p. 229-236 -- Postscript (on Ash tree disease and insect pests) p. 237-240 -- Acknowledgements p. 243-245 -- Total 245 pages.

This book is the celebration of the Ash tree, genus Fraximus one of the 24 genera of the Oleaceae family of trees. The European common Ash is Fraximus exelsior. There are 2 other common species of Ash in Europe.
~2020-03-05~

Innocents Abroad. or the New Pilgrims Progress -- being an account of the steamsihpp QUAKER CITYs pleasure excursuion to Europe and the Holy Land, with descriptions of countries, nations, incidents and adventures as they appeared to the AUTHOR, with two hundres and thirty-four illustrations - by MARK TWAIN (Samuel L. Clemens) 1869.
by Twain, Mark (Clemens, Samuel L.) - 1835-1910 - -
pub by subscription American Publishing Co, 1869 - this edtiion published by SeaWolf Press -       - isbn 978-1950435159 - illustraed with pen and ink drawings as needed amid the text paperback - - 531 pages. with 7 pages added from the Mark Twain Museum
~2020-02-09~

- History of the Zodiac
by Powell, Robert
pub. Sophia Academic Press - San Rafael, California, 2006 - copyright 2014     softcover   isbn 1 59731-152-9 (softback) - and - isbn 1 59731-153-7 (hardcover) - LCCN 20061000661 - - Babylonian Star Calendar. Epoch 100 which occupies Appendix I. pages 151 - 194. Appendix II (Issac) Newtons Chronology takes up pages 195 - 202. - - Bibliographt p. 208 - 214. - - Total 214 p.
The general concept of the Zodiac as understood by the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Egyptians and the Indian civilizations are described.

For those who would like to pursue historical astronomy, this is your book
~ 2019-11-01~

Queen of the Desert - a biography of the female Lawrence of Arabia. Gertrude Bell
by Mason, Fergus
pub. Book Caps(Life Caps) - USA - Golgotha Press - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform - Scotts Valley, California (a part of Amazon . com) - copyright 2014     softcover   isbn 9781497502840 - - - 168 p.
This book is a biography of Gertrude Bell. It covers the earlier part of her life more thoroughly than a another very thorough biography of Gertrude Bell - authored by Fergus Mason. Desert Queen - The extraordinary life of Gertrude Bell - Adventurer. Advisor to Kings. Ally of Lawrence of Arabia - by Jan Wallach, which much more thoroughly covers the latter part of her life and work during WWI and the campaign against the Ottoman empire (Turkey),
I recommend reading both books to get a more thorough picture of this remarkable person, and how she affected the current organization of this part of the world.

~ 2019-10-11 ~

A Pen Warmed-Up in Hell - Mark Twain in Protest
by Twain, Mark (Clemens, Samuel L.) - 1835-1910 - - Edited by Frederick Anderson
pub by Harper and Row, NY, 1972 -       - isbn 0-080279-0 - paperback - - 211 pages.

Editor Frederick Anderson chose 24 writings from Mark Twain's later years where he lambasts the cruelty and folly of mankind and western civilization.
A few of these are fragments of other book length publicatins. Some of these were writings published against certain war situations. Some were letters written to other people.
Twain was vehamently opposed to - empire - and the ruling of societies by western European overlords, also USA in the Philipenes. He believed that local people ought to run their own governments. He had a strong bit against lynching.

Frederick Anderson, the editor, on p. 203-211 has a short bit of background on each of the writings. This is very helpful to fully appreciate those writings.
Also this book has real footnotes, at the bottom of pages where they belong, delightful.
~2019-10-09~

Isaac Newton the Last Sorcerer
by White, Michael
pub by Fourth Estate, London, 1997 - - isbn 1-85702-416-8 - - Introduction Truth Revealed p. 1-5 - - the narrative has 14 chapters - - Black and White photos between p. 182-183 - - References (by Chapter) p. 363 - 385 - - Index p. 387 - 402 - - picture credits p. 403 - - Total 403 p.

This biography may be the most complete one written so far. It describes Isaac Newton with his strength and weaknesses. It is a thorough work and well worth reading for Newton himself and also it is a study of the ferment of the scientific times.

~2019-09-30~

Rising from the Plains
by McPhee, John - 1950-
pub. Farrar. Strauss. Giroux, NY, 1986. ,     isbn - - LCCN 86-14891 - - Map before p.1 - front end paper Cenozoic Era and Mesozoic Era geologic times more recent - back of book endpaper Paleozoic Era older half of the geologic time - this book has no index which makes its use as a proper non-fiction book difficult. It is also not divided into chapters as the subject under discussion changes, again making it difficult to navigate. Total size 214 p.
This book describes the geological situation of Wyoming and surrounding States, including the Yellowstone National Park. It is the most incredibly complicated geological display in USA. At one place or another all rocks and strata known to geologic time are represented, as is very complicated faulting and rock folding.
This is presented as the McPhee, the author, travels with David Love ( John David Love b. 1913 - d. 2002), a geologist and at least a second generation resident of Wyoming
This is a very good read.
~2019-08-23~

Kraken - the curious, exciting and slightly disturbing science of squid
by Williams, Wendy - 1950-
pub. Abrams Image, NY, 2011. ,     isbn 978- 081098465-3 - - LCCN 2010032489 - - Contents p. 6-7 - - black and white illusttrations amid text - - Acknowledgements p. 201-203 - - Bibliography p. 204-211 -- Videos list p.212 - - Credits p. 213 - - Index. p. 214-222 - - About the Author p. 223 -- Total 224 p.
In addition to squid, both giant and otherwise, Williams examines other cephalopods, including the octopus and cuttlefish.
This is a very good read, even if you are not particularly interested in cephalopods, it is good to know about them and their place among intelligent living things - without backbones - which share the Earth with us.
~2019-08-15~

The Control of Nature
by McPhee, John.
pub by - FarrR Straus and Giroux, NY, USA 1989 - isbn 0-7838-8774-4 (Large Type version) - - LCCN = 99-42399 (Large Type version) - - Contents p. 6 - - Atchafalaya p. 9 - - Cooling the Lava p.125 - Los Angles Against the Mountains p. 233 - - 345 pages total.
All together this is an interesting book, well worth reading.
~ 2019-07-19 ~

The Barefoot Navigator - Wayfinding with the skills of the ancients
by Lagan, Jock
pub. by Adland Coles Nautical. Bloomabury, London 2017. Second Edition      isbn 978-1-4729-4477-1 - diagrams - 284 p. total -- Recconebded further reading p. 244-246 -- Bibliography p. Timeline p.247-252-- Appendices p.253-265 -- Notes p. 266-273 -- Index p.275--284
I have mixed feelings about this book. The first chapters on the methods of the ancients is woefully out of date. Compared to what is now known due to modern archeology and knowledge of methods.
The actual recommended methods are better, some are quite intricate and involve a lot of memory, and encourages a better understanding on how navigation actually works.
The latter 2/3 of the book are more useful.
~ 2019-05-09 ~

The Measure of All Things - the Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error that transformed the world
by Alder, Ken
pub by - Free Press (Simon and Schuster), NY - 2002, - isbn - 0-7432-1675-X - - LCCN = 2002070267 - - Contents p.vii - - Dramatis Personae p. ix-x - - Prologue p.1-9 - - Epilogue The Shape of Our World p.347 - - Note on Measures p.351 - - Note on Sources p. 353 - - Notes p.357 - - Selectd Bibliography p.397 - - acknowledgments p.401 - - Index p. 403-422 - - total book length 422 p.

This non-fiction story begins in the last days of the Ancien Regime of the kings of France, through the beginnings of the Republic, through the Reign of Terror and on into the Republic after the Jacobins. Beside all the problems of measuring by triangulation the length of France from Dunkerque through Paris to Barcelona, Spain they also had to negotiate the insanity of the first part of the French Revolution.

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Humboldt and the Cosmos
by Botting, Douglas
pub by - Harper and Row, NY - 1973, - isbn 06-010412-0 - - LCCN = 76-186774 - - Contents p.5 - - Color plates p.6-7 - - Acknowledgements p.8 - - Preface p.9 - - Bibliography p.285 - - List of monochrome illustrations p. 287-289 - - Index p.290-295 - total book length 295 p.
This is a very straightforward biography of Alexander von Humboldt. He was born in Berlin, Prussia on 14 September 1769. He died in Berlin 6 May 1859. He had a brother William who was born in Berlin in 1767. His father died when Alexander was 9 yeard old. Alexander von Humboldt was born the same year that both Napoleon and Wellington were born.
He and his brother William were raised by a mother who was cold and emotionally distant. At first he was trained to be a functionary in the Prussian civil service. He was fascinated by natural history and science and managed to be educated in the Prussian school for mining engineers. Upon graduation he distinguished himself by making the mines under Prussian control run much more effectiently. He started a school for the people working in the mines. After a few years working for the Prussian government in various capacities, including as an ambassador.
With the permission of the King of Spain he traveled to northern S. America in 1799, then to Mexico, Cuba and the United States where he befriended President Thomas Jefferson. In late 1804 he returned to Paris for 20 years wrote a number of books on his experiences, then on via England back home to Berlin, Prussia. He was Chancellor to the king for many years. The Tsar of Russia invited him to tour Russia and Siberia for a year. He returned to Berlin where he died in 1859. He spent his final years writing Cosmos, a 4 volume work on Science.
~ 2019-03-27 ~

Alexander von Humboldt - a metabiography
by Rupke, Nicolas A.
pub by - University of Chicago Press, Illinois, USA - 2008, - isbn 978-0-226-73149-0 - - LCCN = 2008001122 - - Contents p.5-6 - - illustrations p.7 - - Preface p.9-10 - - Chronology of Alexander Humboldts Life p.11-12 - - Introduction. the Several Lives of Alexander von Humboldt p. 13-27 - - Institutions and Political Parties p.219-223 - - A Note on Citation p.225 - - Printed Sources p.227-301 - - Index p.303-316 - total book length 316 p.
This is a metabiography. For the most part it is a listing and discussion on the various attempts to write biography on Humboldt and note how these biographies changed over time to describe Humboldt to the people of the times when they were written. For instance the biographies of Humboldt shortly after his death were much different from those written during the Nazi period, and those written by scholars in E. Germany after WWII were much different from those written in W. Germany during that same period.
Alexander von Humboldt was born in Berlin, Prussia on 14 September 1769. He died in Berlin 6 May 1859. He traveled to northern S. America, Mexico, Cuba and USA visiting President Thomas Jefferson. He wrote up his trip in 30 volumes. Later he traveled across Russia and Siberia. His series Cosmos was published in 4 volumes to bring Science to the general public.

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Dewey Decimated
by Goodrum, Charles A .
pub by - Crown Pub., NY - 1977, - later edition Harper and Row, NY, 1988 (pbk) isbn 0- 06-080933-7 pbk - - LCCN = 88-45027 - - total book 245 p.
  This is a good murder mystery set in a private research library in Washington, DC. The draw in this one is in its setting and how it plays in the plot. This library contains more than its share in manuscripts and early first editions, with separate deparments as well as facilities for repair of same.
~2019-01-19~

Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy - Ernest Hemingways Secret Adventures 1935-1961
by Reynolds, Nicolas
pub by - Harper Collins, NY - 2017, - isbn 978-0-06-244014-3 pbk - - LCCN = 2017.... - - Contents p. xi-xii - - Cast of Characters p. xiii-xix - - Introduction p. xxi-xxv - - Epilogue p. 261-267 Sources p. 269-279 - - Acknowledgments p.281-285 - - Permissions p. 287 - - End Notes p.289-346 - - Index p. 347-357 - - total book length 357 p. with an added postscript of 12 pages
This book was written by a person retired from the US CIA. He wondered if the CIA had any files on Ernest Hemingway, and found that yes, they did. Reynolds identified many other sources and wrote this book on Hemingways life from 1935 when he became involved in the Spanish Civil War, his life in Cuba, his involvement touring China, then doing spy work for the USA in Cuba, then anti submarine patrol off Cuba, followed by his involvement in WWII in Europe. After that his living in Cuba, the Cuban revolution, the aftermath and his decline, hospitalization and suicide.
Hemingway became a violent antifacist during the Spaish Civil War.
I have read other biographies if Ernest Hemingway, particularly A.E. Hotchners Papa Hemingway That was a decent biogarphy. Nicholas Reynolds book shows another side, and does it much greater detail. To understand the man, read both books.

~ 2019-01-05 ~

The Tide. the science and stories behind the greatest force on Earth
by Aldersey-William, Hugh
pub by - W.W. Norton adn Co, NY - 2016, - isbn 978 393 35480 5 pbk - - LCCN = 2016018456 - - Contents p. 9-10 - - list of illustrations p. 11 - - Authors Note p. 13 - - Introductio p.17-26 - - Glossary p. 341 - - Acknowledgements p.343-346 - - Index p. 357-368 - - total book length 368 p.
This book starts slowly and very simply - too simply. Then begins to display the true complexity of tides and the history of tides. Since the Mediterranean Sea practically does not have tides there is only confusing writing from classical sources about tides. The theories were almost laughable, but then untel Issac Newton the discovery of gravity and what it was was not in scientific thought process. After Newton understanding of the mechanics of tides was studied.
This is a worthy read. You will be rewarded after you get through the simple and slow beginning.
~ 2018-12-18 ~

Lone Voyager - the extaordinary adventures of Howard Blackburn, hero fisherman of Gloucester
by Garland, Joseph E.
pub by - Touchstone - Simon and Schuster, NY - 2000, previous editions 1963, 1978 - isbn 0-684- 87263-3 - - LCCN = 00-027733 - - Forward p.9 - - Contents p. 11 - - Gloucester 1883 p. 12 - - maps on pages 24, 61, 125-126, 209. 251 - - various black and white photos support the text - - Indian Summer (last days of Howard Blackburn) p.285-297 - - Afterword p, 299-309 - - Chapter notes p.311-326 - - Sources and Acknowledgements p.327-330 - - total book length 330 p.
Joseph E. Garland did an excellent job putting together and writing this biography of Howard Blackburn. The facts are presented in a straightforward manner, and in places it is amost poetic in description.
Howard Blackburn was born in 1859. He worked in sawmills and also cutting trees in the forest. He sailed before the mast from 1872 - 1879 and after that began sailing aboard fishing schooners out of Gloucester.
In January 1883 he signed on the fishing schooner Grace L. Fears to fish for halibut and cod. This schooner was the most successful in its time. After the schooner was anchored down on the Burgeo Bank the dories were set out. Blackburn had as partner Tom Welch. As a storm approached they rowed out to retrieve their gear. They were caught in a fierce storm with high winds and snow. They lost their way, and could not get back to the schooner. Eventually they tried to row back. Tom Welch gave up and died. Blackburn formed his hands around the oars as they froze so he could still row. He arrived in a little river coming out of Newfoundland. He was rescued by people in a tiny vilage who nursed him to relative health, but could not save his fingers, which, being totally frozen were lost except for a nub of a thumb on each hand. His toes did not fare well either. He was eventually taken to civilization and eventually back to Glouchester. The populace there took up a sizeable collection to assist him.
This is a very readable and enjoyable biography of Howard Blackburn, a man who lived larger than life. It is a very good read. Do read the Chapter Notes at the end of the later editions. They are themselves a good read.
~ 2018-11-13 ~

From the Republic of the Rio Grande - A personal history of the place and the people
by de la Garza, Beatriz
pub by - University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas - isbn 978-0-292-71453-3 - - LCCN = 2012 024688 - - Contents p. vii - - Preface p. ix-xiii - - Works cited p.205-211 - - index p.213-225 - - total book length 225 p.

I picked up this book just to read the first chapter, then found it interesting enough to read it through to the end.
The author, Beatriz de la Garza, was born in (old) Guerrero, which is now covered by Falcon Lake, which was created by Falcon Dam on the Rio Grande (in Mexico called the Rio Bravo). Her early life was lived in Guerrero. Her family had lived in and around there for many generations. After the dam was built, and as the lake filled, when she was in 3rd grade, in 1950 her family moved to Laredo, Texas where she finished her growing up and schooling, eventually going to the University of Texas in Austin, which is at the end of this book.
This is an interesting read for anyone who would like to understand this area, from the point of view of a person who grew up on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo.
And, yes, it does have significant information on the short lived Republic of the Rio Grande.

~ 2018-10-31 ~

The Republic of the Rio Grande - Texans in Mexico, 1839-40. With biographical sketches of the leaders, Antonio Canales, Reuben Ross, Antonio Zapata, Wm. S. Fisher, Rafael Vasquez, Sam W. Jordan, and Juan N. Sequin.
by Lindheim, Milton
pub by - Milton Lindheim, Laredo, TX, 1964 (W.M. Morrison - bookseller Box 3277, Waco, Texas) - isbn (none) - - LCCN = 65-00092564 - - Biographical sketches p. 10-16 - - Bibliography p.17 - - total book length 17 p.

This book (pamphlet) is a short history of the very short lived revolution of the Federalists, of 3 northern states of Mexico against the Centralists who were the government out of Mexico City headed by Santa Anna. The Texas Revolution had just taken place and the Repubic of Texas had been established in 1836. In fact Texas was into its second president (M. Lamar) after Sam Houston had served his first session holding the office of president of the Republic of Texas. (Houston was later elected the third president of Texas.)

Antonio Canales of Camargo issued a manifesto on November 3, 1838 claiming Santa Anna had been illegally confiscated his land holdings. Thus began the revolution which attempted to create the Republic of the Rio Grande. Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, and Coahuila were the three States of Mexico which were involved in this revolution.
Note that opposition to Santa Annas replacing the Mexican Constitution of 1824 with a Federalist system
closely controlled out of the capital in Mexico City was a major reason for the Texas Revolution
and in essence the establishment of the Republic of Texas and later the State of Texas within the USA.

~ 2018-10-16 ~

Cascarones
by Garza, Sylvia Sanchez
pub by - Floricanto Press, Moorpark, California, USA 2018 - isbn 978-1724622884 - - tableof Contents p.-1 - - Dedication p. 0 - - Bibliograpy p.152 - - It was printed in Lexington, KY 09 Sept. 2018 - - total book length 152 pages
      This is a charming book of 18 chapters, each a little story which could stand on its own. They could be read in any order. While they are in rough chronological order there are exceptions. They are somewhat fictionalized reminiscences of a young girl, the middle child, in a family of 5 children. It is mostly set in Hidalgo County, Texas in a town near Weslaco, and time spent in Houston in a rented house near Hobby Airport.
This is a thoroughly delightful book written to describe family life in the Lower Rio Grande Valley with minimal drama... and does so very well. While it is written as a book of fiction, I am sure it is largely autobiographical, definitely in the second to last chapter.
~ 2018-10-03 ~

The Shallows - what the internet is doing to our brains
by Carr, Nicholas - 1959-.
pub by - W.W. Norton, NY 2011 - isbn 978-393-07222-8 - - LCCN = 2010007639 - - Prologue p. 1-4 - - Notes p. 1-3 - - Notes by Chapter 229-256 - - Further Reading p. 257-260 - - Acknowledgements p.261 - - Index p. 263-280 - - total book length 280 p.
This book was published in 2010 and had a bit added in 2011. It shows its age. It was advertised as a NY Times bestseller and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Each chapter seems to be mini books strung together. It is only nearly at the end that they make sense as a whole.
9. Search, Memory - Erasmus. De Copia. Later the Commonplace Book that each person would make for him/her self taken from their readings - Short term - Long Term Memory and how information changes from on to another. The hippocampus -
- This was an interesting read - but be prepared to do some slogging through the denser parts.
~ 2018-09-29 ~

The Adventures of Ibn Battuta - A Muslim traveler of the fourteenth century
by Dunn, Ross E.
pub by - University of California Press, Berkley and Los Angeles, California, USA 1986 - isbn 0-520-05771-6 - - LCCN = 86-5249 - - Contents p. vii - - Maps (list) p. viii - - Preface p. ix-xii - - Acknowledgements p. xiii - - The Muslim Calendar p. xiv - - A Note on Money p. xv - - Abbreviations Used in Footnotes p. xvi - - Introduction p. 1-17 - - Glossary p. 321-323 - - Bibliography (partially broken down to chapters it supports) p. 325-342 - - Index p. 343-357 - - total book length 357 p.
Abu Abdallah Ibn Battuta (Ibn Battuta) was born in 1304 in Tangier, Morocco. He died in 1368 or 1369 in Tangier, Morocco. He traveled from Tangier, Morocco eastward to coastal China, north partially up the Volga river into what is now Russia and as far south as Zanzibar in Africa, Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), the Maldive Islands, the island of Sumatra (near modern Singapore), and Mali in west Africa, south of the Sahara. After these travels he settled back in his home town of Fez. The local king asked Ibn Battuta to write a Rhila which is a formal description of his travels. Battuta took on Ibn Juzayy to be his secretary to assist with the writing. (Battuta had met Juzayy in Granada when Battuta was in southern Spain.) This book is a modern presentation of that Rhila. It was finished in December 1355.
Read this book. It is well written, I doubt you will fall asleep while reading. It will give you a decent appreciation for the time and places in a readable manner that you will not easily find elsewhere.
~ 2018-09-08 ~

Latitude Zero - Tales of the Equator
by Guadalupi, Gianni -and- Shuggar, Anthony
pub by Carroll and Graf, NY, 2001 -     - - isbn 0-7867-0901-4 -   - 258 p. total   -   - Contents   v. -   Introduction p. vii-xiii   -   A note on the sources p. 249-251     - index p. 252-258
This book is constructed of short non-fiction stories divided into areas which are on or very near the Earths Equator. The areas are - Antiquity (for background) - South America - Africa - Asia / Oceania.
At first reading the Antiquity part I found it a light-weight read and almost tossed it aside. Then I got into the South America part and found the stories good thumbnail sketches of what was being presented.
After some misgivings reading the first few pages, this became a delightful and informative read.
~ 2018-08-17 ~

Bimini Twist
by Greenlaw, Linda
pub by Minotaur Books - Macmillan, NY, 2018 -       - - isbn 0978-1-250-10758-9 - - 262 p.
Greenlaws sleuth Jane Bunker is both an Asst Sheriffs Deputy and an insurance investigator. In this mystery she is told to set aside her war on drug dealers and is assigned to 2 missing persons cases. This soon expands to some murders of some lobstermen setting pots from their boats and a few others.
This is set during the summer in and around Bar Harbor, Maine during high tourist time. The story has plenty of twists and turns, but resolves in a satisfying creshendo at the end.
A good fast read.
~ 2018-08-05~

Cave of Bones - A Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito Novel
by Hillerman, Anne
pub. by Harper Collins, NY. 2018     isbn - 978-0-06-279198-6 - map preceeds p.1 - - Acknowledgements p.471-474 - - 474 pages
This is Anne Hillermans fourth mystery in the Bernedette Manuelito (Bernie) series. This series follows her fathers Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn mysteries. Those characters continue but in Annes myseries Bernie is the principle.
This story involves an organization which assists troubled youth toward getting their lives straightened out and in that a camping trip partially gone wrong. The organization is accused of financial misdeeds by a local tribal elder, and there is a new local head of FBI involved. Theft from ancient native graves is also involved.
A realy good read from an already accomplished mystery writer. A page turner.
~ 2018-08-03 ~

The Magic of the Swatchways (original subtitle - Cameos of cruising in small yachts)
by Griffiths, Maurice -- 1902-1997
pub by Sheridan House, Dobbs Ferry, NY, 1977 -     - - isbn 1-57409-042-9 -   - 235 p. total   - Introduction p. 7-10   -   Contents p. 11   list of Illustrations p. 13   -   Forward p.15 (written 1997) -   Map p. 24-25
      This book contains 14 short stories of short sail cruising trips/adventures. All but 2 take place in the area of the mouth of the Thames Estuary (often called the London River in the text) and the various small rivers, creeks and hazardous bars of sand and shingle (stones) up to the area of Aldenburgh, some 80 miles to the NNE and also to a minor extent out into the North Sea.
These stories are a trip in the mind into a time before our fathers.
~ 2018-07-29 ~

Lighthouses, Lightships, and Beacons of Texas - a comprehensive field guide
by Hall, Richard S.
pub by - Pintail Publishing, 519 Bayland Ave. Houston, TX 77009 - pub in 2013, - isbn 9780615290379 - - LCCN = 2013 387098- - - - - The book has 350 illustrations - and some maps - total book length 320 p.
This book is as described in its title.
If you want to know about these aids to navigation along the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico, this is your book. All 28 major beacons since 1852 are described.
It is heavy on details.
It is also generously and expertly illustrated with many pen and ink illustrations and some photographs.
~ 2018-07 ~

The Arms of Krupp 1587 - 1968
by Manchester, William -- 1922-2004
pub by Bantam Books, NY -     1970 - - - later edition, Back Bay Books, Boston isbn - 0316529400 - - original edition, Little Brown, NY 1968    - LCCN 68-024450    - Order of Battle (contents) -- i-ii -- Glossary p. iii-iv -- text p. 1-972 -- Acknowlwdgements -p. 973 -- Krupp Genealogy p. 974-975 -- Die Firma p.976-977 -- Chronologhy p. 978-979 -- Chapter Notes p. 981-41009 -- Bibliograhy p. 1011-1029 -- Index p. 1031-1068 -- About the author p. 1069 -- total length 1069 p.
      Manchester wrote the biography of a family and a business. He describes from the arrival of the first Krupp (Arndt) in Essen in the Rhur valley in 1580's to the playboy son, Arndt von Bohlen und Halbach (24 January 1938 – 8 May 1986), who refused to take up the leadership of Fried.Krupp (Die Firme) in the late 1960's and the financial collapse of the sole ownership of the company.
The first Arndt Krupp of the Rhur valley family came from further north and was originally a merchant in 1587.
He was followed by 10 generations of Krupps heading the family business through the last active one, Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, 13 August 1907 – 30 July 1967
Friedrich Krupp (1787-1826) founded Gusstahlfabric - Cast Steel Works - Sept. 20, 1811 and developed methods of making steel from iron ore using the coal mined in the valley. Eventually iron ore of various types and qualities was imported from a wide variety of places.
Alfred Krupp (1812-1887) developed methods to make and cast large objects in steel. They made a large quantity of railroad wheels and a considerable amount of the rails on which they ran. Their quality was very high and even a large amount of the rails and wheels of railroads in USA were Krupp made. The family trademark was of 3 interlocking rings for the shapes of their fameous railroad tires. The Krupp firm is most fameous for its steel cannon, which were developed in the 1860s and after convincing the Prussian army to buy them and found them vastly superior during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 became the cannon of choice. Alfred sold steel cannon to countries all over the world, as did his successor Friedrich Alfred Krupp (1854-1902).
Read this book - to get a feel for a mighty industrial company - to understand how a company can get so big and allied with a government that it gets very special favors. To understand what EVIL can come and spread, even off the battlefield during war.
~ 2018-07-19 ~

Times Pendulum - The quest to capture time - from Sundials to Atomic Clocks
by Barnett, Joe Ellen
pub by Plenum Press, NY, 1998 -     - - isbn 0-306-45787-3 -   - 340 p. total   -   - Contents   -   Introduction p. 3-10   -     -   References p. 315-329   - few diagrams   - index p. 333-340     About the Author p. back flap of dustjacket
This book begins by saying that the concept of TIME is not definable. In history even great thinkers of the ages do not seem to be able to define exactly what time is.
After that the book continues with the development on how mankind has developed machines to measure time, and what time is measured. For most of the history of humanity time was measured by measuring what is viewed in the sky. Day and night, then the seasons, but also the phases of the moon. For millennia the most accurate time pieces were sundials. Water clocks and sand clocks were used to measure time within a day and a night.
,.
~ 2018-05- ~

by Parry, RichardTrial by Ice - The true story of Murder and Survival on the 1871 Polaris Expedition
by Parry, Richard
pub by Ballantine - Randome House, NY, 2001 -     - LCCN 00-062136   - - isbn 0 -345-43925-2 -   - 322 p. total   -   - Contents p. vii   -   Acknowledgments p. ix   -   Authors Note p. xi-xii   -   Corrected Muster Ross of the Polaris Expedition p.xiii   -   Bibliograhy p. 311   -   index p. 312-321     About the Author p. 322   -   Maps on end papers - few lithograph illustrations
This is the story of an expedition funded by the government of USA shortly after the end of the American Civil War to bolster the USA position as a country which could do significant scientific discovery. In this case to show the flag of USA at the Earths North Pole - a voyage of discover, which had been attempted by several countries earlier and never achieved. Also it was to launch a significant scientific discovery.
This expedition was a disaster. It actually achieved very little, however only the general leader of the expedition, Charles Francis Hall, died. The rest of the members of the expedition managed to return, but only after unbelievable hardships, many of the hardships self inflicted, by lack of leadership, especially after Charles F. Hall died (very likely murdered - poisoned.) This was a much more interesting read than I had expected.
~ 2018-04-28 ~

The Sharpie Book
by Parker, Reuel B
pub by International Marine, Camden, Maine, USA -     - LCCN 93-26032   - - isbn 0-07- 158013-1 -   - 179 p. total   -   - Contents p. vii   -   Acknowledgments p. ix   -   Introduction p. xi-xii   -   Appendix I. Tables of offsetts for Adapted Sharpie Designs   -   Appendix II. Three Modern Sharpie Designs p.166-171   -   Appendix III Materials and Supplies p. 172   -   Bibliograhy p. 173   -   index p. 175-179     many black and white photos, drawings and diarams
    This is the definitive work on the sailboat design commonly called the sharpie. This sort of boat may be defined as a mostly flat bottomed sailboat with one or 2 masts, often but not always rigged without a jib and with overall length between 14 feet and 50 feet long. They are centerboarders and with board up have very shallow draft.
This is an excellent book to learn about this particularly American boat type, and a very sensible book to read about the details of boat building in general - highly recommended. In some chapters about actual building one needs to read slowly and carefully - The historical chapters are delightful.
~ 2018-04-21 ~

Kurun in the Caribbean
by Le Toumelin, Jacques Yves - 1920-2009
pub by Rupert-Hart-Davis, Soho Square, London, UK -     1959 - - translated by Lawrence Wilson     -     originaly published in French in 1957 by Flammarion - - isbn - none original edition    - -LCCN 59-014040    - - 173 p.       - map p. 10 - black and white photos.
J-Y Le Toumelin had sailed Kurun around the world in 1949-1952. He made a second voyage, on 29 Sepember 1953. He sailed out down the coast of Spain to Funchal in the Maderia Islands and after a visit sailed on South past Tenerife Island in the Canaries to Puerto de La Luz, Las Palmas on Grand Canaria Island.
On 8 January 1955 he headed across the Atlantic Ocean and through the islands of the Caribbean. This book is a good straight forward story about the single handed adventures of an acomplished sailor on a yacht in post WWII and the western world was still in a bit of flux. - A good read -
~ 2018-03-30 ~

Desperate Hours the epic rescue of the Andrea Doria
by Goldstein, Richard
pub by John Wiley abd Sons Inc., NY -     2001 - - isbn 0-471-38934-X    - -LCCN 2001 024233    - - 294 p.       - - Contents p. vii- viii     Acknowledgments p. ix     Introduction p. 1-2 Appendix p. 281- 282     Sources (and bibliography) p. 283-286     Index p. 287- 284.
This book would be better subtitled - the rescue of the passengers and crew of the Andrea Doria - as the ship itself sank. The vast majority of the passengers and all the crew were rescued. The Stockholm lost 5 of its crew.
This is a thorough examination of the crash of the liner Stockholm and the liner Andrea Doria in a heavy fog south of Nantucket Island, about 150 miles east of New York and about 150 miles SSE of Boston at 11:20 PM on 25 July 1956. Both ships had radar, but the interpretation of what was seen on their radars and their officers responses to what was seen was faulty.
-Desperate Hours- is recommended reading for anyone who has any interest in the event or in \ disasters at sea.
~ 2018-03-19 ~

An Author Bites the Dust
by Upfield, Arthur W. (1888-1964)
pub. by Macmillan - Scribner, NY. 1987     isbn - 0-02-054900-8 pbk.     originally published in 1948 - - 224 pages
In this story a highly critically acclaimed author dies mysteriously. The autopsy in inconclusive. The first investigation does not conclude with any reason for death and no suspects. - Bony - as Napoleon Bonapart is known is called in by the chief investigator of the district in which the death occurred. Bony is not of that district but takes the case using his vacation to solve the mystery, which he does. The reader is given a good tour of the state of literature and publishing in this mystery, and the end does have a bit of a twist which one might see as plausible and is satisfying.
Sometimes this title is not listed in the general cannon of Upfields writings - I do not know why.
A good read.
~ 2018-03-11 ~

Hills and the Sea
by Belloc, Hilaire (1870-1953)
pub by The Marlboro Press/Northwestern Evanston, Illinois, USA -     1990 - - isbn 0-8101-6009-9     originally published in 1906    - - 220 p.       - - Contents p. vii-viii       Forward p. ix-xiii
This book is a collection of 38 writings. They could be considered short stories. They are descriptions of activities in various places, almost all in France, the Pyranies the mountains between France and Spain, Spain Andorra and UK (England).
Remember that this was originally published in 1906. This was after the Franco-Prussian War which occured 1870-1871, in which the Prussians (Germany) conquered France, and shortly before World War 1
The Forward is a tour de force stretching the English language describing the author and a friend having adventures.
You need to be in the correct mood to enjoy this book. Some of the parts are delightful,
but if you to read it all at once you will tire of it every now and then.
~ 2018-03-02 ~

Desperate Hours the epic rescue of the Andrea Doria
by Goldstein, Richard
pub by John Wiley abd Sons Inc., NY -     2001 - - isbn 0-471-38934-X    - -LCCN 2001 024233    - - 294 p.       - - Contents p. vii- viii     Scknowledgments p. ix     Introduction p. 1-2 Appendix p. 281- 282     Sources (and bibliography) p. 283-286     Index p. 287- 284.
This book would be better subtitled -the rescue of the passengers and crew of the Andrea Doria - as the ship itself sank. The vast majority of the passengers and all the crew were rescued. The Stockholm lost 5 of its crew.
This is a thorough examination of the crash of the liner Stockholm and the liner Andrea Doria in a heavy fog south of Nantucket Island, about 150 miles east of New York and about 150 miles SSE of Boston at 11:20 PM on 25 July 1956. Both ships had radar, but the interpretation of what was seen on their radars and their officers responses to what was seen was faulty.
-Desperate Hours- is recommended reading for anyone who has any interest in the event or in disasters at sea.
~ 2018-03-19 ~

-

A Man for All Oceans - Captain Joshua Slocum and the First Solo Voyage Around the World
by Grayson, Stan
pub by Tilburh House Publishers. 12 Star St., Thomaston, ME 04861, USA -     and the New Bedford Whaling Museum   - LCCN 2017 934121 - - isbn 978-0-88448-548-3 - - 401 p.       - - Contents p. vi-viii       Introduction p. ix-xiv       Prologue p.1-3
      Chapters 1 through 21 cover every aspect of the life of Joshua Slocum. - This is the most complete biography of Joshua Slocum done so far.
~ 2018-02-15 ~

To the Ends of the Earth - The Selected Travels of Paul Theroux
by Theroux, Paul
pub by Ivy Books (Ballantine), NY, 1990 -       - LCCN 91-9533 - - isbn 0- 8041-1122-7 - - 358 p.       - - Contents p. ix-xi       Introduction p. xiii-xix       map p.xx-xxi

This book contains exerpts of 6 of Theroux travel books - perhaps could be considered the - best of- those books
~ 2018-01-30 ~

Song of the Lion
by Hillerman, Anne
pub. by Harper Collins, NY. 2017     isbn - 978-0-06-239190-2 - - 293 pages
Mystery fiction - Navajo reservation - Grand Canyon.
~ 2017-12-31 ~

Half moon - Henry Hudson and the voyage that redrew the map of the New World
by Hunter, Douglas - 1959-
pub by Bloomsbury Books, NY,   2009 -    - isbn 9781596916807 - - 330 p.      Acknowledgmens p.299 - 301 - Maps scattered to where needed NE of Europe p.10 - E coast of N. America p.41 - Bibliography p, 303-309 - Index p.311-329 - p.330 A Note On the Author -
~ 2017-12-30 ~

Christ and Antichrist in Prophecy and History
by de Kock, Edwin
pub by author -     Edinburg, Texas, USA   in 2013 with further revisions -    previous editions in 2000 (digital) , 2001 (printed) and 2007 ( digital newly revised)  - isbn (none) - - 423 p.       - References p. 378-419 - - authors other prophetic publications p.420-423.
~ 2017-12-01 ~

A History of the Navigators Sextant
by Cotter, Charles H.-
pub by Brown Son and Ferguson Ltd, Glasgow, UK, 1983 -         - isbn 0-85174-427-3 - - 226 p. Total      
Notes and References after each chapter - - Acknowledgements p. v - - Authors Forward p. vi - - Index p. 225-226
~ 2017-10-15 ~

The Ship and the Storm - Hurricane Mitch and the loss of the Fantome
by Carrier, Jim -- 1944-
pub by Harcourt, NY, 2001 -       orig pub by International Marine in 2001 -      - isbn 0-15-600740-1 - - 317 p.       - Acknowledgements p 313-315 - - - about the author p. 317
~ 2017-09-18 ~

Coots in the North and other stories
by Ransome, Arthur - (1884�1967) - introduced by Hugh Brogan
pub. by Jonathan Cape Ltd, London, UK, 1988       isbn 0-224- 02605-4 -- Preface p. 7 - - 144 p. total
~ 2017-09-26 ~

Death in the Long Grass - a big game hunters adventures in the African Bush
by Capstick, Peter Hathaway -- 1940-1996
pub by St. Martins Press, NY, 1977 -       -      - LCCN 77-9224 - isbn 0-312-18613-4 - - 297 p.       - Acknowledgements p iii - - - Contents p. v - - Forward . ix- xv
~ 2017-09-18 ~

Paper - paging through history
by Kuransky, Mark
pub by W.W. Norton, NY, 2016 -       - - isbn 978 -0-393-23961-4 - - 400 p.       - Prologue. The Technological fallacy p. xiii - xx       a few black and white illustrations scattered in the text supporting the text -       - Appendix- timeline p 337 -       Acknoledgements p. 343       - Bibliography p. 347       - Index p.355       coliphon - Paper and Type p. 400
~ 2017-09-11 ~

The Genius of China - 3,000 years of science discovery and invention
by Temple, Robert
pub by Simon and Schuster, NY, 1986 -       - LCCN 86-15620 - - isbn 0-671-62028-2 - - 254 p.       - map p 250-251       - list of dynasties - p. 252       - list of Needham's volumes of Science and civilization in China published as of 1985
~ 2017-08-25 ~

The Man Who Loved China
by Winchester, Simon
pub by Harper/Collins, NY, 2008 -       - LCCN 2007040516 - - isbn 978-0-06- 088459-8 - - 316 p.
subtitled - The fantastic story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom -. It is the biography of Noel Joseph Terrence Montgomery Needham - more commonly called Joseph Needham.
~ 2017-07-21 ~

Vagabonding Under Sail
by Crealock, W.I.B.
pub. David McKay Co., NY , 1951     this later paperback edition 1978     isbn 0-679-51425-2 - black and white photos disbursed in text. - Appendix p. 279 - 302 about the boat - the rig - Navigation - Photographic suggestions - Seasickness - Sea cooking - the Cost - Useless statistics - Outward bound (general comments) - do remember all these were written in 1951 when the world was a different place. - - 302 p.
~ 2017-05-22 ~

The Telomere Effect - a revolutionary approach to living younger, healthier, longer
by Blackburn, Elizabeth and Epel, Elissa
pub. by Grand Central pub (Hatchette Book group), NY 2017       isbn 978- 1455587971     398 p. total - -- - Acknowledgements p.329-332 - - Info about Commercial Telomere Tests p. 333-335 - - Notes p. 337-379 - - Permissions p. 381-383 - - Index p. 385-396 - - About authors p.397-398
Elizabeth Blackburn along with collegues Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak received the Nobel Prize for -Physiology-or-Medicine- for their work in Telomeres in 2009.
~ 2017-05-12 ~
You might enjoy reading Elizabeth Blackburn and the story of telomeres - deciphering the ends of DNA - by - Brady, Catherine - MIT press
- It was published in 2007 before Blackburn won the Nobel, and before almost all of the modern research was done.
It also sets up backgrond for this book.
Videos of Elizabeth Blackburn lectures

The Lost City of Z - a tale of obsession in the Amazon
by Grann, David
pub. by Doubleday, NY 2005       isbn (for Random House Large Type edition 978-0-7393-2834-7     514 p. total - - maps ahead of text - - photos between p. 306 and 307 - - Acknowledgements p.393 - - A Note on Sources p. 399 - - Notes p. 403 - - Selected Bibliography p. 465 - - Index p. 489
~ 2017-04-21 ~

New Worlds to Conquer
by Halliburton, Richard
pub. by Garden City Pub. / Star Books / Bobbs Merrill , Garden City, NY 1929       isbn -none -     368 p. total - - maps on endpapers
Halliburton has further adventures, this time in the Western hemisphere.
~ 2017-04-02 ~

Alaska, the Harriman expedition 1899
by Burroughs, John - - Muir, John - - Grinnell, George Bird - - Healey Dall, William - - Keeler, Charles - - Fernow, Bernard E. - - Gannett, Henry - - Brewer, William H. - - Merriam, C. Hart - - Washburn, M.L.
pub. by Doubleday,NY 1901       ( republished by Dover, Mineola, NY, 1986 - isbn 0-486-25109-8 - - Maps. - some diagrams - - black and white photos - - Index p. 371-383 - - 383 p. total
~ 2017-03-23 ~

The Glorious Adventure
by Halliburton, Richard (1900-1939)
pub. by Bobbs Merril Co. Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, 1927       isbn none - - Maps. on end papers - - black and white photos - - 354 p. total
~ 2017-03-06 ~

Following the Equator - a journey around the world     v.2
by Twain, Mark
pub. by Harper and Brothers, NY 1899   - -   volume VI (6) of the Author's National Edition - The writings of Mark Twain (series)   - -     isbn (none) - - - - black and white frontspiece - The Mates shadow froze to the deck photos - - 362 p. total
Samuel Clemens ( Mark Twain ) is writing about his trip around the world in this 2 volume work. This is a description of volume 2.
~ 2017-02-26 ~

Following the Equator- a journey around the world v.1
by Twain, Mark
pub. by Harper and Brothers, NY 1899   - -   volume V (5) of the Author's National Edition - The writings of Mark Twain (series)   - -     isbn (none) - - - - black and white frontspiece - Protecting the women - a bouy rescue from a ship photos - - 317 p. total
Samuel Clemens ( Mark Twain ) is writing about his trip around the world in this 2 volume work. This is a description of volume 1.
~ 2017-02-09 ~

The Way of Herodotus - travels with the man who invented history
by Marozzi, Justin
pub. by Da Capo Press, Perseus Books Group NY. 2008       isbn 978-0-306-81621-5 - - Maps p. xvi-xvii - - black and white photos between p. 174 and 175 - - Bibliography p. 327-333 - - Index p. 335-348 - - 348 p. total
The author travels to many of the places mentioned in the Histories by Herodotus.
~ 2017-01-25 ~

An Evolution of Singlehanders
by Clarke, D.H.
pub. by David McKay Co Ltd, NY. 1976       isbn 0-67950706-x - - LCCN 76-40513 - - black and white photos between p. 97 and 97 - - Bibliography p. 157-159 - - Appendices (10 of them) p.160-206 - - - - 206 p. total
~ 2017-01-08 ~

Journey with Caravel - we ran away to sea
by Carlisle, Fred
pub. by Clarke,Irwin and Co., Canada. 1971       isbn 0-7720-0505-2 - - Maps. Atlantic and regional - - black and white photos between p. 66 and 67 - - Appendix Celestial Navigtion - the Easy Way p. 212-225 - - Glossary p. 226-241 - - 241 p. total
Fred Carlisle had what some would call a mid-life crisis - or re-examination - of how his life was being lived. At age 55 he was a successful insurance salesman in Toronto, Canada. He wanted some adventure in his life, sailing adventure. His wife humored him.
~ 2016-12-26 ~

Sextant - a young mans daring sea voyage and the men who mapped the worlds oceans
by Barre, David
pub. by William Morrow - Harper Collins, NY. 1983       isbn 978-0062279347 - - Maps. Atlantic and Pacific - - some diagrams - - black and white photos between p. 232 and 233 - - Notes p. 293-308 - - Glossary p. 309-312 Bibliography p. 313-317- - Illustrations credits p. 319-320 - - Index p. 321-340 - - 340 p. total
~ 2016-12-21 ~

Close Hauled - being the adventures of the author ...
by Coles, K. Adlard
pub. by Seeley, Service and co. Ltd. London. 1926       isbn (none) - - Two Map p.14-15 smaller detail maps in text - - Index p. 187-188 - Appendix describing the boat and trip p. 183 - 185 - 188 p. total
K. Adlard Coles wrote this book fairly early in his life. He later became a major small boat sailing author and publisher.
~ 2016-11-25 ~

The Snow Leopard
by Matthiessen, Peter
pub. by Bantam, NY. 1979 (the edition I had in hand was the 1981 Bantam Windstone edition - - (The book was originally published by Viking-Penguin in Aug. 1978)       Bantam ed. isbn 0-553-20651-6 - - Two Maps at the begining of the book - - Acknowledgments p. 333 - 334 - - Notes p. 335 - 341 - - Index p. 343-350 - - 350 p. total
This is the story of an expedition in late 1973 into western Nepal
~ 2016-11-20 ~

Old Peters Russian Tales
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by Jonathan Cape Ltd, London, UK, 1984 (first edition in 1916)       isbn 0-224-029592 -- Contents. p.vii - - Note (1915) p. viv - - Note to 1938 ed. p. v - - this edition is illustrated with black and white line drawings by Faith Jacques - - 243 p. - - total - - (an earlier edition produced by Thomas Nelson and Sons - NY. Edinburgh, London...printed in USA probably during WWII 1943 perhaps) is illustrated by Dimitri Mikrokhin it has 334 p.) in both editions the illustrations are small and serve the stories well.
This is a collection of delightful folk tales collected by Arthur Ransome when he was in Russia in 1914.
~ 2016-11-02 ~

Francis Bacon - the temper of a man
by Bowen, Catherine Drinker
pub. by Atlantic Monthly press (Little, Brown and Co.), Boston. 1963       LCCN 63-8960 - black and white illustrations between p. 118 and 119 - Authors Note p. 235-236 includes acknowledgements - Index p. 237-245 - this was a Book-of-the-Month Club edition -
~ 2016-10-24 ~

A Voyage Long and Strange - on the trail of Vikings Conquistadors Lost Colonists and other adventurers in early America
by Horwitz, Tony
pub. by Picador (Henry Holt and Co.), NY. 2008       ISBN 978-312-428327 - black and white illustratinos and 15 maps in text as needed - Note on Sources p.391-408 - Bibliography p. 409- 420 - Acknowledgments p. 421-422 - Illustration credits p. 423-425 - index p.427-445 -
~ 2016-10-12 ~

Secret of the Hittites - the discovery of an Ancient Empire
by Ceram, C.W.
pub. by Alfred A. Knopf, NY. 1966       LCCN 53-9457 - illustrated with black and white plates. p.v-xxi -- 281 pages plus index at back pages i - x.(Roman numerals)
The author writes under C.W. Ceram, a pseudonym for Kurt Wilhelm Marek. Due to an unfortunate bit of writing he did during WWII he chose to distance himself from that past.
~ 2016-09-05 ~

A Life Full of Hobbies
by Blandford, Pearcy W.
pub. by Live Wire Books. Oxfordshire, UK, 2015       isbn 978-0-9553124-9-6 -- Contents. p.5 - - Dedication. p.6 - - Forward. p.7 - - Introduction p.9 - - 312 p. total
This is an autobiography of Perrcy W. Blandford. It is organized more thematically than chronologically.
~ 2016-08-13 ~

The Invention of Cuneiform - Writing in Sumer
by Glassner, Jean-Jacques - - - translated and edited by Zainab Bahrani - and - Marc van de Mieroop
pub. by Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore, 2003       isbn 978-0-801887574 - - Contents p. ix - x - - Translators Preface p xi - xvii - Translators notes p. xvii - - Introduction p. 1 - 8 - - Abbreviations p. 229-230 - - Notes p. 231-257 - - Index p. 259-266 - - 266 p. Total

This book is about more than the invention of Cuneiform, it is largely involved with the invention of written language.
~ 2016-07-27 ~

Library an unquiet history
by Battles, Michael
pub. by W.W. Norton, NY. 2003       isbn 0 393 020290 - - Acknowledgments p. ix-x - - Notes on Sources p. 215-227 - - Index p. 229-245 - - 245 p. total
This book was a a much better read than Battles later book Palimpsest. He is on much more familiar ground as he is a librarian in one of the great libraries of the world at Harvard Universithy.
~ 2016-07-03 ~

Palimpsest a history of the written word
by Battles, Michael
pub. by W.w. Norton, NY. 2015       isbn 978-0 393 05885 7 - - Forward Mind as Page p. 1-4 - - Notes on Sources p. 227-238 - - Illustration credits p. 239-240 , Index p. 241-262 - - 262 p. total
~ 2016-06-22 ~

Unknown Shore - the Lost History of Englands Arctic Colony
by Ruby, Robert
pub. by Henry Holt, NY 2001       isbn 0-8050-5215-1 - ,     300 p. total - - Notes p. 261-282 - - Bibliogrraphy p. 283-290 - - Acknowledgements p. 291-292 - - index p. 293-300. -
This is the history of Martin Frobisher and his attempts to find the Northwest Passage (not mentioned as such in the book) - the way to Cathay (China)
~ 2016-05-21 ~

The Natural Navigator
by Gooley, Tristan
pub. by Virgin Books, imprint of Ebury Pub. subsidary of Random House, NY 2010       isbn 978 1905264940 - ,     296 p. total - - index p. 281 - 296. - Acknowledgements p. 279 - Bibliography p. 267 - 278 - Sources and Notes p. 246 - 266
This book is what the title promises.
~ 2016-05-02 ~

Running Toward Danger - Real Life Scouting Action stories of Heroism, Valor and Guts
by Malone, Michael S.
pub. by Windrush Pub. Dallas, Texas,( http://www.windrushpub.com/ ) in 2015       isbn 978-098590977-2 - , 348 p. total
This book is not an official publication of the Boy Scouts of America

This book is a history of the heroism medal of the Boy Scouts of America.
~ 2016-03-19 ~

Sea-Boats, Oars and Sails
by OBrien, Conor
pub. by Loadstar Books, London, UK 2013       isbn 978-1-90206-17-7 (later edition) - (1st Ed Oxford Univ. Press 1941) - illustrated with drawings by the author p. 160-172 - - Index pl 158-159 - - postscript p. 173-175 Lugger for the 21st Century - other B and W modern illustrations within text.
Imagine small boating with work boats, not yachts, before fiberglass, before epoxy, before nylon or dacron.
~ 2016-03-10 ~

In the Heart of the Sea - the tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
by Philbrick, Nathaniel
pub. by Viking (Penguin), NY 2000       isbn 0965-032871 - , 302 p. total - preface p. xi -- Crew of Esses (list) p.xvii -- labeled diagram of Essex p. xviii Notes p. 239-278 -- Select Bibliography p. 279-290 -- Acknowledgements p. 291-294 -- index p. 295-302
~ 2016-02-17 ~

Plutarchs Lives
by Plutarch - trans. by Dryden, John
pub. by Random House - Modern Library, NY, 2001 -       isbn; 0-375-75676-0     biography p.V-Vi     Intro. by James Atlas p. ix-xv     Preface by Arthur HUGH Clough P. xix-xxxvi     Index p.757-764     Discussion Guide p.765     total size 766 p.
Plutarch was a Greek. He traveled to Rome and perhaps to Egypt. He was born about 45 AD and died about 120 AD.
There are at least 3 volumes of these biographies - titled Lives
Plutarch wrote short biographies of many luminaries in the ancient world, many who died as much as 600 years before he was born.
~2016-01-25~

Venetian Navigators - the Voyages of the Zen brothers to the far north
by Ribukabtm Abdrea di
pub. Faber and Faber, London - 2011/,     isbn 978-0-571-24377-8 - - few black and white portraits and reproductions of ancient maps - - 244 p.
~2015-11-27~

The Tony Hillerman Companion - a comprehensive guide to his life and work
by Greenberg, Martin. editor
pub by - Harper Collins, NY, USA, 1994 - - ISBN 0-06-017034-4 - - - LCCN = 93-49507 - 8 pages of black and white photos between p. 152 and 153. maps on endpapers - - 375 p.
This book is in fact 7 separate works bound together.
~ 2016 ~

Ambrose Bierces Civil War
by Bierce, Ambrose
pub by Regnery Gateway Company, NY, 1956         reprint Wings Books div. of Random House, NJ, 1996     isbn 0-517-15013-1       _       introduction p. iii - xi - - - contents p. xiii - - total 258 pages.
~2015-11-01~

HMS Beagle - the story of Darwins ship
by Thomson, Keith S.
pub by W.W. Norton and Company, NY, 1995             isbn 0-393-03778-9       contents p. 5-6 - Preface, Acknoledgments, Preface and Prologue p.11-18 -- body of text p.19-269, illustrations, plans - Endnotes p. 271-281 - Index p. 301-310. - - total 320 pages.
~2015-10-20~

The Sea Chest - a yachtsmans reader
by Rimington, Critchell, editor
pub. W.W. Norton, NY - 1947, repirnt 1975     isbn 0-393-03183-7 - - LCCN 74-28144 - - 355 p.
This is a book made up of 49 reprinted stories from various sources.
~2015-10-04~

Roman Army - pocket dictionary
by Abdy, Richard
pub. British Museum Press, London - 2008/,     isbn 978-07141-3126-9 - - - - 48 p.
~2015-10-01~

The Novel
by Michener, James A. (James Albert), 1907-1997
pub. by Fawcett Crest - Ballentine, NY. 1991     isbn - 0-449-22143-1 (LCCN 90- 53489) - - 436 p. - maps p.iii - vi
Michener wrote this very late in his career. It is a novel on the writing, getting published and the literary world. It has an autobiographical feel as it is set in the area where he was born and raised.
~ 2015-09-12

Rock with wings
by Hillerman, Anne
pub. by HarperCollins, NY, 2015 -       isbn; 978-0-06227051-1     Acknowledgements and Disclaimers p. map of spooky sites on pages viii - 319-320     -     Glossary of Navajo words used in Rock with Wings p. 321-322.     total 323 pages.
This is Anne Hillermans second novel.
~2015-09-03~

Amerigo the man who gave his name to America
Fernandez-Armestoez-Armesto, Felipe
Very interesting biography of Amerigo Vespucci
~2015-08-31~

Spider Womans Daughter
by Hillerman, Anne
pub. by Harper Collins, NY. 2013     isbn - 978-0-06-227048-1 - - 307 pages
~ 2015-08-22

The Burgler in the Library
by Block, Lawrence
pub. Dutton, NY, 1997     isbn 0-525-94301-3
342 pages.
This is a mystery novel. It is part of a series by the author where the investigator is Bernie Rhodenabarr.
~ 2015-08-18 ~

Walden - and - A week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers - and - Civil Disobedience - and - Life without Principle - and - Cape Cod - and - fragments from his Journals
by Thoreau, Henry David -- 1817-1862
orig. pub. by Tichnor and Fields, Boston - 1854       Bantam pub. NY, 1982 (Walden and other Writings by Henry David Thoreau) isbn 0-559--21012-2
Introduction and edited by Joseph Wood Krutch p. 1-23     the text of Walden p. 105-351     - Bibliography p.435-436 - - total volume has 436 p.
This physical book is bound with A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers - - Civil Disobedience - - Life Without Principle - - The Maine Woods - - Cape Cod - - The Journal
~ 2015 ~

A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There
by Leopold, Aldo -- 1886-1948
- pub. Oxford University Press, NY - 1949 (comerative edition 1987)       isbn 0-19-505305-2 - - - forward by Aldo Leopold. March 1948 p. vi - ix - - contents p. xi - xiii - - Introduction by Robert Finch. June 1987 p. xv - xxvii - - Pt.1 A Sand County Almanac p. 3 - 92 -- Pt.2 Sketches Here and There p. 93 - 162 - - Pt.3 p. 163 - 226 - - About the Author p. 227 - 228 - - total length - 228 p.
This is a commerative edition of the publication. It has a very useful introduction by Robert Finch which makes the writings of Aldo Leopold more intelligible for the modern reader. This is not to say it is a difficult read, but it was written immediately after WWII and the world and how we deal with the natural world is different now from then.
The first of what are in effect 3 books bound together A Sand County Almanac is a collection of articles by month describing some of the activities which occurred or may occur in that month. Leopold reveals an incredible depth of knowledge of the enviornment and all the natural living things on and around his farm.
The second part entitled Sketches Here and There consists of a number of short writings on various natural subjects, often revealing deep knowledge and interesting information.
The third part The Upshot would be a call to action to save parts of the world in their natural state,....
~ 2015-07-01 ~

1177 B.C. the year civilization collapsed
by Cline, Eric H.
pub. by Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ, USA, 2014     isbn - 0-609-80826-5 - - 237 p. - map p. v, vi - Black and White photos - Epilogue p.171 - 176 - Dramatis Personae (names of ancient people) p. 177-180 - Notes p. 181-200 - Bibliograpny p. 201-228 - Index p. 229-237
This in the first book in a planned series Turning Points in Ancient History, series editor Barry Strauss.
Cline takes the date of pharaoh Ramses III fight against the Sea Peoples for his title. This was a significant event in the history of the Late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranen, including the Tigrus Euphrates civilization. The Minoans, Mycenaeans, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonhians, Mitannians, Canaanites, Cypriots and Egyptians all interacted on a high level, ....
~ 2015-05-02 ~

Wild Ocean - the Story of the North Atlantic and the Men Who Sailed It
by Villiers, Alan J. 1903-1982
pub by Mcgraw Hill, NY, 1957 -       - - LCCN 57-9440 - - (later edition isbn 1258173050 ) - - 327 p. -- illus.
Villiers, a sailor from the end of commercial sailing who had vast experience on the various seas of the world, describes the North Atlantic Ocean.
~ 2015-04-14 ~

The Race to the New World - Christopher Columbus, John Cabot and a Lost History of Discovery
by Hunter, Douglas
pub. by Palgrave McMillan - St. Martins, NY 2011       isbn 978-0-230-34165-4 (hardcover 978-0-230-11011-3) -     - LCCN = 2012011581 - - 277 p. - maps p vii - viii - Notes and commentary p 253-263 - Bibliography p 265-269 - Index p 271-277
This book is a biographical and historical sketch of the lives and efforts of Christopher Columbus and John Cabot.
~ 2015-03-28 ~

In the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark
by Snyder, Gerald S.
pub by - National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, USA, 1970 - - ISBN 87044-087-x - - - LCCN = 77-125338 - heavily illustrated with copies of artwork, color photos and maps - Index p. 212-215 - - 216 p.
~2015-03-04~

A Basic History of Germany
by Lowenstein, Hubertus zu (1906-1984)
pub by - Inter Nationes, Bonn, Germany, 1965 - (copyright 1964 by Verlag Heinrich Scheffler, Frankfurt) - - isbn -none- - - LCCN = 67-006896 - - Index (names) p. 186-192 - - 192 p.
The author is properly known as Prince Hubertus Friedrich zu Lowenstein. It seems he is royalty. He was born in Germany before WWI and was somewhat active in what might be called Good Government.
~2015-03-04~

The World of Gerard Mercator - the mapmaker who revolutionized geography
by Taylor, Andrew
pub. by Walker and Company, NY - 2004       isbn 0-8027-1377-7
- 291 p. maps, black and white pictures, Notes p. 257-269       bibliography p. 271-274     index p. 275-291
Taylor presents a thorough and well researched biography of Gerard Mercator - son of Hubert de Cremer, shoe maker.
~ 2015-02-19 ~

Food at Sea - shipboard cuisine from Ancient to Modern Times
by Spalding, Simon
pub. by rowan and Littlefield, NY. London, 2015 -       isbn; 978-1-4422-2736-1     LCCN = 2014024370     Illustrated black and white pictures   -   Contents p.vii     Selected Recipes p. 205-220     Notes p. 221-240     Bibliography p. 241-247     Index p. 249-264     About the Author p. 265     265 pages
The Bibliography is impressive.
~2015-02-09~

Jagular goes everywhere - mis Adventures in a 300 dollar sailboat
by Pamperin, Tom
pub. by Cedar Street Press, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, USA, 2014 -       isbn; 978-0-9914617-1-4     LCCN = 2014907079     Illustrated by Eric Bott   -   map on p. 110         222 pages
~2015-01-21~

Setting Sails - a tribute to the Chinese Junk
by Maitland, Derek - photos by Wheeler, Nik
pub. by South China Morning Post, Ltd, Tong Chong Street, Quarry Bay, Hongkong, 1981 -       isbn; none     LCCN = 82-174349     Illustrated by Nik Wheeler   -   many color photos, some in black and white - - some line drawings         bibliography p. 170         Acknowledgements p. 171         Index p. 172-174         174 pages
~2015-01-10~

Spooky Wisconsin - Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore
by Schlosser, S. E.
pub. by Guiliford, Connecticut, USA (Globe Pequot Press), 2008 -       isbn; 978-0-7627-4562-3     LCCN = 2008008833     Illustrated by Paul Hoffman   -   map of spooky sites on pages viii - ix         207 pages
This is a collection of folklore.
~2014-12-29~

Ransome Revisited
by Mace, Elisabeth
pub. by Andre Deutsch Ltd , London, UK, 1975 -       isbn; 0-233-96656-0     LCCN =     140 pages
This is a work of fiction set in a bleak post apocalyptic future in England and Scotland.
~2014-12-18~

Richard Halliburtons book of Marvels
by Halliburton, Richard
pub. by Bobs-Merril , NY, 1941 -       isbn; (none)     LCCN =     316 pages
This book is actually two previously published books Richard Halliburtons book of Marvels the Occident (c) 1937 and Richard Halliburtons book of Marvels the Orient (c) 1938 both published by Bobbs-Merril. It seems that this combined - bound-together book was published after Richard Halliburton went missing/died. In 1939 he attempted to cross the Pacific Ocean in a Chinese Junk and was never seen again. Not even any wreckage was ever found.
~2014-12-02~

River of Doubt - Theodore Roosevelts darkest journey
by Millard, Candice
pub. by Anchor Books (Random House) , NY, 2005 -       isbn; 978-0-7679-1373-7     Maps p. xii - xiii     black and white photos     Notes and References p.355-393     Bibliography p. 395-402     Acknowledgements p. 403-407     Credits p. 408     Index p. 409-416     total size 416 p.
~2014-10-31~

Arthur Ransome
by Hunt, Peter
pub. by Twain Publishers, Boston, 1991 -       isbn; 0-8057-7003-8     Notes and References p.151-163     Index p.164-169     The Author p.170     total size 170 p.
At first I thought - Another biography of Arthur Ransome ? - Reading it I find that it is an entirely different type of Arthur Ransome study, and one which explores new ground.
Hunt gives a brief overview of Ransomes life and then dwells on meticulous study of his writing methods, plot development etc.
~2014-08-25~

The Making of the African Queen or how I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and almost lost my mind
by Hepburn, Katharine
pub. by Knopf, NY 1987     isbn 0-394-56272-0     heavily illustrated with black and white photos - photo credits p.132-133 - a note on the type face used p.134     - - 134 p.
~ 2014-08-08 ~

Blood River a journey to Africas broken heart
by Butcher, Tim
pub. by Grove Press, NY 2008      isbn 0-8021-1877-1 - photos - 363 p. -- map p. Viii-ix -- Epilogue p. 343-346 -- Bibliography p. 347-348 -- Acknowledgements p. 349-350 -- Index p.351-363
Tim Butcher was assigned to be the Africa correspondent for the Daily Telegraph the same newspaper which backed Stanley when he crossed Africa East to West 1874-1877.
During the whole trip Butcher reveals much history and describes the current situation (in 2004). The book has an epilogue which brings one up to the situation in 2006.
~ 2014-08-02 ~

Old Indio last of he Karankawa and other short stories
by Hathcock, Steve
pub. Padre Island Trading Company, 104 W. Pompany St., South Padre Island, Texas 78597 - copyright 2010     comb bound   isbn (none) - OCLC (Worldcat) number 701236095 - - 140 p.
Steve Hathcock lists Kay Lay as his editor and has a special acknowledgement to Amy Lindstrom.
This book is a stitched together grouping of 26 stories which are independent chapters each a story mostly about Padre Island, on the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico coast of Texas. They are roughly in chronological order,...
~ 2014-07-22 ~

Facing the Congo - a modern-day journey into the heart of darkness
by Taylor, Jeffrey
pub. by . Three Rivers (random house), New York, 2000     isbn - 0-609-80826-5 - - 261 p. - map p.2 - Black and White photos - Epilogue p.257-260 - Acknowledgements and Prologue. Visions of a River p. xi-xxii
Jeffrey Taylor served as in the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan and was working in Russia when he became dissatisfied with the way his life was going. He became infected with the idea of going to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and taking a local canoe down the Congo River from Kisangani downstream to Kinshasa. If he succeded he would be the first since H. M. Stanley did the trip 1875-1877.
~ 2014 ~

Arthur Ransome . Master Storyteller
by Wardale, Roger
pub. by Great Northern Books. Ilkley, UK ( www.greatnorthenbooks.co.uk) - 2010     isbn 978 1 905080 81 6
- - 160 p. - - ransome
This is a biographical work which details Arthur Ransome writing the books for which he is famous.
~2014-07-08~

Rod and Line
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by Oxford Univ. Press - 1980     isbn 0-19-281-278-5
(first pub. by Jonathan Cape 1929 ) - - 196 p. - - ransome
Before Arthur Ransome wrote Swallows and Amazons, and after he returned from Russia, he wrote articles for the Manchester Guardian on fishing. This book includes 50 of these articles. The writing is clear and amazingly good as non-fiction literature.
~2014-06-25~

Young Crusoe -
by Hofland, Barbara - 1770-1844
pub. by John Heywood, Bristol, England, (orig. about 1840) this edition 1894     isbn -none-     several pen and ink illustrations     164 p. - -
Subtitle is The adventures of a shipwreched boy on the island of St. Paul., inthe Indian Ocean in the year 1826
There are many editions. some are 164 pages long. - There is a Kindle edition dated 2011. which lists a print length of 116 pages. ASIN = B004J8HTNA - There is another edition in the British Library listed as being published in 1896.
~2014-05-30~

The Last Navigator -
by Thomas, Stephen D.
pub. by Henry Holt and Co., NY. 1987 -       isbn; 0-8050-0096-8     Index p. - 308         total size 308 p.
The story of Mau Piailug - a classical Micronesian navigator who taught the Polynesians of Hawaii what they forgot about their traditional naviagation.
~ 2014 ~

Freakonomics - a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
by Levitt, Steven D. and Dubner, Steven J.
pub. by William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins, NY. 2005 -       isbn; 0-06-073132-X     Notes (chapter by chapter) p. 209-230     Acknowdedgments p. 231-232     Index p. 233-242         total size 242 p.
Levitt bills himself as an economist. He comes off as a rigorous statistician with a lot of raw data with which to work (play). Upfront he says that the book does not have a theme. He is correct about that.
~2014-05-02~

Tupaia - Captain Cooks Polynesian navigator
by Druett, Joan
pub. by Praeger an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, Santa Barbara, California, USA, in 2011 -       isbn; 978-0-313-38748-7     map and some B and W pictures     Bibliography p. 241-246     Acknowledgments and Chapter by chapter commentary p.218-240     total size 257 p.
This is a thorough biography of Tupaia (name variously spelled in original documents) who was a Polynesian nobleman Navigator and perhaps on some level a priest.
~2014-04-27~

Down the Nile - alone in a fishermans skiff
by Mahoney, Rosemary
pub. by Little Brown and Company, NY, 2007 -       isbn; 978-0-316-10745-7     Bibliography p.271-273     Acknowledgments p.275     total size 277 p.
This book is much more than a tale of travel down the Nile River in Egypt. It was published in 2007, which I expect means that the actual trip was in 2006 or even a year earlier. This book is a history of travel accounts on the Nile from Herodotus through Napoleons army and many travelers from the 1700s.
This is a very good read if one would want to have a look into upper Nile Egypt before the ferment which began in 2012.
~2012-03-21~

Salvage for the Saint
by Charteris, Leslie - Peter Blossom and John Kruse (actual collaborative authors)
pub. by Crime Club - Doubleday, Garden City, NY - 1983 -       isbn; 0- none shown - LCN 83-5233     181 p.
Another book written by two writers Peter Blossom and John Kruse in collaboration with Leslie Charteris.
~2014-03-16~

Voyages to paradise. exploring in the wake of Captain Cook
by Gray, William R. 1946-
pub. by National Geographic Society, 1981 -       isbn; 0-897044-284-8     215 p.
This book is a very clear biography of James Cook, from his birth in northern UK of Scottish parents through his short career in commercial sail and his long Royal Navy career.
Another, and somewhat more lighthearted book, which traces Capt. James Cooks travels is Blue Latitudes - Boldly going where Captain Cook has gone before by Horwitz, Tony. There is a large body of official writing about Capt. Cook. some of the most detailed is by John C. Beaglehole and historian Michael E. Hoare of New Zealand.
~2014-03-11~

The Saint and the Hapsburg Necklace
by Charteris, Leslie - Short, Christopher (actual author)
pub. by Magna Print Books, Lancanshire, England -       isbn; 0-86009-223-2     347 p.
This book is set in 1938 and was published 1968,
~2014-03-06~

Viking Gods
by Haworth-Maden, Clare. editor
one of the Ancient Cultures series - and much of this material was previously published in Viking Mythology pub. by Chartwell Books,Edison, NJ, USA 1998, (c) Quantum Bks Ltd., London -       isbn; 0-7858-1081-1     highly illustrated in color and Black and White - Glossary of Gods and Goddesses p. 49 -63 - - this book has 64 p.
Highly illustrated book includes a history - creation myth - of Viking/Teutonic religion.
~2014-02-27~

Band Saw Projects
by Crabb, Tom
pub. by Sterling Publishing Co. Inc, NY, 1988 -       isbn; 0-8069-6718-8     LCCN = 88-2162 -     Black and White photos   Appendix - how to make a Pantograph, Ovaler, Sriber 122-127p - - Index p. 127-128 - - 128 p.
~2014-02-15~

How to Avoid Huge Ships or I never met a ship I liked
by Trimmer, John W.
pub. by Captain John W. Trimmer, Seattle, WA, 1982 (printed by The National Writers Press, Aurora, Colorado -       isbn; 0-88100-019-1     LCCN = 82-61398. -     illustrative charts and Black and White photos   97 p.
Trimmer is a ship captain and professional pilot, meaning a licensed person who takes ships into and out of specific ports. He worked in the Panama Canal and at the time of the writing of this book worked the Port of Seattle and the Pacific NW coast north to Alaska.
~ 2014-01-27 ~

The Saint Intervenes
by Charteris, Leslie
pub. by American Reprint Company, Mattinituk, NY, 1976 (orig. pub in 1934 -       isbn; 0-89190-384-4     14 chapters each a story, 274 p.
Charteris has a main character Simon Templar who is also known as The Saint who is a crook in his own right.
~2013-12-18~

Hateship, friendship, courtship, loveship, marriage, stories
by Munro, Alice
pub. by Alfred K. Knopf, ( a Borzoi Book), NY, 2001 -       isbn; 0-375-41300-6     9 stories, 326 p - text of stories in 323 p.
Alice Munro is a Canadian fiction writer who exclusively writes short stories. She is highly celebrated, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013.
~2013-11-15~

Uffa Fox a Personal Biography
by Dixon, June
pub. by Angus and Robertson, Brighton, Sussex, England, UK, 1978 -       isbn; 0-207-95827-0     black and white photos - line drawings of Naval Airborne Lifeboat MK.1. - International fourteen Avenger - Flying Fifteen Cowslip H.R.H. Prince Philip - 25ft Hydro Skee Family Cruiser - Day Sailer -     index p. 201 - 206   - -   206 p.
This is a biography of Uffa Fox, from birth in 1898 to death in 1972. he became one of the most celebrated designers of racing sailboats of the era. He was an avid Sea Scout.
~2013-07-31~

Moon Wind at Large - Sailing Hither and Yon
by Goldman, Matthew - the Constant Waterman
pub. by Breakaway Books, Halcottsville, NY 2012 -       isbn 978-1-891369-95-7     some sketch illustrations and a few sketch maps by author.     295 p.
A largely autobiographical work, well written. Goldman anthropromorphizes his boat giving it a lively personage. He describes life near and on the water in the Connecticut, Rhode Island, southern edge of Massachusetts, which he considers an almost foreign land, and the end of Long Island, NY.

~2013-07-22~

Designer and Client - Eight Boat Design Commissions, from Kayak to Cruiser
by Dias, Antonio
pub. by Wooden Boat Pub., Brooklin, Maine, USA (c) 1998 -       isbn 0-937822-51-5     many diagrams - plan cartoons etc.     149 p.
Boat designer Antonio Dias discusses the development of 8 different boats with special interest in the nature and type of communication between him as designer and the clients who hired him to design these specific boats.
~2013-07-12~

The Journals of the Constant Waterman
by Goldman, Matthew
pub. by Breakaway Books, Halcottsville, NY 2007 -       isbn 978-1-+891369-73-5     some line drawings by MJG - a few line drawn maps     336 pages.
This is a collection of very small vignettes about waterbourn events in the life of Matthew Goldman, from a very young age up to nearly the time of publication. At time of publication Goldman seems to be 67 years old. He has had plenty of time to develop into a proper water rat.

~2013-06-27~

The Canterbury Tales
by Chaucer, Geoffrey - - rendered into modern English by Nevill Coghill
pub. by Penguin Books - England and Baltimore, MD, USA , 1960 -       isbn none - LCCN = 52-031409     528 pages.
Geoffrey Chaucer lived from 1343 to 25 October 1400. He wrote in what is commonly called Middle English which is difficult for modern (post 1900) people to read. Nevill Coghill (professor of English Literature at Oxford) has rendered the Canterbury Tales into modern English
~2013-06-12~

Sailing Boats
by Fox, Uffa
pub. by St Martins Press, NY, 1959 -   -  photos and line drawings/sketch plans   -       isbn none - LCCN = 59-14793     204 pages.
Uffa Fox was a noted small boat designer and sailor. Most of his designs were for small light weight racing craft. What he did not know about racing small craft probably does not need to be known.
~2013-05-11~

The Ropemakers of Plymouth - a history of the Plymouth Cordage Company 1824-1949
by Morison, Samuel Eliot 1887-1976
pub. by Houghton Mifflin., Boston, 1950 -   -  -       isbn none - LCCN = 50-014847     About this book note on pages 204 - 208     -   177 pages.
Morrison tells the story of the Plymouth Cordage Company - rope makers for maritime customers, and other customers including lariats for cowboys.
~2013-04-10~

Prisoner of the Indies - the adventures of Miles Philips as told by Geoffrey Household
by Household, Geoffrey
pub. by Little Brown and Co., Boston, 1967 -   -  maps on endpapers   -       isbn none - LCCN = 68-11111     About this book note on pages 204 - 208     -   208 pages.
Household uses various sources, largely Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries pub 1589, by Richard Hakluyt as a primary source Philips went to sea in 1567 at age 13 on the Jesus of Lubeck, Robert Barrett, Master and John Hawkins as head of the fleet. He ended up captured at San Juan de Ulna (near Veracruz) in Mexico. He was taken to Mexico City and put to work for a wealthy Spaniard there. He escapes and returns to England.
~2013-04-27~

Spains Men of the Sea - Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century
by Perez-Mallaina, Pablo E. - - - translated by Carla Rahn Phillips
pub. by Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1998 -   -  maps   -       isbn 0-8018-5746-5     Notes on pages 247 - 279     index on pages 281 - 289 -   290 pages.
Perez-Mallaina has written -the- book on all the people who were involved with the Spanish fleets which sailed from Spain to the New World, from the lowest cabin-boy to the Admirals who headed up the fleet and all stations of life in between.
~2013-04-24~

The Revenge of Geography - what the map tells us about coming conflicts and the battle against fate
by Kaplan, Robert D.
pub. by Random House, NY 2012 -   -  maps   -       isbn 978-1-4000-6983-5     Notes on pages 349 - 378     index on pages 379 - 403 -   403 pages
Kaplan thinks large. This book is a tour de force of Geopolitik divided by time.
~2013-03-26~

Sailing through China
by Theroux, Paul
pub. by Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston 1984 -   -  black and white line drawings by Patrick Procktor   -       isbn 0-395-34836-6   -   64 pages
Travel down the Yangtze on 2 large tour boats of the Linblad tour group in the company of a number of other passengers most of whom are millionaires.
~2013-02-01~

The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage - (The first adventure of the five finder-outers and Buster their dog)
by Blyton, Enid
pub. by Armada (a division of Collins), London, England, 1988 -   - first published in 1943 -  some black and white line drawings   -       isbn 0-00-693194-4   -   126 pages
This series of mysteries is somewhat like the American Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mysteries, but of course Enid Blyton writes from an English countryside and experience background.

~2013-10-19~

Soundings - the story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor
by Felt, Hali
pub. by Henry Holt and Company, NY, 2012 -   -   photos most in color   -   - Acknowledgements p. 323 - 326 -   -   Index p. 327-340     isbn 978-0-8050-9215-8   -   341 pages
This is the biography of Marie Tharp, geologist, scientist and mapmaker. She is most famous for her work at the Lamont Geological Observatory (part of Columbia University, NY), working with Dr. Bruce C. Heezen.
~2013-01-14~

Revelation of the Magi - the lost tale of the Wise Mens Journey to Bethlehem
translated by Landau, Brent
pub. by Harper Collins Publishers, NY, 2010 -   Introduction p. 1-34 -  - The English Translation of the Revelation of the Magi p.35-98 -   - Acknowledgements p. 99 - 101 -   - Appendix - the Magi Legend from the Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum -   -   p. 103-105 - -   Art Credits -   - Notes p. 109-149 -   - Selected Bibliography p 152-157     isbn 978-0-06-194703-2     bw photos of artwork - copies of the original in Syriac on endpapers - 157 pages
This story as presented is a translation of an ancient text found in the Vatican Library, written in Syriac. This language is practically Aramaic, the language Jesus probably spoke on a daily basis.
The dissertion is available at http://ou.academia.edu/BrentLandau/Papers
The Migne part is in the second chapter of the dissertation.- note this can bring up his full 281 page document as a PDF file.
~2012-12-18~

Shackletons Boat Journey
by Worsley, Frank Arthur - 1872-1943
pub. by W.W. Norton, NY, 1977 -       isbn 0-393-08759-x   many other editions   bw photos - maps on endpapers and S. Georgia Island - 220 pages.
This is Worsleys narrative of the Shackleton expedition of 1914 - 1917. This edition has an itroduction by Edmund Hillary.
Hillary encapsulates the whole expedition in his introduction, which outlines the whole expedition and effectively sets the scene for the more detailed body of the book. Worsley begins his narrative with the abandonment of the Endurance after it is crushed by the ice.
~2012-12-06~

South - the story of Shackletons last expedition 1914-1917
by Shackleton, Sir Ernest
pub. by Konecky and Konecky, NY, 2004 -       isbn 1-56852-252-5     - 380 pages.
also pub by Carroll Graff, NY, 2001       isbn 0-7867-0597-3 (paperback)   - 380 pages.
alternative, and probably original sub title = A memoir of the Endurance Voyage
This is a modified version of Sir Ernest Shackletons diary, of his last (and failed) expedition to Antarctica.
~2012-11-25~

All Fishermen are Liars
by Greenlaw, Linda - 1960
pub. by Hyperion, NY, 2004 -       isbn 1-4013-0070-7     - 228 pages.
This book is a collection of fishermens stories as told in a bar The Dry Dock in Portland, Maine. They are a fun read.
~2012-10-29~

A Waterbiography
by Leslie, Robert C.
pub. by Ashford Press Publishing, Southhampton, 1 Church Rd. Shedfield, Hamshire, S03 2HW England, 1985 - - (first publisheed 1894) -       isbn 0-907069-37-1     - black and white illustrations by the author - Introductory note to this edition by John Leather - 276 pages.
This book is Robert Leslies biography of his time - on the water -.
~2012-10-22~

Seaworthy - a swordboat captain returns to the sea
by Greenlaw, Linda - 1960
pub. by Viking, NY. 2010 -       isbn 978-0-670-02192-5    
~2012-10-15~

Slipknot
by Greenlaw, Linda - 1960
pub. by Hyperion, NY. 2008 -       isbn 978-0-7868-6 - 262 pages.
This is her first work of fiction, a mystery.
~2012-10-02~

Fishermans Bend - a Jane Bunker mystery
by Greenlaw, Linda - 1960
pub. by Hyperion, NY. 2008 -       isbn 978-1-4013-2235-9 - 245 pages.
This mystery, a work of fiction, is delighful,
~2012-09-25~

The Padre Puzzle - a mystery novel
by Harry, David
pub. by Hotray, LLC, 2009 -       isbn 13-9781453606797 or 1453606793 - 289 pages.
This mystery is very readable, proceeds well, but the ending chapters seem rushed...
~2012-09-20~

A Portolan Atlas of the Mediterranean Sea and Western European Waters (with a World Map)
by Oliva, Juan (attributed)
pub. by Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 1987 -       isbn 0-8444-0572-8 - Color reproductions of portolan charts - Introduction p. 5-9 by John A Wolter, Chief Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress - References p. 10 - Description of Atlas and individual maps p. 11-13 - has 4 portolanos and 1 world map - book has 23 pages.
Beautifully done, is in 8.5 x 11 inch format. Maps span 2 pages to roughly 11x17 inches. They are in color and the writing is readable. The Introduction is mostly descriptive of this fascimile. It is estimated that the originals were made between 1589 and 1610. This is a beautiful effort.
~2010-09-10~

A Life of Mark Twain
by Powers, Ron
pub. by Pocket Books (div of Simon and Schuster), NY, 2007 (originally pub. by Free Press in 2006) -       isbn 978-14165-2599-8 - b&w photos - notes p.629-682 - bibliograpny p. 683-689 - Acknowledgments p.691-693 - index p. 695-719 - book has 719 pages.
This book is an excellent biography of Mark Twain ( Samuel Langhorn Clemens ).
~2012-09-09~

The Salt Stained Book (Strong Winds series no.1)
by Jones, Julia
pub. by Golden Duck Ltd, Pleshey, near Chelmsford, Essex UK (www.golden-duck.co.uk), 2011 -       isbn 978-1-899262-04-5 - b&w drawings at end of each chapter - diagrams - map - index - book has 274 p.
This is the first book of a trilogy, and I expect that the latter books will further explain some loose ends left at the end of this first book.
~2012-06-24~

Beyong the Edge of the Sea - Sailing with Janson and the Argonauts, Ulysses, the Vikings, and Other Exlplrers of the Ancient World
by Obregon, Mauricio
pub. by Random House, NY, 2001 -       isbn 0-679-46326-7 - b&w photos - diagrams - maps - index - book has 134 p.

~2012-06-13~

At Any Cost - Love, Life and Death at Sea
by Tangvald, Peter. (1924-1991)
pub. by Cruising Guide Publications, Dunedin, Florida, 1991 -       isbn 0-944428-07-X - b&w photos - epilog by Thomas Tangvald (son of Peter) p. 319-321 - map p. 322 - line diagrams of various rigs p. 323-326. note from publisher p. 327. book has 327 p.
This is the autobiography of Peter Tangvald.
~ 2012-05-25~

The Man Who Thought Like a Ship
by Steffy, Loren C.
pub. by Texas A and M Univ. Press, College Station, TX, 2012 -       isbn 978-1-60344-664-8 - b&w photos - notes p. 163-175 Glossary of Ship Terms 177-181 - Selected Bibliography p. 183 - index -p 185-196 - it is 196 p.
This is a biography of J. Richard (Dick) Steffy the man who practically invented the technique for re-assembling ancient shipwrecks.
~2012-05-10~

Seaworthy Adrift with William Willis in the Golden Age of Rafting
by Pearson, T. R. .
pub. by Crown Publishers, NY, 2006 -       isbn 978-0-307-33594-4 - some maps. diagrams. b&w photos - Bibliography p.271-271- Acknowledgements - index -p 277-280 - it is 281 p.
This is mostly a biography of William Willis, who rafted across the Pacific Ocean twice, and later was lost at sea while attempting to cross the North Atlantic in a small boat in 1968 when he was 75 years old.
~2012-04-30~

The West in My Eyes. a domestic circumnavigation
by Wiele, Annie Van de
pub. by Dodd Mean and Co, NY, 1956 -       printed by Adlard and Son Ltd., London and Dorking       isbn -none- orig Penelope Etaut du Voyage printed in France. - some maps. b&w photos - Appendix by her husband and the captain, L. G. Van de Wiele who describes the Omoo and gives tips on passage making p. 279-284 - diagrams Sail Plan, Accommodation Plan, Lines, and management of the twin staysails diagrams at the end of the book. - it is 288 p. long.
This is the story of a cruise around the world very shortly after WWII.
~2012-04-13~

Winter in Fireland a Patagonian Sailing Adventure
by Coghlan, Nicholas
pub. by Univ. of Alberta Press, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G-2E1, 2011 -       isbn 978-0-88864-547-0 - some maps. b&w photos - Epilog brings events up to year 2010 - Bibliography p.357-362 - index p.363-385- 385 p. -- website www.bosunbird.com
This book covers a voyage from Cape Town, South Africa to St Helena to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Mar del Plata, Argentina to Puerto Deseado, Argentina to Puerto Williams, Chile (very near Cape Horn) and on west and north along the west coast of Chile stopping at Puerto Eden and eventually the Island of Chiloe and Puerto Mott.
~2012-02-23~

Voyage to Jamestown Practical Navigation in the Age of Discovery
by Hicks, Robert D.
pub. by Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2011 -       isbn 978-1,59114-376-5 - some maps. diagrams. b&w photos - Glossary p. 179-185- Bibliography p.187-193 - - Notes p.157-178 - index- 205 p.
This book takes the word - navigation - in the broadest sense. Every element of this imaginary trip is explored.
~2012-02-18~

Moby Duck The True Story of 28,000 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Enviornmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them
by Hohn, Donovan.
pub. by Viking (Penguin group), NY, 1971 -       isbn 978-0-670-02219-9 - 2 maps before Prologue - Selected Bibliography p.381-384 - - Notes p. 385-401 - - 402 p.
~ 2011-12-20 ~

Attack at Michilimackinac 1763
by Henry, Alexander - - edited by Armour, David A.
pub. by Mackinac Island State Park Commission, Mackinac Island, Michigan, 1971 -       isbn 911872-31-0 - - 131 p.
originally published as Travels and adventures in Canada and the Indian Territories between the years 1760 and 1776 in two parts by Alexander Henry, Esq. pub. by I. Riley , New York, 1809.

This book covers the time period immediately after the end of what in USA we call the French and Indian War when English forces captured what is now Canada from the French.
~2011-11-07~

Gorky Park
by Smith, Martin Cruz
pub. Random House, 1981 -       isbn 0-394-5748-2 - - 367 p.
This is the first book (mystery) in Martin Cruz Smiths novels which have Arkady Renko as the protagonist.
I read this series out of order, but even so found them to be an engaging read. They do proceed from one to another and probably would make most sense read in order that they were written with this one first, then Polar Star (1989) (The Arkady Renko Series #2) Red Square (1992) (The Arkady Renko Series #3) Havana Bay (1999) (The Arkady Renko Series #4) Wolves Eat Dogs (2004) (The Arkady Renko Series #5) Stalin's Ghost (2007) (The Arkady Renko Series #6) Three Stations (2010) (The Arkady Renko Series #7)
~2011-10-28~

The Curve of Time
by Blanchet, M. Wylie (Muriel Wylie) aka Capi - - 1891-1961
pub. Whitecap Books - Seal Press edition - Vancouver, B.C, Canada, 1993 -       isbn 1-878067-27-3 - - 171 p.
M. Wylie Blanchet was known to her friends as Capi. She lived on Vancouver Island in a house on a property on Curteis Point in the Saanich district, somewhat removed from the nearest town. She motored her small cruiser Caprice in the waters between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland with her small children for 12 summers.
~2011-11-17~

Following the Curve of Time - The Legendary M. Wylie Blanchet
by Converse, Cathy
pub. Touch Wood Editions, Surrey, Brit. Columbia, Canada and Custer, WA, USA, 2008 -       isbn 978-1-894898-68-3 - - 208 p.
Biography of Muriel Wylie Blanchet, also known as Capi, born in Montreal May 2, 1891 - died 1961. She lived on Vancouver Island and for many years spent the summers touring about the Canadian west coast and writing about the area. She did most of this after her husband died and traveled with her children who she homeschooled. The major books she wrote (as Capi Blanchet) are The Curve of Time and The Strangers Next Door . Most of her traveling was in a motorboat named Caprice .
~ 2011-10-08 ~

Polar Star
by Smith, Martin Cruz
pub. Random House, NY 1989 -       isbn 0-394-57819-8 - - 386 p.
~ 2011 ~

Red Square
by Smith, Martin Cruz
pub. Random House, NY 1992 -       isbn 0-679-41688-9 - - 370 p.

~ 2011-09-23 ~

The Shack a novel
by Young, William Paul
pub. Windblown Media, 4680 Calle Norte, Newbury Park, CA 91320 - 2007 -       isbn 978-0-9647292-3-0 - - 248 p. - Notes
Paul Young wrote this in collaboration with Wayne Jacobson and Brad Cummings.
~~ 2011-09-06 ~

The Last Englishman - the double life of Arthur Ransome
by Chambers, Roland
pub. Faber & Faber Ltd. London - 2009 -       isbn 978-0-571-22262-9 - - 390 p. B&W photos - Notes on sources - Bibliography - Index
Chambers has written a definitive biography of Arthur Ransome in Russia.
~2011-08-15~

Scouting with Baden-Powell
by Freedman, Russell
pub. Holiday House Inc, New York - 1967 -       isbn -none- - - 223 p. B&W photos and a few sketches by Baden-Powell - Bibliographical Note - Index
This biography of Robert Baden-Powell, the man who started Boy Scouting, is a lightweight biography.
~2011-06-06~

Rattlesnakes
by Dobie, J. Frank
pub. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin - 1981 (orig. pub by Little Brown)       isbn 0-292-77023-5 - - 201 p.
This is a book of folklore and stories about rattlesnakes in Texas and the western part of USA and northern Mexico.
~2011-05-27 ~

Arthur Ransome under sail - Racundra - Nancy Blackett - Lottie Blossom - Peter Duck - Selina King - Swallow
by Wardale, Roger
pub. Sigma Leisure, Carmathenshire SA18 3HP in UK - www.sigmapress.co.uk - 2010       isbn 978-1-85058-855-9 - - 256 p. - bibliography - black and white photos
This book was previously published by Jonathan Cape in 1991 under the title Nancy Blackett, Under Sail with Arthur Ransome . It chronicles the sailing life of Arthur Ransome,
~2011-05-21~

Our Oldest Enemy - a history of Americas disasterous relationship with France
by Miller, John J. and Molesky, Mark
pub. Doubleday, NY - 2004       isbn 0-385-51219-8 - - 294 p. - notes p. 262 - 286 - index p. 287 - 294
The title nearly says it all. However there is a lot left out of this book.
~2011-04-30~

Some Part of Myself
by Dobie, J. Frank
pub. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin, Texas - 1980       isbn 0-292-77558-X - - 292 p. - - index
J. Frank Dobie died in 1964. He had planned to write an autobiography and had written a number of bits which were stored for later use. After his death his wife Bertha McKee Dobie collected and edited this trove of writings and published this book.
Lon Tinkle, a friend of Dobies, wrote a more complete biography of J.F. Dobie. An American Original: The Life of J. Frank Dobie (1978) . Both this autobiography and Tinkles biography are good reads.
~2011-04-19~

Cache Lake Country - Life in the North Woods
by Rowlands, John J.
pub. The Countrtyman Press, Woodstock, NY - copyright 1998 (orig pub. by Norton & Co 1947)       isbn 978-0-88150-421-7 - - 272 p. map, pen and ink illustrations by Henry B. Kane.
Rowlands is an accomplished outdoorsman in the central Canadian wilderness. He builds a cabin and as an observer for a timber company lives the -simple life- in the north woods. In some ways it might compare with Annie Dillards - Pilgrim at Tinker Creek - ( John Rowlands died in 1976 )
~2011-03-26~

A Dogs Tale
by Twain, Mark - - Clemens, Samuel
orig. pub. by Harper Brothers, NY - copyright 1905       in a collective volume -The Celebrated Jumping Frog And Other Stories - isbn 0-89577-415-1 (none on original) - - 35 p.
Twain writes an autobiography of a dog.
~ 2011-03-08 ~

On the Decay of the Art of Lying
by Twain, Mark - - Clemens, Samuel
a short story included in - The stolen white elephant, etc. - pub. J.R. Osgood and Co., Boston - copyright 1882       isbn 9780958784528 (none on original) - - the whole volume has 306 p.
This was probably one of Twains speeches.
~ 2011-03-08 ~

The Sisters of Sinai - How two lady adventurers discovered the hidden gospels
by Soskice, Janet Martin
pub. Vintage Books - division of Random House, NY - copyright 2009       isbn 978-1-4000-3474-1 - - 316 p.
They put together a caravan to explore the Sinai Peninsula and there visited St. Catherine's Monastery an ancient monastery.
In the monasterys library they found an ancient book which was the history of an early saint, but the book was a palimpsest (a parchment or vellum which had been re-used by having the original writing scraped off and new writing applied).
In this case the original writing was a very ancient copy of the Gospels.

See the links below for further information...
      http://66south.com/styled-2/
      publisher interview with the author Janet Soskice
~ 2011-03-05 ~

Practical Dinghy Cruiser
by Constantine, Paul
pub. Moonshine Publications       isbn 978-1-907938-01-6 - - 166 p. - (contacts) - list of boats covered by the DCA (Dinghy Cruising Association) bulletin

~ 2011-02-19 ~

The Hull The Sail and the Rudder - - my search for the boundaries of the body mind and soul
by Seale, Avrel
pub. Avrel Seale - copyright 2006     isbn (none) - - 229 p. - (references) bibliography - index
This is a book where the author explores his philosophy.
~ 2011-01-__ ~

The Secret Lives of Lawrence of Arabia
by Knightly, Philip and Simpson, Colin
pub. by McGraw Hill, NY - (orig. Thomas Nelson and Sond, London) copyright 1969       isbn (none) - - 334 p. - bibliography - index
This biography of T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia - - also known as T. E. Shaw when he was in the Royal Air Force) had the benefit of being written after a number of documents came available after their being covered by the British governments - Secrets Act - and other impediments were passed.
~2011-01-10~

Legends of the Fall
by Harrison, Jim
pub. by Delacorte Press, NY - copyright 1978       isbn 0-440-05461-3 - - 276 p. -
This volume contains realy 3 stories, and the volume title is the last presented in the book.
The first story Revenge is about an ex-military helicopter pilot who has friends, one of which is a Mexican drug lord. The Drug lords beautiful wife comes on to the pilot and they have an affair. After many warnings the couple having the affair suffers for their adultry. Astoundingly, neither are murdered. The pilots revenge in turn for the drug lords revenge takes up the latter part of the story.
The second story The Man who gave up his name is about a successful man, with family, who, after the children are off to college has his midlife crisis, divorces his wife, liquidates his assets and goes off to live a simpler life, cooking.
the third story Legends of the Fall begins just before WWI and continues on through the end of Prohibition in 1933. There is an epilog which ties up loose ends to the end of the lives of the major characters.
They were originally published individually in Esquire magazine.
~ 2010-12-26 ~

Capt. Joshua Slocum - the adventures of Americas best known sailor
by Slocum, Victor
pub. by Sheridan HouseDobbs Ferry, NY, USA - copyright 1950 - this is reprint of the 1972 edition      isbn 0-924486-52-X - - 384 p. - - some maps -- index - - pictures b&w -
This is the biography of Joshua Slocum, the first man to sail alone around the world (July 1, -- 1898) written by his eldest son.
~~ 2010-12-06

Saving Paradise - How Christianity traded love of this world for crucifixion and empire
by Nakashima Brock, Rita and Parker, Rebecca Ann
pub. by Beacon Press, Boston, USA - 2008      isbn 978-0-8070-6754-3 - - 552 p. - - extensive notes p. 425 - 515 -- index p.517 - 552 - - pictures b&w -
During the first 900 years of Christianity religious art did not depict the crucified Jesus. There were no crucifixes and literature did not dwell on the suffering death of Christ. Instead early Christianity celebrated the creation of the Christian community and the prospect of living in heaven, including withing the Christian community living in as close to heaven on earth as could be managed.
~ 2010-11-27 ~

The Chief - The Life Story of Robert Baden-Powell
by Wade, Eileen K.
http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com/The 20Chief.pdf
pub. by ,Wolf Publishing Ldd. - 1975      ( orig. title = The Piper of Pax pub by C. Arthur Pearson Ltd.     1924 )      Electronic edition http://www.seascouts.ca/   2007      isbn (none) - - 78 p. - - pictures - Appendix I. A farewell note to my brother scouters and to guiders - Appendix II. B-Ps medals and decoratoions - Freedoms - Honorary degrees - Appendix III B-Ps published works
Biography of Robert Baden-Powell by his personal secretary of 27 years. Originally published as the 'Piper of Pax' in 1924. This version revised by the author to include B-P's life between 1924 and 1941.
~2010-11-01~

The Devils Highway - a true story
by Urrea, Luis Alberto
pub. by Little, Brown, NY,      isbn 0-316-77671-1 - - 239 p. - - maps - -Acknowlegments - - Index -- Reading Group Guide -- Suggestions for further reading
It is the story of 26 men and boys who attempted to enter the USA through the Arizona desert, guided by a coyote. This happened in May 2001. They lost their way in the desert and 14 perished in horrible deaths of heat and thirst.
~2010-10-18~

The Lost History of Christianity - The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia - and how it died
by Jenkins, Philip - - ( John P. Jenkins )
pub. by Harper One - HarpeCollins Press, NY,      isbn 978-0-06-147281-7 - - 315 p. - - Notes p 263 - 297 (generous notes on each chapter. which create a large annotated bibliography) - -Acknowlegments - - Index
Jenkins opens the doors of history, revealing that huge swaths of the orient from Egypt to China, had hundreds of years of rich Christian heritage.

~ 2010-10-11 ~

In Search of Omar Khayyam
by Dashti, Ali
pub. by Columbia University Press, NY, 1971      isbn 0-231-03188-2 LCCN - 77-168669 - - 276 p. - portrait, Introduction (16 pages) by L.Pl Elsell-Sutton, the translator from Persian to English
- Note on Transliteration
- Preface to the Persian Second Edition by Ali Dashti
- Appendix I. Biographical Notes = 12 page listing of various people and organizations and a short sketch on each from Abbasaids and Avicenna to Soltan Valad son or Rumi and Azmakhshari
- Appendix II. Glossary of technical terms 5 page listing from Allahu Akbar and Arafat to Sufiam and Zoroastrianism
- Bibliography - Index
This is a thorough examination of the poetical works, and mind of Omar Khayyam (sometimes spelled Omar Kayam in USA).
~ 2010-09-16~

-

Its Me O Lord - the Autobiography of Rockwell Kent
by Kent, Rockwell
pub. by Dodd Mead and Co., NY. 1955      LCCN 55- - - 617 p. -- many pictures drawn by Kent most. Some drawn just for this book
This is a straightforward autobiography of the American artist. socialist. and labor supporter. It starts with a genealogy to set the stage for his birth, and continues through to his 71st year.
~2010-08-27~

The Adventures of Tintin - The Crab with the Golden Claws
by Herge
pub. by Little Brown, NY. 1974 (first pub in 1941) (orig. 1953 in France pub. by Casterman, Paris)      isbn 0-316-35833-9 - - 62 p.
~2010-07-28~

The Adventures of Tintin - The Broken Ear
by Herge
pub. by Little Brown, NY. 1978 (first pub in 1937) (orig. 1945 in France pub. by Casterman, Paris)      isbn 0-316-35850-9 - - 62 p.
~2010-07-26~

The Adventures of Tintin - The Shooting Star
by Herge
pub. by Little Brown, NY. 1978 (first pub in 1942) (orig. 1946 in France pub. by Casterman, Paris)      isbn 0-316-35851-7 - - 62 p.
~2010-07-22~

The Adventures of Tintin - The Black Island
by Herge
pub. by Little Brown, NY. 1975 (first pub in 1938) (orig. 1956 in France pub. by Casterman, Paris)      isbn 0-316-35835-5 - - 62 p.
~2010-07-20~
-
      3 Complete adventures in 1 volume
The Adventures of Tintin - Tintin in America - (first pub. 1932
The Adventures of Tintin - Cigars of the Pharaoh - (first pub. 1934)
The Adventures of Tintin - The Blue Lotus - (first pub serially 1935)
by Herge
pub. by Little Brown, NY. 1977 (orig. 1954 in France pub. by Casterman, Paris)       isbn 0-316-35940-8     each book had - - 192 p.
~2010-07-18~
-
The Adventures of Tintin - Destination Moon
The Adventures of Tintin - Explorers op the Moon
by Herge
pub. by Little Brown, NY. 1976 (orig. 1954 in France pub. by Casterman, Paris)       isbn 0-316-35845-2 and 0-316-35846-0       each book had - - 62 p.
These 2 books actually comprise a single story.
~2010-07-09~

Voyaging - Southward from the Strait of Magellan
by Kent, Rockwell
pub. by Grossett & Dunlop, NY. 1968 (orig. 1924)      isbn __ - LCCN 67-24245 - - 184 p. -- many pictures drawn by Kent and 3 hand drawn area maps - larger maps on the endpapers.
Rockwell Kent, born 1882 died 1971 - American artist, author, liberal political activist early in his mid-life traveled stayed and wrote about Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, and later Greenland. He lived in Vermont, USA. This adventure began in 1922 when he booked passage on a steamer to Puntas Arenas the southernmost city on continental South America.
~2010-07-06~

The Adventures of Tintin - King Ottokars Sceptre
by Herge
pub. by Little Brown, NY. 1975 (orig. 1947 in France pub. by Casterman, Paris)      isbn 0-316-35831-2 - - 62 p.
~2010-06-30~

The Adventures of Tintin - The Seven Crystal Balls
by Herge
pub. by Little Brown, NY. 1975 (orig. 1948 in France pub. by Casterman, Paris)      isbn 0-316-35840-1 - - 62 p.
~2010-06-19~

The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn
by Herge
pub. by Little Brown, NY. 1974 (orig. 1948 in France pub. by Casterman, Paris)      isbn 0-316-35832-0 - - 62 p.
~2010-06-15~

An American Original: The Life of J. Frank Dobie
by Tinkle, J Lon (Julien Lon Tinkle) 1906-1980
pub by Univ. of Texas press - 1978 - also Boston - Little, Brown, 1978.    isbn 0316848875 - 6 pages of photos. - 264 p - - biography.
~2010-06-~

Why a son needs a Dad
by Lang, Gregorh E.
pub. by Cumberland House, Nashville, Tennessee, 2003      isbn 1-58182-331-2 LCCN - 2003000459 - - 122 p. (pages not numbered) - introductary - aphorisms and photographs,
~2010-06-23~

The Big Rich - the rise and fall of the greatest Texas fortunes
by Burrough, Brian
pub. by Penguin Press, NY, 2009      isbn 978-1-59420-199-8 LCCN - 2008027043 - - 466 p. - photographs, bibliography notes, index,
It is the fascinating story of the big oil families in Texas - H.L. Hunt - Sid Richardson - Clint. Murchison - Roy Cullen, and their children. It begins just before the Spindletop gusher (describing what happened in fine detail) and continues on nearly to the present day.
~ 2010-06-22 ~

Boats - Egyptian Bookshelf (series)
by Jones, Dilwyn
pub. by University of Texas Press, Austin      isbn 0292740395 LCCN - 94-061614 - - 96 p. - line drawings, photographs, glossary, appendices, bibliography, index,
This little book contains almost anything a person would want to know about ancient Egyptian boats.
~ 2010-06-10 ~

Lore of the Wreckers
by Shepard, Birse
pub. by Beacon Press, Boston     pub in Canada by J. Reginald Saunders, Toronto.      isbn -none- LCCN - 61-6221 - - 278 p. - maps on endpages, appendices, bibliography, index,
Wrecking is what is now called Marine Salvage.
~ 2010-05-25~

The Low-Tech Navigator
by Crowley, Tony
pub. by Seafarer Books, Rendlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK - Sheridan House, Dobbs Ferry, NY, 2004      US isbn 1-57409-191-3    UK isbn 0-95427-503-9 - - 148 p. - diagrams, appendices, bibliography, index,
This Mr. Crowley must be a navigator of the old school. He has amassed a very thorough knowledge of celestial navigation, and a wide variety of tricks of the trade, many of which are well beyond what a day-to-day navigator would know.
~2010-05-13~

John Paul Jones - a sailors biography
by Morrison, Samuel Eliot
pub. by Northeastern Univ. Press, Boston, 1985   (orig. pub. by Little Brown, 1959)    isbn 0-930350-70-7    LCCN = 84-14838 - - 453 p. - maps, appendices, bibliography, index,
~ 2010-05-09 ~

Hunter
by Hunter, J. (John) A.
pub. by Harper and Brothers, New York, 1952     isbn (none)    LCCN = 52-7287 (this book has been recently reprinted) - - 263 p. - photos in b&w,
A. J. Hunter was one of the Great White Hunters of East Africa. Much of the book involves hunting tales. They are well written and thoughful. The period covered is mostly between WWI and WWII.
~ 2010-04-16 ~

The Prince of the Marshes and other occupational hazards of a year in Iraq
by Stewart, Rory
pub. by Harcourt, New York, 2006     isbn 0-15-101235-0 - - 397 p. - photos in b&w, Iraq timeline from 3000 BC to Dec. 2005, quotes from Machiavelli and Sumerian proverbs head the chapters
This reads fast enough, but is a tough read as it deals with unpleasant situations which one can not ignore.
~ 2010-04-07 ~

Where have all the leaders gone ?
by Iacocca, Lee
pub. by Scribner., New York, 2007     isbn - 1-4165-3247-7 - - 274 p. - index
This book, published in 2007, was put together with a look at the then upcomming election. Iacocca is totally disgusted with the George W. Bush presidency and offers some things to look for when choosing a leader.
~ 2010-03-23 ~

Around America - a tour of our magnificent coastline
by Cronkite, Walter
pub. by W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 1993 - 2001     isbn - 0-393-04083-6 - - 211 p. - drawings - maps
~ 2010-03-16 ~

Window on my Heart - The autobiography of Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, G.B.E. as told to Mary Drewery
by Baden-Powell, Olave St. Clair (Soames)
pub. by Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1973     isbn - 0-340-15944-8 - - 256 p. - photos - list of countries visited - genealogical chart - index
This is a delightful autobiography which covers the live of Olave Baden-Powell from her birth through 1971. (She died 25 June 1977.) This book has a very different slant on the early days of Scouting. It is of course from Olave's point of view, and is deeply personal, and even touches on she and PBs sleeping arrangements which was a matter of some discussion in Jeals biography of BP. It is constructed as a narrative from her diaries. Direct quotes from the diaries appear as needed.
~ 2010-03-07 ~

Aransas
by Harrigan, Stephen
pub. by Alfred A. Knopf (Borzoi Book), NY. 1980     isbn - (none) LCCN = 79-21083 - - 260 p. - a first novel for this author, set in Corpus Christi and Port Aransas, Texas
~ 2010-02-18 ~

Tough Cookie
by Davidson, Diane Mott
pub. by Bantam Books, NY. 2000     isbn - 0-553-10723-2 - - 294 p. - Index to recipes
This is a fairly lighweight and very readable mystery.
~ 2010-02-08 ~

On My Honor - Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts are worth fighting for
by Perry, Rick (Governor of Texas).
pub. by Stroud and Hall Publishers PO Box 27210, Macon, GA 31221, 2008     isbn - 978-0-9796462-2-5 - - 226 p. - Index - black and white photos, Appendix = Scholarships for Scouts
This is a book about what has come to be called the culture wars and is mostly focused on how this phenomenon affects the Boy Scouts of America.
~ 2010-02-01 ~

Elizabeth Blackburn and the story of telomeres - deciphering the ends of DNA
by Brady, Catherine.
pub. by MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2007     isbn - 978-0-262-02622-2 - - 392 p. - notes (extensive footnotes at end of book) - extensive bibliography - index - black and white photos, some chemical diagrams
Read this book if you have any interest in the real day-to-day workings of science. It is a WOW experience.
Dr. Blackburn delivering more formal seminar lectures.
http://www.ibioseminars.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104&Itemid=101

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irUQEG4BSK4

Elizabeth Blackburn talking about science and herself
http://www.knaw.nl/heinekenprizes/video/blackburn_250.wvx
~ 2010-01-18 ~

White Squall - the Last Voyage of Albatross
by Langford, Richard E.
pub. by Bristol Fashion Publications, Inc., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1967 / 2001     isbn - 1-892216-36-1 - - 122 p. - - black and white photos
If you have ever wondered about the accuracy of the motion picture White Squall this book will satisfy your curiosity.
~ 2009-12-18 ~

East is a Big Bird - Navigation and Logic on Puluwat Atoll
by Gladwin, Thomas-
pub. by Harvard Univ. Press, 1970     isbn - 0-674-22425-6 (LCCN = 75-95922 - - 241 p. - - maps, diagrams, index, black and white photos
This book is the examination of the residents of Puluwat Atoll in the Caroline group in Micronesia in the western Pacific. (about 7.5 deg N. and 149.5 deg E.) The stated purpose of the author is to study people who may be quite intelligent but who do not do well on western civilizations intelligence tests, comparing their situation to poorer people in USA. He then departs to describing navigation (in the broadest sense of the word) in the islands and does not bring up the intelligence bit until the small chapter at the end of the book.
The body of the book is a tour-de-force of boat building, boat handling, sailing, social mores related to voyaging etc. Gladwin is a keen observer.
This is a well researched and well presented book. Read it to have a good understanding of what some would call primitive navigation, which is not primitive at all, but well thought out methods to assure getting from A to B. Methods which can be adopted to small boat sailors in other places to assist their sailing from A to B.
See also David Lewis We, the Navigators The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific and Steve Thomas book The last navigator and Kenneth Brower A song for Satawal for other information on native Pacific navigation.
~ 2009-12-16 ~

Fair Winds and Far Places
by Mann, Zane B. 1924-
pub. by Dillon Press, 500 S. Third St Minneapolis, MN USA 55415 , 1978     isbn - 0-87518-159-7 (LCCN = 78-543 - - 272 p. - autobiographical sailing story - index. color photos
In the text he mentions that he was sailing in 1972 when President Nixon was elected, giving this book a time stamp, and allows the reader to understand that the descriptions of the places visited were as of that time period. This may be especially helpful when considering the description of Grenada (where we fought a mini-war during the Reagan administration) and the visit to Venezuela, which is now a much different place.
~2009-11-20~

Complete Yurt Handbook
by King, Paul
pub. by Eco Logic Books. Bath, UK , 2008 (dist. in USA by Chelsea Green) (1st printing 2001)     isbn - 1-899233-08-3 - - 121 p. - history - glossary - bibliography - list of commercial yurt makers
This is a delightful book. It begins with a good description of a yurt, (in Mongolia known as a Ger) then expands to types of yurt.
~ 2009-11-12 ~

Westviking - the ancient Norse in Greenland and North America
by Mowat, Farley
pub. by McClelland and Stewartr Ltd. Toronto-Montreal, 1965 (also pub Little Brown - Atlantic Monthly in USA)     isbn - none - LCCN - 65-20746 - - 494 p. - history - maps - extensive Appendices - index
This book is a re-telling of a number of Norse (Viking) sagas melded together into a single narrative with a fair amount of interpretation by the author. As all the various sagas no not totally agree it was not a trivial task.
~2009-11-08~

Nancy Blackett - under sail with Arthur Ransome
by Wardale, Roger
pub. by Jonathan Cape, London 1991     isbn 0-224-02773-5 - - 272 p. - biography - illustrated with photos, some pen and ink sketches, a few maps - index
Wardale, an avid Ransome fan and author of several books on Ransome, explores each of the boats owned and sailed by Arthur Ransome.
~ 2009-10-04 ~

My Home Sweet Home translation of Corrierno delle Famiglie
by Guareschi, Giovanni
pub. by Farrar Straus and Giroux, NY 1966 (Italian version copyright 1954)     isbn (none) LCCN = 66-25133 - - 214 p. - biography - illustrated with some pen and ink sketches.
This is the earlier autobiographical book by Guareschi. Originally published in 1954, the later autobiographical book was first published in 1968.
~ 2009-09-21 ~

Don Camillo Meets the Flower Children - a comic novel
by Guareschi, Giovanni
pub. by Farrar Straus and Giroux, NY 1969     isbn (none) LCCN = 70-96146 - - 245 p. illustrated with some pen and ink sketches.
Don Camillo's renegade niece travels with a motorcycle gang from the big town.
~ 2009-09-14 ~

Not All Plain Sailing
by Sinnett-Jones, David - - with Ann Queensberry
pub by Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, UK 1989     isbn 0-297-79653-4
208 pages - sailing adventure - biography.
In this book Sinnett-Jones describes the building of his steel hulled Spray replica, the Zane Spray (a 36 ft. version designed by Bruce Roberts-Goodson.) Then he sailed ...
~ 2009-09-12 ~

The Family Guareschi - chronicles the past and present
by Guareschi, Giovanni
pub by Farrar straus and Giroux, NY 1970 (orig in Italian in 1968)     isbn (none) - LCCN 70-122823
246 pages - - biography.
Guareschi starts this autobiography with a tirade against the functionaries of the Italian government, who were incapable of getting a certificate of merit for her many years of teaching out to his mother before she died.
~ 2009-09-08 ~

Little World of Don Camillo
by Guareschi, Giovanni
pub. by Pellegrini and Cudahy, NY 1950     isbn (none) - 205 p. illustrated with some pen and ink sketches.
This is thoroughly delightful fiction, translated from the original Italian, about a parish priest in northern Italy who deals lovingly with his parishoners... some of whom are Italian communists.
~ 2009-07

Don Camillo and his flock
by Guareschi, Giovanni
pub. by Pellegrini and Cudahy, NY 1952     isbn (none) LCCN = 52-9359 - - 250 p. illustrated with some pen and ink sketches.
This is another thoroughly delightful fiction, translated from the
~ 2009-07 ~

Don Camillos Dilema
by Guareschi, Giovanni
pub. by Victor Gollancz Ltd., London 1968 (first pub Farrar Strauss in 1954     isbn (none) LCCN = 54-__ - - 255 p. illustrated with some pen and ink sketches.
~ 2009-07

Passion for Life - Adventure against the odds by Sinnett-Jones, David
pub. by iUniverse, Inc. NY - 2004     isbn 0-595-31648-4 pbk
256 pages. B&W pictures, - - biography - adventure
David Sinnett-Jones With a friend he built 2 Spray replicas (of Joshua Slocum's boat) and after sailing to South Africa and back, enbarked on a sail around the world. He participated in the 100th anniversary of Joshua Slocum's similar achievement being at Newport, Rhode Island, USA on 27 June 1998. Later he built a re-creation of Slocum's Liberdade in plywood, modern design done by Bruce Roberts-Goodson. The first attempt to cross the Atlantic failed with gear failure some 200 miles west of the Azores. He returned to Wales in stages. In 1999 he sailed to Brazil, then re-creating Slocum's own Liberdade adventure sailed on to Massachusetts in USA. He did not make part of the voyage due to ill health. He flew to England, and then re-joined the voyage in northern Virginia, USA. After the Joshua Slocum Society International (JSSI) celebrations he flew home to Wales, was diagnosed with heart problems and lived. (until he died in 15 Nov. 2007 at the age of 74, shortly after this book was published).
~ 2009-08-

Don Camillo takes the Devil by the Tail
by Guareschi, Giovanni
pub. by Farrar Strauss and Cudahy NY in 1957     isbn (none) LCCN = 57-8937 - - 218 p. illustrated with some pen and ink sketches.
~ 2009-08 ~

Comrade Don Camillo
by Guareschi, Giovanni
pub. by Pocket Books, NY 1965 (first pub Farrar Strauss in 1964     isbn (none) LCCN = 64-__ - - 167 p. illustrated with some pen and ink sketches.
~ 2009-08 ~

Duncan and Clotilda - an extravaganza with a long digression
by Guareschi, Giovanni, 1908-1968.
pub by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York 1968 - - isbn (none) LCCN = 68-24598 - - 216 p.
The wildest of Guareschi's books which I have read. The end is almost OHenry-esque.
~ 2009-08 ~

The House that Nino Built
by Guareschi, Giovanni
pub. by Farrar Straus & Young., New York 1953     isbn (none) LCCN = 53-11210 - - 238 p. - biography - illustrated with some pen and ink sketches.
This is actually auto biography. Giovanni (Nino) enlightens us about his life with his wife Margherita, daughter the Dutchess, and son Albertino.
~ 2009-08 ~

Treasure of Kahn
by Cussler, Clive with Dirk Cussler
pub. by Penguin Audio - 2006     isbn 0-14-305895-9
- - 14 CD Disks - hours and hours - - fiction
A work of fiction, or should I say fantesy.
~ 2009-08- ~

The Zimmermann Telegram - the astouding historic espionange operation that propelled America into World War 1
by Tuchman, Barbara W.
pub. by Ballantine - orig 1958 (this book 9th printing 1991)     isbn 0-345-34240-2
pictures. index - 243p. - - history
A fascinating look at Woodrow Wilsons attempt for USA to remain neutral during World War 1, and the German proposal to get Mexico to war with USA, and invite Japan to help them. (Even though Japan was on the Allies side during WW1.) It explores how a codebreaking unit covers its abilities during a war, and yet effectively uses the information it uncovers.
~ 2009-07 ~

Lugworm Homeward Bound - Greece to England in an Open Dingy
by Duxbury, Ken
Pellham Books, Ltd., London 1975     isbn 0-7207-0774-9
182 p. pen and ink illus. maps, boat name is Lugworm an 18 ft. plywood Drascombe Lugger - - sailing
Duxbury sails and camps in a return passage from Greece to England. The voyage begins on the island of Corfu in Greece,
~ 2009 ~

The Tecate Journals - seventy days on the Rio Grande
by Bowden, Keith
pub by The Mountaineers, Seattle - 2007     isbn 1594850771 (pb) - - 271 pages - - adventure.
The author, a Jr. College teacher in Laredo, Texas, travels the length of the Rio Grande (known in Mexico as the Rio Bravo) as it is a border with Mexico.
~ 2008-

On the Water - Discovering Amerian in a Rowboat
by Stone, Nathaniel
pub by Broadway Books, NY - 2003     isbn 0-7679-0842-2 (pb)
323 pages - maps - few sketch pictures - adventure.
Nathaniel Stone rows a boat around the eastern half of USA.
~ 2008-09-

Skeletons on the Zahara - A True Story of Survival
by King, Dean
pub. by Little Brown - 2005     isbn 0316835145 - - - 320p.
An account of an actual shipwreck of an American trading vessel at Cape Bojador on the west African coast about 1815. An early version of it was a favorite read of President Abraham Lincoln.
~ 2007 ~

Along the Edge of America
by Jenkins, Peter
pub. by Mariner books - Houghton Mifflin Co - 1995     isbn 0-395-87737-7 - - - 319p.
The author is better known for his book -A Walk Across America-. He decided to visit the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and to to the journey by boat.
~ 2007 ~

Sahara Unveiled
by Langewiesche, William
pub. by Pantheon, NY - 1995     isbn 0-679-42982-4
302p. - - adventure
Langewiesche, an American from California, and correspondent for Atlantic Monthly, travels across the Sahara Desert from north (Algiers) South through In Salah and Tamanrasset into Niger, then to the Niger River, which he travels on going west past Timbuktu then Bamako and ending at Dakar Senegal. Read this along with - The Fearful Void - They were experienced just under 10 years apart and are very different in their approach.
~ 2008 ~

Arabia Through the Looking Glass
(republished as Arabia, a journey through the Labyrinth) by Raban, Jonathan
pub. by Eilliam Collins (repub. Touchstone) - 1979 (repub. 1991)     isbn 0671798807 (later ed)
348p. - - travel - current events
The author learns some Arabic and notes Arabs living and visiting in England. He cannot manage to get a visa for Saudi Arabia, and instead travels around the country to Abu dhavi, Bahrain, Dubai, Quatar, Yemin and finally stops in Egypt before returning home to England. This is the first of Raban s travel books. It is a little raw. His technique polishes through later publications.
~ 2008- ~

The Fearful Void
by Moorhouse, Geoffrey
pub. by Three Rivers Press - 1988     isbn 0517571145
288p. - - adventure
The author plans and executes to the limit of his ability a walking trip across the Sahara Desert from west to east including a stop at Timbuktu.
~ 2007 ~

Scouts honor -a fathers unlikely foray into the woods
by Applebome, Peter
pub. by Harcourt - 2003     isbn 0151005923
330 p. - - scouting
Applebome follows three years as an adult in his boys Boy Scout Troop - first in the south - then in NY State.
~ 2005- ~

Baden-Powell - the two lives of a hero
by Hillcourt, William - with Olave, Lady Baden-Powell
pub. by G.P. Putnams Sons, NY - 1964     no isbn, LCCN = 64-24263
457 p. - photos, sketches by BP - sketch map of Mafeking in Africa - scouting
An authorized biography of R. Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts.
~ 2005- ~

Baden-Powell - Founder of the Boy Scouts
by Tim Jeal
pub. by Yale Univ. Press, New Haven - 1989 reprint 1995     isbn 0-300-09103-6 pbk, LCCN = 20011088765
670 p. - photos, sketches by BP - index - notes - list of BP publications - scouting
A far more critical biography of R. Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and military hero from the siege of Mafeking in S. Africa. It is not as negative as some might think. Get past the first 2 chapters.
~ 2005- ~

Floating Down the Country - a 79 day adventure down the Mississippi from its source at Lake Itasca to New Orleans
by Mohlke, Matthew
pub. by Lone Oak Press. Red Wing. MN - 2001     isbn 1-8883477-49-2 - - - 256p.
Day-by-day adventure of a canoe trip down the full length of the Mississippi River.
~ 2002-

Voyage of the Destroyer from New York to Brazil by Slocum, Joshua b. 1844 - missing 1909
pub by the century Co. NY? - 1894
Slocum delivers an Erickson destroyer to Brazil,
This book is included in Walter Magness Teller's complete works of Joshua Slocum.
~ 1977 ~

On the Water - Discovering America in a Rowboat
by Stone, Nathaniel
pub. by Broadwater bks - div of Random House - 2002     isbn 0-7679-0842-2
323 pages. maps, few pictures, - - adventure
The author rows from New York City up the Hudson River - West on the Barge Canal and makes a short portage ending up on the Ohio River, descending to the Mississippi. He goes to the absolute end of the Mississippi then backtracks up to follow the coast East and down the length of Florida to Key West, then north past Miami , Savannah, the great Dismal Swamp, Atlantic City and back to New York. Not satisfied he keeps going to the Cape Cod Canal where he can not pass, as he does not have a motor, so he rows around Cape Cod to Boston and continues North to Eastport Maine, arriving 17 Aug. 2000.
~ 2003 ~

The Lobster Chronicles - life on a very small island
by Greenlaw, Linda - 1960
pub. by Hyperion, NY. 2002 -       isbn 0-786866772 - map - 238 pages.
A sketch of the life of a lobsterboat captain in Maine, with observations on the coastal life in a small town on the coast of Maine. (Cranberry Island)
A good read. A personal story.
~2003~

Old Glory - A Voyage Down the Mississippi
by Raban, Jonathan
pub. by Vintage book (reprint) - 1998     isbn 0-37570100-1 (orig pub by Simon and Schuster in 1981) - maps - 409 p
Rabanbuys a 16 foot outboard motorboat and travels the length of the Mississippi from Minnesota to Morgan City Louisanna (where the Mississippi would go if the Corps of Engineers let it have its way.)
~ 2000 ~

21,500 miles alone in a canoe
by Watson, Don B.
pub. by Don B. Watson, Pendleton, Oregon, USA - 1980     isbn - none - - - 239p.
Watson sailed/motored his decked motorized canoe on the Tennessee River, up to Minnesota where he started down the Mississippi River eventually going to the southern tip of Texas. He also traveled along the coast to Florida. He explored the Arkansas River and also went up the Missouri and across USA to the Pacific coast. He took the inland passage from Seattle to Juneau, Alsaka. Don finds strength in his religious faith.
~ 2005 ~

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
by Winchester, Simon
pub by : HarperCollins, NY- 1998     isbn -- 0060175966 - - - 242 p. illustrated
The amazing history of one of the contributers to the original effort at making the Oxford English Dictionary, who happened to be in an insane asylum.
~ 2005 ~

The Good Little Ship
by Gilpin, Vincent
pub. by Sutter House. Litiz Pennsylvan 1975     isbn 0-915180-01-4 - - (orig pub 1952 and reprinted 1961) 64p. - Co-published and distributed by Harrowood Books. Box 397.
This book includes lines drawings for Presto a 41 ft (overall)10 ft. 6 in. beam ketch which draws 2 ft. 6 in. with the centerboard up. and for the Good Little Ship 35 ft. (overall) 10 ft. 6 in. beam which draws 2 ft. 6 in with the centerboard up. Author was a friend of Commondore Munro who designed them and popularized the design in Florida at the turn of the century.
~ 2005 ~

Buehlers Backyard Boatbuilding
by Buehler, George
pub. by McGraw-Hill - 1991     isbn 0-07-158380-7 - - 371p.
~ 2005 ~

The Elements of Boat Strength - for Builders. Designers and Owners
by Gerr, Dave
pub. by International Marine/McGraw-Hill - 2000     isbn 0-07-023159-1 - - - 368 p.
This book is an in depth study. Includes graphs. charts etc. leading to an understanding of what it takes to build a strong boat.
~ 2005 ~

The Nature of Boats
by Gerr, Dave
pub. by McGraw Hill - 1995     isbn 97800070242333 - - 418 p.
This book is an in depth study of boat design and building. - Advanced.
~ 2005 ~

The Complete Cruiser - the art practice and enjoyment of boating
by Herreshoff, L. Francis
pub. by Sheridan House - 1987     isbn 9780911378672
(originally published 1952 )- 372 p.
This book includes a great deal of common sense about cruising boat design - from one of the great designers of the 20th Century.
~ 1990 ~

Sea Vagabonds world - boats and sails distant shores islands and lagoons
Moitessier, Bernard
pub by Sheridan House, NY 1998 - translated by William Rodarmor - 216p illustrations, maps     isbn 1-57409-021-6
Bernard Moitessier reveals the tricks of the trade of a long distance voyager.
~ 1999 ~

How to Build a Tin Canoe - Confessions of an Old Salt
by White, Robb
pub. by Hyperion - 2003     isbn 1-4013-0027-8 - - 228 p.
This book is really more autobiography of a fameous US builder of small boats.
~ 2008 ~

The Cry of the Heron
by Allan, Dick
pub. by Longfellow Publishers, Farnham, Surrey, UK 2000     isbn 0-9533291-2-7 - - maps - 240 p. - historical fiction
This book describes the inland waterway trade in Southeastern UK (England) between 1777 - 1794.
~ 2008 ~

The life of Arthur Ransome
by Brogan, Hugh
pub. J. Cape, London - 1984    isbn 0-224020102 - - 456 p. B&W photos - Index - bibliography
the standard biography of Arthur Ransome.
~2007~

House of Niccolo series
by Dunnet, Dorothy
    1. Niccolo Rising (1986)
pub by Knopf, NY 1986     ISBN-10: 0394531078
470 p. - maps - Fiction

    2. Spring of the Ram (1987)
    3. Race of Scorpions (1989)
    4. Scales of Gold (1991)

Well researched historical fiction covering the period 1460-1480, and spanning area from Bruges in the Netherlands to Venice to the eastern edges of the Byzantine empire on the Black Sea and on to Timbuktu in the Sahara.
~ 1992 ~

The Alchemyst - the secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel
by Scott, Michael
pub. by Delacourt, Random House, NY 2007    isbn 978-0-385-73357-1 - maps - 375 p. plus 13 pages of the next title in the series - fantasy/fiction
A fantasy involving 2 historical characters known to have dabbled in the occult, Nicholas Flamel and Dr. John Dee.
~ 2008 ~

The Magician - the secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel
by Scott, Michael
pub. by Delacourt, Random House, NY 2008     isbn 978-0-385-73358-8
- maps - 464 p. plus 8 pages of the next title in the series (which will be titled The Sorceress) - fantasy/fiction
A fantasy involving 3 historical characters known to have dabbled in the occult, Nicholas Flamel, Dr. John Dee and Niccolo Machiavelli. Flamel being the hero and lead of a set of teenage fraternal twins
~ 2008 ~

--------------------

Hillerman, Tony
      the Navajo Tribal Police Mystery stories:
            The Blessing Way (1970) ISBN 0-06-011896-2
            Dance Hall of the Dead (1973) ISBN 0-06-011898-9
            Listening Woman (1978) ISBN 0-06-011901-2
            People Of Darkness (1980) ISBN 0-06-011907-1
            The Dark Wind (1982) ISBN 0-06-014936-1
            Ghostway (1984) ISBN 0-06-015396-2
            Skinwalkers (1986) ISBN 0-06-015695-3
            A Thief of Time (1988) ISBN 0-06-015938-3
            Talking God (1989) ISBN 0-06-016118-3
            Coyote Waits (1990) ISBN 0-06-016370-4
            Sacred Clowns (1993) ISBN 0-06-016767-X
            Fallen Man (1996) ISBN 0-06-017773-X
            First Eagle (1998) ISBN 0-06-017581-8
            Hunting Badger (1999) ISBN 0-06-019289-5
            The Wailing Wind (2002) ISBN 0-06-019444-8
            The Sinister Pig (2003) ISBN 0-06-019443-X
            Skeleton Man (2004) ISBN 0-06-056344-3
            The Shape Shifter (2006) ISBN 978-0-06-056345-5

Read Tony Hillermans mysteries for fun, to learn about Navajo culture, to be thoroughly engaged, and to feel good at the end. Not all end happily, but they all end satisfactoraly. These books are good reads.
----------
Not set in Navajo reservation
            Fly on the Wall (1971) ISBN 0-06-011897-0
            Finding Moon (1995) ISBN 0-06-017772-1
----------
Hillerman Non-fiction
            Seldom Disappointed: A Memoir by Tony Hillerman - autobiography - (2001) ISBN 0-06-019445-6
            The Great Taos Bank Robbery and other tales ... (1973) ISBN 0-8263-0306-4

~ most of Tony Hillermans works were read before 1994 ~
--------------------
The Black Joke
by Mowat, Farley
pub. by McClelland and Stewart - 1973     isbn 0-7710-6649-x (first published in 1963 by Little Brown) - - 218p - - fiction
About fishermen in Newfoundland and on the tiny French Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, the last French possessions in N. America, which figured prominently in the liquor smuggling trade during Prohibition in USA.
~ 1990 ~

Steaming to Bamboola - The World of a Tramp Freighter
by Buckley, Christopher
pub. by Congdon & Lattes - 1982     isbn 0865530394
(later reprinted by Penguin) - - 222 p
The author (son of Bill Buckley), after graduating from an ivy league school, signs on to be a sailor on a tramp steamer in 1979. He chronicles his trip. You might also want to read Looking for a Ship by John McPhee
~1985~

The Nirvana Blues
by Nichols, John
pub. by Holt Reinhart and Winston - 1981     isbn 0030592569 - - 527p - - fiction
A work of fiction. The third in the authors New Mexico trilogy. Set in the area around Taos, New Mexico. Well written but not as satisfying as the first -Milagro Beanfield War-.
~1985~

The Magic Journey
by Nichols, John
pub. by Holt Reinhart and Winston - 1978     isbn 0030153565 - - - 529p - - fiction
A work of fiction. The second in the authors New Mexico trilogy. Set in the area around Taos, New Mexico. Well written but not as satisfying as the first -Milagro Beanfield War-.
~1985~

The Milagro Beanfield War
by Nichols, John
pub. by Henry Holt - 1974     isbn 0-805063749
(first published in 1974 by Hold Reinhart and Winston) - - 456p - - fiction
A work of fiction. This book describes the clash of cultures between modern subsistance farmers and land developers in northern New Mexico. It is full of humor and describes the Taos. New Mexico area of the early 1970s This is the first of a trilogy of books on the area. I believe it is the best of the three. It was made into a movie in 1988 produced and directed by Robert Redford.
~ 1980 ~
-----------------------------
Peters, Ellis (pseud. for Edith Pargeter)
The Brother Cadfael Mysteries set in Medieval England
            A Morbid Taste for Bones (written in 1977, set in 1137)
            One Corpse Too Many (1979, set in August 1138)
            Monk's Hood (1980, set in December 1138)
            Saint Peter's Fair (1981, set in July 1139)
            The Leper of Saint Giles (1981, set in October 1139)
            The Virgin in the Ice (1982, set in November 1139)
            The Sanctuary Sparrow (1983, set in the Spring of 1140)
            The Devil's Novice (1983, set in September 1140)
            Dead Man's Ransom (1984, set in February 1141)
            The Pilgrim of Hate (1984, set in May 1141)
            An Excellent Mystery (1985, set in August 1141)
            The Raven in the Foregate (1986, set in December 1141)
            The Rose Rent (1986, set in June 1142)
            The Hermit of Eyton Forest (1988, set in October 1142)
            The Confession of Brother Haluin (1988, set in December 1142)
            The Heretics Apprentice (1990, set in June 1143)
            The Potters Field (1990, set in August 1143)
            The Summer of the Danes (1991, set in April 1144)
            The Holy Thief (1992, set in August 1144)
            Brother Cadfaels Penance (1994, set in November 1145)
Some of the books in this series were made into television mysteries by BBC. On the whole it was a good effort by BBC.
The books themselves are very good reads. They have satisfactory endings and enhance the human spirit.
------------------------------
Laguna
by Putegnat, Michael
pub. by Synergy Books, Austin, Texas - 2007    isbn 1-933538-19-8 - - 353 p. - - fiction
A work of fiction. This book is a murder mystery. It is mostly set in coastal South Texas. Port Mansfield, Port Isabel, and Weslaco, Texas I am told that his name is French. For more information on him see www.michaelputegnat.com

~2008 ~

Havanna Bay
by Smith, Martin Cruz
pub. by Books on Tape - Random House - 1999     isbn 0-7366-5186-1
- - 10 CD Disks - 67 minutes. - - fiction
A work of fiction. Russian investigator Arkady Renko travels to Cuba to investigate the death of a friend. There is hostility to Russians in post cold war Cuba.

Stalin's Ghost - an Arkady Renko novel
by Smith, Martin Cruz
pub. by Books on Tape - Simon and Schuster - 2007     isbn 0-7435-5597-x - - 5 CD Disks - about 5 hours. - - fiction
~ 2008 ~!

The Lure of the Bush (also pub as The Barrakee Mystery
by Upfield, Arthur W. (1888 - 1964)
re-pub. by Doubleday NY - 1965 isbn (none) LCCN = 65-16189
238 p. - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels
Perhaps the first of the series -
American mystery writer Tony Hillerman got the idea of using native investigators from Arthur Upfield, and gave him credit for putting the idea into Hillermans head for Hillermans series of Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn (Navajo American Indian) mysteries.

The Bone is Pointed
by Upfield, Arthur W.
pub. by Angus and Robertson, Sydney - 1938 (first U.S. publication by Doubleday in 1947) isbn (none) LCCN = 47-000921 - modern Scribner edition ISBN: 0684850575
- 288 p. - maps on endpapers - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels

No Footprints in the Bush (also pub as Bushranger of the Skies)
by Upfield, Arthur W.
pub. in USA by Collier Macmillan, NY - orig 1940 in Australia isbn 0-02-025940-9 - - - 185 p. - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels

The Bachelors of Broken Hill
by Upfield, Arthur W.
pub. in USA by Scribners - 1950 isbn 0-684-18246-7
- 254 p. - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels
In the mining town of Broken Hill a series of poisonings causes the involvement of Bony. Many twists in this plot are reveled at the end. This mystery does not involve much Aboriginal know-how in its solution.

The New Shoe
by Upfield, Arthur W.
pub. by University Extension, University of California, San Diego - orig. 1951 isbn (none) LCCN = 0-89163-021x
- 241 p. - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels
Bony is sent to investigate the murder of a person whose body is found in a lighthouse. - This edition has a brief biography of Arthur W. Upfield at the beginning and an annotated list of all his books at the end.

Murder Must Wait
by Upfield, Arthur W.
pub. by The Detective Book Club - 1953 isbn (none) LCCN = - -
- 169 p. - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels
~ 1990 ~

Man of Two Tribes
by Upfield, Arthur W.
pub. by Collier Macmillan - orig . 1956 isbn 0-02-025959-6
- 215 p. - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels
An exonerated murderer disappears from a train running across the Nullarbor plain. Bony heads out with camels posing as a dingo hunter, revealing camel handling and navigation in a very hostile place.

Bushman Who Came Back (also pub. as Bony Buys a Woman)
by Upfield, Arthur W.
pub. by Crime Club / Doubleday - orig . 1957 LCCN 57-7913
- 191 p. - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels
A cook is murdered and her daughter kidnapped.
~ 1990 ~

The Torn Branch (also pub. as Bony and the Black Virgin
by Upfield, Arthur W.
pub. by Collier Macmillan - orig . 1959 isbn
- 156 p. - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels
An unidentified man is found murdered and the hired hand missing on a sheep station where a terrible drought reduced the station to poverty.
~1990~

Valley of Smugglers
by Upfield, Arthur W.
pub. by Detective Book Club - orig. Doubleday, 1961 isbn (none)
- 173 p. - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels
Bony investigates the murder of a government agent who was acting undercover. He goes undercover himself to an isolated valley inhabited by Irish immigrants. Or their descendants. These people are wildly independent and wildly anti-government. They refuse to pay taxes and go out of their way to avoid paying, even the tax on television sets. They do have a well hidden and large distillery which is illegal, and is used to bring in extra income to the group, smuggling the illegal drink out to sell. Bony lives among them for weeks
~ 1990 ~

The White Savage
by Upfield, Arthur W.
pub. by Crime Club, Doubleday - 1961 LCCN = 61-9563
- 190 p. - a book in the Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte series of mystery novels
A rapist and murderer, who was a bright child and student - a natural leader - goes bad and finally commits murder. The local aborigine trackers are of the highest quality, and introduce another aboriginal concept - of the Kedic - a man who is inherently evil and to be destroyed. As per Upfields way, there is good description of this new and different part of Australia. The tides, and weather of the seacoast are a major part of this mystery.
~ 1990 ~

------------------------------
Old Soggy no. 1 - the uninhibited story of Slats Rogers
by Rodgers, Slats. and Stilwell, Hart
pub. by Julian Messner, NY - 1954     later editions in a series on the history of flight - Arno Press, NY 1972     ISBN 0405037791
- 294 p. - other ed.     249 p.
Slats Rodgers was a railroad engineer. He was the first person to build an airplane in Texas. He did so from plans from a popular magazine. The first effort did not fly flat and straight. One wing sogged down hence the title of this biography. It flew a some distance then crashed. This experience did not deter him from trying again, and having better success.
~1980~

This Thing of Darkness
by Thompson, Harry
pub. by Headline Book Pub., London - 2005     isbn 0-7553-0281-8
- 750p. - maps, extensive bibliography of non-fiction sources - historical fiction
A fictionalized biography of Robert Fitzroy, who commanded the Beagle and to a lesser extent of Charles Darwin. While this is a work of fiction it is very well researched. This book begins with the suicide of Captain Stokes, who was given the task of surveying in the Straits of Magellan. Fitzroy was given command of the Beagle and succeeded him in subsequent survey work.
~ 2006 ~

The Bounty - The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty
by Alexander, Caroline
pub. by Viking - 2003     isbn 0-670-03133-x - - - maps. b&w illustrations -- 491 pages.
A tour de force of the Mutiny on the Bounty story. Examines the players - sometimes 2 generations back and follows these peoples lives after the court marshal or escape. There are a few surprises here. It was a very worth while -listen- in my case. It is a large book. Bligh does not come out the heavy and Fletcher Christian does not come off unscathed in fact recent interpersonal difficulties on Pitcairn Island have roots back to the original settlement.
~ 2007 ~

The Bounty - The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty (audio casettes)
by Alexander, Caroline
pub. by Penguin Audiobooks - 2003     isbn 1-14-280030-9
10 cassettes (unabridged).
The history of the Bounty incident. Very well done. Incredibly complete including the wreck of the Pandora which was sent to bring the mutineers back to justice from Tahiti to England. Includes the court trial in England and the careers of all for the rest of their lives.
~2007~

Charles de Foucauld - Charles of Jesus
by Antier, Jean-Jacques
pub. by Ignatius Press. San Francisco - 1977     isbn 0-89870-756-0
359p. indexed. - - history
Biography of Charles de Foucauld French Army Officer who served in N Africa. He later became intensely religious and set up a hermitage in Tamanrasset in mountains of central Algeria. De Foucauld was eventually killed by a group who thought that they could re-take north Africa from the French while they were distracted by WWI. His hermitage still exists in Tamanrasset.
~2000~

Crooked cucumber : the life and Zen teaching of Shunryu Suzuki
by Chadwick, David, 1945-
Pub by Broadway Books, NY - c. 1999.    isbn 0767901045 - - 432 p. illustrated
~2007~

The Wisdon of the Desert - Sayings from the Desert Fathers of the Fourth Century
by Merton, Thomas (translator and compiler)
Pub by Shambala , Boston - c1994.     isbn 0-87773-976-5 - - 147 p.
Merton himself was a monk of some renoun in the modern era. - died 1967.
Library of Congress has a uniform title for this as Verba seniorum
Much of this little book (physically 3 inches x 4.5 inches) is refreshingly practical commentary.
~2000~

The Seven story Mountain
by Merton, Thomas (translator and compiler)
Pub by , Boston - c1994.     isbn - - p.
This is Thomas Mertons spiritual autobiography.
~2003~

Mayordomo - chronicle of an acequia in northern New Mexico
by Crawford, Stanley
pub. by University of New Mexico Press 1988     isbn 0-826309992
231p. - - history
A delightful non-fiction. The writer was elected to the office of mayordomo or ditch master of an acequia or irrigation ditch in northern New Mexico. This book describes the cycle of 1 year as a mayordomo. (ditchmaster).
~ 1989 ~

Coronado s children - tales of lost mines and buried treasures of the Southwest
by Dobie, J. Frank (James Frank), 1888-1964. - illustrated by Ben Carlton Mead.
pub by Grosset and Dunlap NY - Southwest Press, Dallas, Texas c1930.
367 p. illustrated some maps, glossary of terms, footnotes
The title aptly describes this book.
~1993~

The Longhorns
by Dobie, J. Frank
pub.by Univ. of Texas press -- 1990 - orig copyright 1934 ?     isbn 0-292-74627-X
index, b/w pictures - 388 p. - - history
A history of the -breed- of mostly wild cattle inhabiting Texas before it became a republic,
~2007~

Tongues of the Monte
by by Dobie, J. Frank
pub. by Univ of Texas Press, 1980 - - (first publisheed 1935) -       isbn 978-0292780354     - - 301 pages.
This book is in my opinion Dobies best, at least on a literary level. It is the story of his wanderings in northern Mexico during a sabatical.
~2005~

Blue Latitudes - Boldly going where Captain Cook has gone before
by Horwitz, Tony
pub. by Henry Holt and Co. NY - 2002    isbn 0-8050-6541-5 - - index bibliography maps on endpages - 480p.
The author follows Captain Cook and asks how he is remembered in places where he visited and lived in his youth.
~2003-~

She Captains - Heroines and hellions of the Sea
by Druett, Joan
pub. by Simon and Shuster. NY - 2000    isbn 0-684-85690-5 - - - index, pictures, sources - 304p.
Druett researched women as captains, and found them from 500 BC to past 1900 AD. The stories are lively.
~2003-~

Bismark and his times
by Kent, George O.
pub. by Southern Illinois Univ Pr. - 1978    isbn 0-8093-0859-0 - - - 184p. indexed. extensive bibibliography
Biography and times of Otto von Bismark. If you ever wonder why your German forefathers left Germany during the great migration of the 1870s here lies some of the answer.
~2007~

The Vatican
by Martin, Malachi
pub. by Harper & Row, NY - 1986    isbn orig 1st ed 0060154780 - Jove paperback 0515096547 - - - 657p. - - fiction/historical
Malachi Martin, was a Jesuit priest and functionary within the Vatican. He lived 1921 - 1999 so was alive during the times fictionalized in this book - 1945 - about 1985. It is a fictionalized history of the Vatican between 1945 when Pope Pius XII was Pope, through John XXIII (who called the Vatican II Conference) - Pope Paul VI - John Paul I and John Paul II. Protestations by the author to the contrary, I believe it to be thinly veiled historical fiction. one is left wondering.... how much is history.... how much in invention.... is the author at all correct in his opinions?
~2002-~

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom
by Lawrence, T. E. (1888 - 1935)
pub. by Anchor books - 1991 (many editions available)     isbn 0-385-41895-7 - - - (paperback ed.)(orig pub Doubleday - 1926) - 670+ p. indexed.
WWI in Arabia. Palestine. Syria.
~1968~

A World lit only by fire - The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance - Portrait of an Age
by Manchester, William
pub. by Little. Brown Co. - 1992    isbn 0316545317 - - - index - 320p. - - history
covering the end of the Medieval and beginning of the Renaissance. This was another terrible time for the western world which civilization lived through. If you read this book start at the very beginning and read the preface forward etc. before launching into the rest of the book.
Read this after reading Barbara Tuchman - A Distant Mirror.
~1996~

So Noble a Captain - the Life and Times of Ferdinand Magellan
by Parr, Charles McKew
pub. by Thomas Y. Crowell Co. - 1953    LCCN 53-7525 (this book is pre-isbn) index - pictures, maps, generous bibliography, apendix 425p.
It sets up the story by preceding Ferdinand Magellans birth by over 100 years setting the dynastic stage in Portugal. This is important because Magellans relations with his king were very rocky at best. Side voyages are explored, as are many which are normally not even footnotes in more popular historical writing. Find out who was Cristobal de Haro. Who really ran Spain (Fonseca). Who was Jakob Fugger. Who did Sebastian Cabot really sail for, and learn of his southern failure. How were the kingdoms of Portugal, and Spain financed.
~2008~

The Speedwell Voyage - A tale of piracy and mutiny in the eighteenth century
by Poolman, Kenneth
pub. by Naval Institute Press - 1999    isbn 1-55750-693-0 - - - 190p. indexed. - - history
History of a freebooting trip around the world including a stop at Juan Fernandez Is. and raiding Spanish towns and vessels in the Pacific along S. American and N. American coasts. George Shelvocke was one of the major leaders.
~2007~

Bad Land - an American Romance
by Raban, Jonathan
pub. by Vintage books - 1997    isbn 0679759069 - - - 384 p.
The Montana territory was opened for homesteading 1910 - 1925 as the last of a number of large parcels of land opened for settlement.
~2001~

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton - the secret agent who made the pilgrimage to Mecca discovered the Kama Sutra and ...
by Rice, Edward
pub. by Charles Scribners. NY - 1990    isbn 0-684-19137-7 - - - 522p. Index. illus. maps
Richard Burton joined the Indian Army (the East India Co. Army) and served in what is now Afganistan. He visited Mecca posing as a Muslim. With John Speke attempted to find the source of the Nile etc.
~1990~

Selkirks Island
by Souhami, Diana
pub. by Weidenfeld and Nicholson. London - 2001    isbn 0-297-64385-1 - - - 246p. index. illus.
Alexanser Selkirk who was marooned on the Juan Fernandez Is. off the coast of Chile in 1704. basis for Robinson Cruso story
~2007~

In Search of Robinson Crusoe
by Sverin, Tim
pub. by Basic Books - 2003    isbn 0-465-07689-x - - - or 0-465-07699-8 - - 333p.
Tracks the Robinson Crusoe story to islands other than Juan Fernandez off the coast of Chile. Has a very interesting bits of information on the Moskito coast in Central America and other islands in the Caribbean.
~2007~

With Lawrence in Arabia New enlarged edition
by Thomas, Lowell
pub. by Doubleday - 1967     isbn LCCN 66-24339 - - - (orig pub Century Co. - 1924) - 320p.
World War I in Arabia and what is now Israel and Syria. This edition came out about the time of the Lawrence of Arabia movie and has an extra Forward written showing 40 years of perspective on the events.
~ 1980~
Count Lukner - the Sea Devil
by Thomas, Lowell
pub. by Doubleday - 1927     isbn LCCN - - - (orig pub Garden City Pub, Garden City, NY - 1927) - 324 p. several other editions. recently pub by Kessinger Pub. Doran isbn 978-0766147706
- 324 p. illus.
World War I sea raider Sea Adler a sailing ship, captained by Felix von Lukner raided commercial shipping in the Atlantic and Pacific.
~1965~

Airlift - Short Stories
by Seale, Jan Epton
pub. by Texas Christian University Press - 1992    isbn-13: 978-0875651002
_ p.
A delightful collection of short stories generally set in southern and central Texas.
Jan E. Seale was named poet laureate of Texas in 2012.
~ 1993 ~

A Distant Mirror - the calamitous 14th Century
by Tuchman, Barbara W.
pub. by Knopf (a Borzoi Book) - 1978    isbn 0394400267 - - - maps. pictures. index - 720p.
A very readable history of 1300 through 1399. Written from a French perspective.
~1990~

The Guns of August
by Tuchman, Barbara W.
pub. by Ballantine Bks - 1994 (orig. copyright 1962)    isbn 0-345-38623-x - - - maps. pictures. index - 511p.
A fascinating work on the first 100 days of World War 1. This book won a Pulitzer Prize.
~2008~

The Last Navigator
by Thomas, Stephen D.
pub. by Henry Holt and Co., NY. 1987 - isbn; 0-8050-0096-8     Appendices (10 of them) p. 237-290     Glossary p. 291-298     Index p. 299-308     308 p.
The story of Mau Piailug - navigator. (died 2003)
Mau is the navigator who sailed and navigated the Hawaiian double canoe Holulea from Hawaii to Tahiti, demonstrating that the old traditional Pacific navigation systems work.
A quote from Mau Piliug
    To be a palu you must have three qualities
    fierceness, strength, and wisdom
    The knowledge of Naviagation brings all three.
    Fierceness, strength, and wisdom,
    that is a palu - a palu is a man.
This book contains detailed apendices which more than outline how Micronesian navigation works between various islands.
~2000~

Desert Queen - The extraordinary life of Gertrude Bell - Adventurer. Advisor to Kings. Ally of Lawrence of Arabia
by Wallach, Jan
pub. by Anchor/Random House - 1999    isbn 0-385-49575-7
(orig pub Doubleday 1996) - 419p. indexed.
Gertrude Bell was the English official who drew the map of modern Iraq and caused 3 administrative areas which were previously (before WWI) Turkish to be defined as a modern country and separate from Arabia and Syria.
~2007~

Spanish Sea - The Gulf of Mexico in North American Discovery 1500--1685
by Weddle, Robert S.
pub. by Texas A and M University Press - 1985    isbn 0-89096-211-1 - - - index - 300+p.
~ 1988 ~

St. Augustine
by Wills, Gary
pub. by Penguin Putnam - 1999    isbn -- 4 CDs.
An interesting look at a Father of the Church and Christianity in north Africa shortly after the major pagan persecutions. the Early Christians were a contentious lot.
~ 2007 ~

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
by Dillard, Annie
pub. by Harper's Magazine Press - 1974    isbn 0-06-095302-0 paperback edition by Bantam 1975. there are other editions.
Pulitzer Prize winner for general non-fiction in 1975. Natural and philosophical explorations which follow natural events during a year lived in a cabin at Tinker Creek.
~ 1985 ~

Islands at the Edge of Time - A Journey to Americas Barrier Islands
by Hansen, Gunnar
pub. by Islands Press - a Shearwater Book - 1993    isbn 1-55963-252-6 pbk map, illustrations - recommended reading - 222p.
Gunnar Hansen traveled from Boca Chica, at the southern tip of Texas around the Gulf of Mexico through Louisiana to Florida and north to North Carolina. He writes on the science, both physical as well as biological of the islands, including the various theories on how they formed.
~ 2007 ~

Slipping into Paradise why I live in New Zealand
by Moussaieff Masson, Jeffrey
pub. by Ballentine - 2004     isbn = 0345466144 (HC) - - - 248 p. - color illustrations - maps
Moussaieff Masson is a writer and psychologist. He visits and becomes enamored with New Zealand.
~ 2008~

In Trouble Again - A journey between the Orinoco and the Amazon
by OHanlon, Redmond
pub. by Random House - 1988    isbn 0-0679-72714-0 - - - paperback edition by Vintage - 1990. there are other editions. - 273 p. map, index, excellent bibliography
OHanlon takes a very small expedition up the Rio Negro and Rio Casiquiare and Rio Baria in southern Venezuela on the border with Brazil to the foot of the highlands of Neblina, then back down the Baria and further up the Casquiare and overland to visit a Yanomami village. The fierce Yanomami live up to their fierce reputation, but he is charming enough to come home to tell the tale.
~2008~

Trawler
by OHanlon, Redmond
pub. by Alfred A. Knopf, NY - 2005    isbn 1-400042755 - - - 339 p. map, index, excellent bibliography
Redmond travels on a trawler in the North Sea in winter Also aboard is a fisheries naturalist who explains the nature of the fishery, and the natural science of the various fish.
~ 2006 ~

No Mercy: A Journey Into the Heart of the Congo
by OHanlon, Redmond
pub by Vintage; Vintage Departures Ed - 1998 - - - 480 p. - index, excellent bibliography - - ISBN - 0679737324
Redmond heads off into the physically and politically dangerous Congo looking for a possible living dinosaur. What is revealed about the social situation is more surprising than the stuff on the natural world.
~ 2007 ~

Into the Heart of Borneo
by OHanlon, Redmond
Vintage; Vintage Departures Ed - 1987
208 p. - index, excellent bibliography - - nature - - ISBN - 0394755405
The first of OHanlon adventures on the island of Borneo. Heavy on the science and the adventure.
~ 2008 ~

Life on Matagorda Island
by McAlister, Wayne H.
pub. by Texas A and M Univ. Press - 2004    isbn 1-58544-338-7 - - - Notes drawings maps. Index - 244p.
A college professor and wife after retiring from teaching took up a job with the National Wildlife Service on Matagorda Island living there some 10 years.
There is nothing living on this island that Prof. McAlister does not know about, and what it eats and what eats it. This is a thoroughly fascinating and readable book, a must read for anyone interested in the natural history of this part of the Texas Gulf Coast.
~ 2006 ~

Beautiful Swimmers - Watermen. Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay
by Warner, William E.
pub. by Penguin (orig. pub. Little Brown - 1977     isbn 1-14-00-4405-1 - - - paperback - drawings. maps - 256p.
Follows the life cycle of the blue crab whose scientific name translates from the Latin as beautiful swimmer. Pulitzer prize winner.
~ 1980 ~

Looking for a Ship
by McPhee, John A.
pub by Farrar Strauss Giroux, 1990 - - isbn - 0-374523193 - or (Thorndyke large type 1-56054-102-4 - - - 252 p.
Details how the modern American Merchant Marine, much diminished in modern times, functions. McPhee boards the S.S. Stella Likes and from the East Coast of USA makes a 42 day run through the Panama Canal and down the Pacific Coast of South America.
~ 1992 ~

Tracker
by Brown Jr. , Tom
pub. by Berkley Books. - 1978     isbn 0-425-10133-9 - - - 229p.
The first book where Tom Brown describes how he learned to track and live outdoors from his friends Apache grandfather. He lives in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
~ 1985 ~

Case files of the Tracker - true stories from Americas greatest outdoorsman
by Brown Jr., Tom
pub. by Berkley Books. NY 2003    isbn 0-425-18755-1 - - - 190p.
Five case stories of tracking lost people, plus an introduction. Not all end happily.
~ 2008 ~

The Hungry Ocean - a swordboat captains journey
by Greenlaw, Linda - 1960
pub. by Hyperion, NY - 1999     isbn 0-78686451-6 - - 265 p - maps
Greenlaw, a swordfishing boat catpain, and the captain who last had communication with the boat, the Andrea Gail, which was lost in the Perfect Storm
tells the story from the position of one who was actually there, on the water. If you read Sebastian Junger's book, read this one also.
~1999~

Perfect Storm
by Junger, Sebastian
pub. by W.W. Norton - 1997     isbn 1857028449 - - 240 p - maps - photos
The story of a confluence of weather events which made a particularly violent storm off Northeastern USA. It details the disapearance and loss of a swordfishing boat off the Grand Banks and the rescue (later found to be unnecessary) of a cruising sailing yacht farther south on the coast.
~ 1998 ~

The Happy Isles of Oceania
by Theroux, Paul
pub. by Putnam, NY, 1992 -   -    -       isbn 978-0-399-13726-6   -   528 pages
Theroux travels in the Pacific starting in New Zealand followed by a short time in Austraila, then visits (Melanesia) - Trobriands - The Solomons, Guadalcanal - Vanuatu - Fij - (Polynesia) - Tonga - Western Samoa - American Samoa - Tahiti - the Marquesas - The Cook Islands - Easter Island - Hawaii
~1995~

Worlds of Christopher Columbus
by Rahn Phillips, Carla and Phillips, William
pub. by Cambridge University Press - 1992    isbn - 9780521446525 - or - 0521350972 - - - 340 p.
A great and well considered biography of Christopher Columbus
~ 1993 ~

Six Galleons for the King of Spain
by Rahn Phillips, Carla
pub. by John Hopkins University Press - 1992    isbn 978-0801845130 - - - 336 p.
Having examined a considerable collection of documents on the building of ships by the Spanish government (king) in the first half of the 1600s Carla Rahn Phillips was in a great position to write the definitive book on the process.
~ 1994 ~

Bring on the Empty Horses
by Niven, David
pub. by E.P. Putnams Sons. NY 1975     isbn 0-399-11542 - - LCCN= 75-17646 - - - 369 p.
David Niven, the actor, wrights a hilarious autobiography.
~ 1980 ~

Erasmus of Christendom
Bainton, Roland Herbert, 1894-
pub by Scribner, NY - 1969 - republished 1982 -   isbn - 0824504151 -   LCCN - 68-027788 -   - black and white illustrations - Bibliography p. 285-299 -   308 p.
Bainton has written the definitive biography of Desiderius Erasmus (1466/1469 - 1536) born in Rotterdam, one of the intellectual giants of the Reformation.
~1976~

----

The Rivers Amazon
by Shoumatoff, Alex
pub. by Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, California, USA , 1978 -     isbn 0-871562103 - LCCN 78-008585   - 258 pages.
A good book to read if you are considering traveling on the Amazon River.

~1990~ The Ra Expeditions
by Heyerdahl, Thor -- 1914 - 2002
pub by Doubleday, Garden City, NY, 1971 - - isbn - - illustrations, map on endpapers, photos. - translated by Patricia Crampton - 341 p.
Heyerdahl attempts to cross the Atlantic on a raft made of papyrus reeds, as such were built along the Nile in ancient times. The 1969 effort was not totally successful. The raft came apart and sank after it made it well past the mid-point of the voyage.
The Ra II was made in 1970. It was made of reeds in Bolivia, then taken across the Atlantic (by ship?) and launched in Morocco. Ra II made it across the Atlantic to the island of Barbedos.
~1976~

Chesapeake
by Michener, James A.
pub. by Random House - 1978    isbn 081297043 - - 888 p
long historical fiction traces the Chesapeake area of Eastern USA from pre-European contact up to fairly recent times. Revolutionary War, Slavery, Civil War times are covered, as is the fishing and boating activity of this area.
~ 1980 ~

The Autobiography of Arthur Ransome
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by Century Publishing - 1985    isbn 0-7126-0726-9 (first by Jonathan Cape 1976- index - 368p.
Read this book along with Hugh Brogans excellent biography of Ransome to get to know the complete man.

Captain Flint's Trunk
by Hardymet, Christina
pub. by Jopnathan Cape, London - 1984    isbn - new revised and enlarged edition - pub by Frances Lincoln Ltd, London - 2006 - isbn 978-071122692-0
243+ p.
Good writing about the background to Arthur Ransoms childrens works.
~1987~

In the footsteps of the Swallows and Amazons - 19 illustrated walks in Arthur Ransome country
by Kendall-Price, Claire
pub. by Wildcat Publishing. England - 1993    isbn 0-9521186-0-2 - - - 112p.
Describes 19 trails - walks - in the Lake District of England where Arthur Ransome lived and set many of his books.
~1995~

Swallows and Amazons
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1930    isbn _
This is the first story in the series. It is set inthe Lake District in England.

Swallowdale
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1931    isbn _
This is the second story set in the Lake District in England.

Winter Holiday
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1933    isbn _
This story set in the Lake District in England. in the Winter the lake freezes over

Coot Club
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1934    isbn _
This story set in SE England.

Peter Duck
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1932    isbn _
Set in the Atlantic Ocean. More of a fantesy story with real pirates.

The Picts and the Martyrs
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1943    isbn
This story set in the Lake District in England. The Great Aunt keeps some of the characters on a short leash

Great Northern?
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1947    isbn _
Set in Scotland - Bird watching and saving a nest

Missee Lee
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1941    isbn _
Set in China. After a fire destroys their schooner they use their dingys to sail to shore in China - are captured by Chinese pirates and manage to escape and sail a small Junk back to England.

The Big Six
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1940    isbn _
Set in Southeastern England.

Pigeon Post
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1936    isbn _
This story set in the Lake District in England. Pigeons are used for communication from house to camp

We didn t mean to go to sea
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1937    isbn _
The Swallows accidentally sail from England to Holland.

Secret Water
by Ransome, Arthur
pub. by J. B. Lippincott Co. - 1939    isbn _
Set in Southeastern England. The Swallows meet some local children survey their area and learn to celebrate with the new friends as well as deal with the tides.
~ I read almost all the books written by Arthur Ransome in the early 1960s - then re-read them. ~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chimes from a Wooden Bell - A hundred years in the life of a Euro-Armenian family
by Altounyan, Taqui
pub. by I.B. Tauris and Co., London, NY - 1990    isbn 1-85043-239-2 - - 189p.
A biographical work by Taqui Altounyan who was very probably the model for -Titty- in Arthur Ransoms Swallows and Amazons. It also details Armenian life in the Ottomon Empire and later. It reveals some of Arthur Ransoms biography that is otherwise unknown to this level of detail.
~ 2007 ~

A Song for Satawal
by Brower, Kenneth
Harper and Row, NY - 1983     isbn 0-06-015093-9
218 p. - - sailing adventure and anthropology
Brower travels to the island of Yap and examines modern conditions, then sails in a traditional canoe, examining methods of navigation and general details of life. A thought provoking book.
(Brower is also author of The Starship and the Canoe which I also recommend a a good read.)
~ 1990 ~

Sailing back in Time A nostalgic voyage on Canadas west coast
by Coffey, Maria and Dag Goering
Whitecap books N.Vancouver BC Canada 2002     isbn 1-55285-338-1
208 p. b&w photos, maps, lines and sailplan of China Moon - - sailing
The last voyage of China Moon sailed by owners Allen Farrell and Shari Farrell. A sailing history of Straight of Georgia area on the Western coast of Canada.
Farrell shows his age always wishing things were as they were in a golden age some 50 or 60 years ago. Farrell designed and built China Moon, a beautiful Chinese junk. Over the years he had built some 11 other boats - all by hand, without the aid of power tools.
~ 2008 ~

Catboat Summers
by Conway, John E.
Sheridan House, 145 Palisade St., Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 - copyright 2003    isbn 1-57409-171-9 - - - 214 p. b&w photos, boat name is Buckrammer
A perfectly delightful read. Summer sailing and family adventures on a 24 ft. long, Crosby made catboat, which was built in 1908. Area sailed includes Buzzards Bay, and through the Cape Cod Canal to Boston. The boats previous names Esther - - Josephine S. - - Pelican - - Cape Girl..
see also http://www.catboats.org - the Catboat Assn.
~ 2009 ~

Simple Courage - A true story of peril on the sea
by Delaney , Frank
pub. by Random House NY - 2006     isbn 1-4000-6524-0 - - - 300p.
This is the story of Captain Kurt Carlson - and the freighter Flying Enterprise. The ship was sailing from Hamburg Germany to New York in December 1951 and encountered a strong storm system in the North Atlantic. Carlson stayed aboard and when the salvage tug Turmoil eventually arrived and attemptedsalvage, but failed
~ 2008 ~

Lugworm Island Hopping
by Duxbury, Ken
Anthony Mott, Ltd., London 1983 - copyright 1976 (the physical copy I have is from The Cornish Library series Number 18)    isbn 0-907746-19-5
122 p. pen and ink illus. maps, boat name is Lugworm an 18 ft. plywood Drascombe Lugger
Duxbury sails and camps along the coast of Cornwaqll in SW UK to the Scilly isles. He also sailed by Padstow. The last half of the book describes sailing in the Outer Hebrides and living on the Isle of Ensay.
~ 2009 ~

My old man and the sea a father and son sail around Cape Horn
by Hayes, David and Daniel
Algonquin Bks, Chapel Hill - 1995    isbn 1-56512-102-3 - - - 229 p. maps, line drawing of boat Sparrow
A father and grown son sail from New London, CT, USA through the Panama Canal, stop at the Galapagos Is. then round Cape Horn. They stop at the Falklands Is. and at Montevideo then sail home to New London.
The Sparrow is only 25 feet long, and has no engine.
~ 2008 ~

The Biggest Boat I could Afford - sailing up the U.S. Coast in a dingy
by Hughes , Lee
pub. by Sheridan House - 2004    isbn 1-57409-192-1 - photos. map - 304p.
Hughes manages to buy Frank Dyes Wanderer probably the most fameous dingy in modern times. transports it from Canada to southern Florida then sails from there to the Canadian border.
~ 2008 ~

Wayward Sailor - in search of the real Tristan Jones
by Dalton , Anthony
pub. by McGraw Hill - 2003     isbn 0-07-144028-3 - - - map - 350p.
Dalton investigates the life and writings of Tristan Jones. He finds that Jones re-invented himself, creating a mostly fictitious past, then embroidered on it and with great skill as a writer, wrote a series of very readable and interesting books, loosly based on some of his experiences.
~ 2007 ~

Jones, Tristan - born 1929 - died June 21, 1995 - published works

The Incredible Voyage - pub. 1977

Ice (considered totally fiction by Dalton)

Saga of a Wayward Sailor

Dutch Treat (considered fiction by Dalton)

Adrift - published 1980

Aka (written as fiction)

One hand for yourself, One for the Ship - The essentials of Single-Handed Sailing

A Steady Trade (considered as fiction by Dalton)

Heart of Oak (certainly fiction as far as Jones participation is concerned)

Outward Leg (sailing a trimaran from San Diego, USA to London, UK, after he lost his leg)

- - published in England as - A Star to Steer Her by in 1985

The improbable voyage (Trimaran sailing up the Rhine and down the Danube to the Black Sea.

Somewheres East of Suez - (Trimaran from the Black Sea to Phuket, Thailand) - pub. 1988

To venture further

Seagulls in my soup - published 1991

Encounters of a Wayward Sailor

- - A. Dalton indentifies 9 other manuscripts which have never been published.

~2005~

Three Years in a Twelve-Foot Boat
by Ladd, Stephen
pub. by Seekers Press - 2000     isbn 0966933737 - - - map - 390p.
Ladd designs and builds Squeek a 12 ft cold molded wooden boat. He sails down the Missouri River and Mississippi River then takes a steamer to Panama. From the west coast of Panama he sails down to Columbia goes inland and eventually heads down one of the major rivers deciding to head out the Orinoco to the Carribbean. From there he island hops back north including sojourns in Haiti. Cuba and an outpost of the Bahamas back to Florida and USA Adventure in the raw often as much concerning the people he meets as the places or sailing he does.
~2001~

Kurun around the world
by Le Tourmelin, Jacques-Yves
pub. by E.P. Dutton, NY - 1955     isbn -none- - - - 301 p. maps, photos, line drawings of Kurun
After WWII le Tourmelin sails through Panama - Galapagos - Tahiti - N.Australia - Cocos Keeling - Reunion - S.Africa - St Helena - then home to le Croisic in France.
~ 2007 ~

Oar and Sail - an odyssey of the west coast
by Leighton, Kenneth M.
pub. by Cornerstone Press, Smithers BC - 1999     isbn 0-9684043-2-4
153p - - sailing adventure
Small boat - Morag Anne - (14 ft.) traveling on the west coast of Canada.
~ 2008 ~

The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow - a Mirror odyssey from north Wales to the Black Sea
by Mackinnon, A. J.
pub. by Sheridan House - 2002    isbn 1-57409-152-2 - - - drawings. maps - 355p.
Mackinnon acquires a Mirror dingy at the school where he is teaching. He sails rows poles the dingy which he named Jack de Crow west along a river. Then crosses England through the canal system and across the English Channel. He enters the European canal system and works across France. Germany and into eastern Europe to the Black Sea.
~ 2008 ~

First voyage of the Joshua
by Moitessier, Bernard
pub by Sheridan House, NY - 1977     isbn 0-688000231
The great Moitessier creating and sailing his creation the Joshua a steel hulled sailing vessel. He could have won the first single handed around the world race... but dropped out, sailing one and a half times around the world, ending up in French Polynesia.
~ 1990 ~

Tamata and the alliance
by Moitessier, Bernard
pub by Sheridan House, NY - 1995    isbn 0-924486775
A mystical autobiography of and by Bernard Moitessier.
His early years in Vietnam before WWII and shortly after WWII are particularly interesting.
~ 1996 ~

Serpents Coil - A stunning true epic of storm and salvage in mid-Atlantic
by Mowat, Farley
pub. by Ballantine, NY - 1961    LCCN = 62-9543 - - - 222p.
The story of - the Foundation Company, a marine salvage company and the freighter Leicester a WWII Liberty ship. Which was successfully towed into a port (in Bermuda) by Foundation Josephine.
~ 2008 ~

The Queens Conjurer - the science and magic of Dr. John Dee, adviser to Queen Elizabeth I
by Woolley, Benjamin
pub. by Henry Holt and Co., NY - 2001     isbn 0805065091 - - - 320p. - some black and white pictures - biography
This is essentially a biography of John Dee, 1527 - 1608. He studied in England and in the Louvain in Paris. He became a good friend of the cartographer Gerardus Mercator. Dee was a serious astronomer - astrologer - navigation expert as well as chemist - alchemist.
~ 2008 ~

The boat who wouldnt float.
by Mowat, Farley
pub by Little Brown - Boston - 1970    LCCN = 73-103952 - - - 241p
Mowat attempts to sail a leaky sailboat from Canada south to USA. The boat resists by attempting to sink every time he sails south.
~ 1975 ~

The Boy, Me and the Cat
Cruise of the Mascot, 1912-1913 by Plummer, Henry M.
pub by Little Brown - Boston - 1970    LCCN = 73-103952 - - - 241p.
Sailing a catboat from southern New England to Florida by way of informal inland waterways, before the ICW (Intercoastal Canal) existed Pre WWI.
~ 2007 ~

Looking for a Ship
by McPhee, John
pub. by Farrar, Straus and Giroux - 1991 -    isbn 0374523193 - - - 252 p.
McPhee sailed on the SS Stella Lykes with a merchant marine sailor friend from from Charleston, South Carolina through the Panama Canal and down the Pacific coast of South America.
~2000~

Passage to Juneau - a sea and its meanings
by Raban, Jonathan
pub. by Pantheon - 1999    isbn 0-679-44262-6 - - - 435p.
Raban sails from Seattle to Juneau Alaska.
~ 2000-11-19 ~

Coasting - A Private Voyage
by Raban, Jonathan
pub. by Vintage Press - 1985     isbn 0375725938 - - - 304p.
Raban sails around England, He meets travel author Paul Theroux who is walking around the coast in the other direction.
~ 1990 ~

Christopher Columbus
by Granzotto, Gianni
pub by Garden City, N.Y. Doubleday - 1985.    isbn 0385196776 - - - 300 p. -- maps
An interesting and slightly different view of Columbus life.
~1988-04-15~

Meetings with Remarkable Men
by Gurdjieff, Georges Ivanovitch, 1872-1949
pub by Penguin, NY - 1964 - many earlier editions -    isbn 0-14-019037-6
This is an autobiographical work which covers the early life and travels of G.I. Gurdjeiff. He developed a philosophy and believed in mystical strength of human beings.
~1975~

We the Navigators - The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific by Lewis, David Henry -- 1917-2002
pub by T, 1972 - isbn 0824803949 -- 345 p. -- illus.
David H. Lewis, a sailor and circumnavigator with considerable small boat experience studied with traditional micronesian navigatora of the Pacific.
~ 1998 ~

Sailing Alone Around the World
by Slocum, Joshua
originally pub. by Century, NY - 1909    ISBN-10: 1574092618 - - ISBN-13: 978-1574092615 - - - (was available from Sheridan House) - with the original Fogarty and Varian sketches. map - 320p.
Slocum first to sail alone around the world in his 30 ft sloop Spray.
~ 1964 ~

Voyage of the Liberdade
by Slocum, Joshua
originally pub. pre 1900 - now pub by Dover - 1998    ISBN-10: 0486400220 - - ISBN-13: 978-0486400228 - - - 128p.
Slocum and his family (wife and 2 children) are shipwrecked. He constructs the Liberdade in Brazil and sails it to Washington, D.C., USA.
~ 1970 ~

Adventures under sail : selected writings of H.W. Tilman - edited and with an introduction by Libby Purves.
by Tilman, H.W.
pub. by V. Gollancz - London - 1982     isbn 057503159x - - - 254p. maps - black and white photos - chronology.
extracts from the following books by H. W. Tilman

Mischief in Patagonia - 1957

Mischief Among the Penguins - 1961

Mischief in Greenland - 1964

Mostly Mischief - 1966

Mischief goes South - 1968

In Mischiefs Wake - 1971

Ice with Everything - 1974

Triumph and Tribulation - 1977

Tilman who was a fameous mountaineer takes to sailing and hiking as he grew older.
~ 2008 ~

500 Days
by Testa, Serge
pub. by Trident Press - 1988    isbn 0731648498 - - - 216p.
Serge sailed Acrohc Australis a very specially built 12 ft. boat around the world.
~ 1990 ~

The The Letters of JRR Tolkien - selected and edited by Humphrey Carpenter with assistance of Christopher Tolkien
by Tolkien, J.R.R
pub by Houghton Mifflin, Boston,1981 - - isbn 0-395-31555-7 LCCN = 81-6765 - Introduction p.1-3 - - Notes p.433-453 - - Index p.454-463 - - Total 436 p.
Here there are many of the letters sent to JRR Tolkien and often responses to them by JRR Tolkien.
The frist is from Edith Bratt in 1914 and the last to Priscella Tolkien at the end of August 1973.
~1985~

Kingdom by the Sea - A Journey around the coast of Great Britain.
by Theroux, Paul
pub. by Penguin - 1983    isbn 0-140-07181-4 - - - 361p.
Theroux travels around the permiter of the United Kingdom (England and vicinity) including N. Ireland. He walks the trip. At the same time another travel writer, Jonathan Raban is sailing around England in the opposite direction.
~ 1999-

All in the Same Boat
by McCall, Fiona and Howard, Paul
pub. by McClwelland and Stewart, Toronto, Canada, 1988     isbn - 0-7710-5437-8 - - - 249 p. - photos - Appendix A. Descruotuib if Lorcha and equipment - Appendix B. - Itinerary - Appendix C. Factors in Choosing a Boat
A Canadian family build a boat and with 4 year old and 6 year old children sail to Africa, South America and Panama on their way around the world. Their boat is 29 ft long overall, and is Chinese Lug rigged.
~1995~

The Hollow hills
by Stewart, Mary, 1916-
pub. by Fawcett Columbine, NY - 1973    isbn (none) - - LCCN = 96-096703 - - 498 p. -
A fictionalized biography of Arthur, king of England - and Merlin. First in a series of 3 books
~1976~

The Crystal Cave
by Stewart, Mary, 1916-
pub. by Morrow - New York - 1970   isbn (none) - - LCCN = 75-120616 - - - 521 p. -
A fictionalized biography of Arthur, king of England - and Merlin. First in a series of 3 books
~1976~

Grendel
by Gardner, John, 1933-1982
pub. by . Knopf, New York, 1971    isbn - 0394740564 - later edition - 9780679723110 - - - 174 p. - illustraded
The Beowulf story from ancient English literature re-told from the monsters perspective.
~ 1975 ~

Iacocca an autobiography
by Iacocca, Lee
pub. by Bantam., New York, 1984     isbn - 0-553050672 - - - 352 p. - photos - index
Iacocca on Iacocca - a lively biography by a straight talker. He worked most of his career at Ford Motors and was on the team which developed the Mustang . Later he was hired by Chrysler to bring it back from near ruin.
~ 1986 ~

the Hands of Cantu - concerning horses, in our New Spain none are equal to those we call Ibarra Horses
by Lea, Tom
originally pub. Little Brown, Boston, USA - 1964    ISBN-10: 1574092618 - - LCCN - 64-17481    black and white illustrations - - 244 pages
A book of fiction that tells the tale of breeding, raising and training horses in northern Mexico in 1580.
~1982~

The Sinbad Voyage
by Severin, Tim
pub. by G.P. Putnams Sons, NY 1982     isbn 0349109958 (later edition) - illustrated,
Tim Severin builds a very traditional dhow using no metal in Oman, the Sohar and sails it from Muscat, Arabia to China.
~ 1985 ~

Voyage of the Stella
by Lawrence, R.D.
pub by HRW, 1982 - - isbn 0-03-058901-0 - - - 248 p. - - maps
A narrative of modern motorboat cruising in the Pacific NW of USA and Canada. The author encounters orcas (killer whales) in a remarkably friendly way.
~ 1985 ~

The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight
by Breslin, Jimmy
pub by (orig. pub by Viking), 1969 - - isbn 0316111740    - - - 249 p.
A novel, which was published fairly shortly after The Godfather came out. While the Godfather was a more serious novel involving the Mafia, The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is rollicking fun. The Mafia mob in this humerus presentation can rarely get anything right.
~ 1979 ~

Indian Tipi - its history, construction, and use
bhy Laubin, Reginald and Gladys
pub. by Univ of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK, 1957 - 1977    isbn - 0-8061-2236-6 - - 350 p. photos, drawings, some in color. - index - bibliography - hist. of tipi by Stanley Vestal
One of the first, if not the first, practical books on the tipi. How to make a tipi, and how to comfortably live in one.
~ 1992 ~

The Craft of Sail
by Adkins, Jan
pub. by Walker, NY 1973       isbn 0802704018 - republished in 1980 with isbn 0802772145,     64 p. total - - index on p. 64.
This is an absolutely delightful book on how to sail.
It is in the format of a hard cover, thin and longer than it is tall childrens book. Jan Adkins is both the author and illustrator. His drawings are rich in detail and portray different sailing rigs, notably lug rigs and sprit rigs as well as the more modern triangular ~bermudan~ sailing rig.

~ 1974 ~

The Brendan Voyage - Sailing to America in a leather boat to prove the legend of the Irish sailor saints
by Severin, Tim
pub. by McGraw Hill, NY 1978     isbn 0070563357 - pre pages - aviii, 292 p., [16] leaves of plates - maps - Appendix I The Navigatio. p 238-248 - - Appendix II The Navigatio and Brendon. p. 249-255 - - Appendix III Brendan. with details on construction p. 256-263 - - illustrated,
Tim Severin builds a traditional and ancient leather covered boat (a curragh) as the ancient Irish did and sails it to the New World.
~ 1980 ~

Poso del mundo; inside the Mexican-American border, from Tijuana to Matamoros
by Demaris, Ovid
pub by Little Brown, 1970 - - LCCN = 70-105353 - - isbn (none) - - - 224 p. - Map
A newspaper reporter investigates the border between USA and Mexico.
~ 1974 ~

Blind Horns Hate, the
by Hough, Richard
pub by WW Dutton, 1971 - - LCCN = 76-116102 - - isbn (pbk.) 336 p.- - - Maps - pictures - some black and white photos - index
A very complete history of Cape Horn and the Strait of Magellan.
~ 1976 ~

The Teachings of Don Juan - a Yaqui Way of Knowledge
by Castanada, Carlos
pub. by Pocket Books, NY. 1974       ISBN 0671827677 - - (first edition was in 1968)
This book was written by Carlos Castanada and was presented as the result of study with a Yaqui shaman. It covered a lot of American Indian (Native American) mythology and magical practice, including the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms etc. It was quite believable and in most cases accurate. However, several years after its publication, and publication of subsequent books, it was revealed to be in essence a work of fiction. It is nonetheless an interesting book,

Other books in his series are -
A Separate Reality: Further Conversations With Don Juan, Simon & Schuster, 1971.
Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan, Simon & Schuster, 1972.
Tales of Power, Simon & Schuster, 1974.
~ 1975- ~

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
by Bach, Richard
pub by - Macmillan, 1970 - isbn 817223578X - . - 93 p.
Considered inspirational - story of not letting your limitations stop you. Seagull tries harder to fly better and get above the daily grind.
~1972~

Sons of Sinbad; an account of sailing with the Arabs in their dhows, in the Red Sea, around the coasts of Arabia, and to Zanzibar and Tanganyika: pearling in the Persian gulf: and the life of the shipmasters, the mariners, and merchants of Kuwait, illustrated with photographs and charts by the author.Sons of Sinbad - an account of sailing with the Arabs in their dhows, in the Red Sea, around the coasts of Arabia
by Villiers, Alan J. -- 1903 - 1982
pub by Rand McNally, NY, 1940 - - isbn (none this edition ) - illustrations, photos, maps - - 429 p.
The title says it all. A very readable and revealing book by a master mariner who sailed a voyage aboard a Dhow with a native crew. Villiers had a serious accident while aboard and the sailors nursed him back to health.
~1970~

Papa Hemingway - a personal memoir
by Hotchner, A. E.
pub by - Random House, NY - 1966, - isbn - - LCCN = 66-012017 - - total book length 304 p.
A good readable biography of Ernest Hemingway by a person who knew him well, and knew him for 13 years. before Hemingway committed suicide.

~ 1969- ~

The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings trilogy book 3)
by Tolkien, J.R.R
pub by Houghton Mifflin, Boston,1966 - - isbn (none this edition ) LCCN = - illustrations, map. - - p.
The big finale of the trilogy. Wars are fought. Frodo accomplishes his task after much suffering.
~1968~

The Two Towers (Lord of the Rings trilogy book 2)
by Tolkien, J.R.R
pub by Houghton Mifflin, Boston,1966 - - isbn (none this edition ) LCCN = - illustrations, map. - - p.

~1968~

The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings trilogy book 1)
by Tolkien, J.R.R
pub by Houghton Mifflin, Boston,1966 - - isbn (none this edition ) LCCN = 67-29221 - illustrations, map. - - p.
The story begins with the Hobbit, Frodo Baggins, relative of Bilbo Baggins, being tapped to take The Ring and destroy it to keep it from falling into hands of the evil force which intends to use it to take over the world.
~1968~

The Hobbit
by Tolkien, J.R.R
pub by Houghton Mifflin, Boston,1966 - - isbn (none this edition ) LCCN = 54009738 - illustrations, photographs - map. - - 319 p.
The first very popular fiction by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was first published in 1937. The story set in a fictional world with some men and a number of fictional types of beings. Hobbits are introduced in this book.
~1967~

Dr. Zhivago
by Pasternak, Boris L. (1890-1960)
pub by Pantheon, NY - 1958. - - LCCN = 58-008005 - - 558 pages
- Translated from the Russian by Max Hayward and Manya Harari -
The great modern novel of the Russian Revolution, translated into English and published in 1958.
Zhivago, a medical Dr. is captured by the insurgent Red Russians and conscripted to be medical support. He has a wife and later a lover in the revolution torn country. He is also a notable poet.
As a notable novel of its time it is well worth reading. ~1966-11-30~

The marching wind
by Clark, Leonard (Leonard Francis)
pub by Funk & Wagnalls, NY, 1954 - - isbn (none this edition ) LCCN = 54009738 - illustrations, Photos - - 368 p.
Clark was an OSS operative during WWII. He led a Chinese army expedition to the Amne Machin Mountains. China to see if they were higher than Mt. Everest
~1969~

The Indian Ocean
by Villiers, Alan J. -- 1903 - 1982
pub by Museum Press, London, 1952 - - isbn (none this edition ) - illustrations, photos. - - 255 p.
A well written book describing the Indian Ocean, by a master mariner of the days of sail.
~1970~

The Armada
by Mattingly, Garrett
pub. by Houghton Mifflin, Boston - 1959 (1st Edition)       isbn - 0395083664 - - 443 p.
about the calendar p. xiii-xiv -- about ships and their guns p. xiv-xvi -- map p. xvii -- Epilogue p. 397-404 -- note on Sources p 405-409 -- Notes p. 410-428 -- Index p. 429-443
Mattingly has written the definitive book on the Spanish Armada of 1588.

~1964~

Lord of the Flies
by Golding, William, 1911-1993
pub by - Faber and Faber, London, UK - orig pub 1954 - isbn 9780399501487 - - - 216 p.
Boys survive airplane crash and create their own society. Violence.
~1964~

Great Expectations
by Dickens, Charles
pub by - - isbn (none this edition ) - - - 556 p.
Young man in England of mid 1800s - attempt to identify himself and his future.
~1964~

Aku-Aku - the Secret of Easter Island
by Heyerdahl, Thor -- 1914 - 2002
pub by Rand McNally, Chicago, 1958 - - isbn (none this edition ) - illustrations, map on endpapers, photos. - - - 384 p.
Heyerdahl attempts to unravel the history of Easter Island, a small lone island in the Pacific Ocean which was settled by the Polynesians, but where they had little or no contact with other Polynesians after the original settlement.
~1964~

Folk Medicine
by Jarvis, D.C., MD
pub by Fawcett Crest, 1958 - - isbn 0-499-24161-0 (pbk.) - - - 192 p.
The classic work - who knew that apple cider vinegar and/or honey could cure so much.
Also Kelp, Spruce gum and other healthy eats.
~1966~

Admiral of the Ocean Sea : a life of Christopher Columbus
by Morrison, Samuel Eliot
pub by Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1983, 1970   (Originally published: Boston : Little, Brown, 1942.)     isbn 0930350375 (pbk.) xxvi, 680 p. maps, ill. (1 fold.)
One of the great biographies of Christopher Columbus.
~ 1962- ~

Beowulf
by anonymous
pub. by .__     isbn - none - - - 174 p. -
The Beowwulf story from ancient English literature. Generally taught as the earliest extant work in English.
The action takes place in Nordic past in a communal hall, where the monster Grendel breaks in to kill and sometimes eat the warriors there. The king accepts the help of Beowulf to kill Grendel, which Beowulf does, then only to infuriate Grendels mother who if anything is more terrible than Grendel himself.
~ 1968 ~

Collision Course
by Moscow, ALvin
pub by Putnam, NY -     1959 - - also offered as a Readers Digest Condensed Book in 1959 - - isbn - none original edition    - -LCCN 59-014040    - - 316 p.       - - has illustrations.
This is one of the earliest full length books on the collision of the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm . It was written by a New York Times newspaper writer. - Collision Course- is recommended reading for anyone who has any interest in the event or in disasters at sea.
~ 1960-02-01 ~

Kon Tiki Expedition
by Heyerdahl, Thor -- 1914 - 2002
pub by Rand McNally, Chicago, 1950 - isbn (none this edition ) later ed isbn 0-917561198 (Adler and Adler pub) - illustrations, map on endpapers, photos. - translated by F. H. Lyon - - - 304 p.
This is the story of the first of the rafting expeditions which were done post WWII. Heyerdahl lashed a number of balsa logs to form a raft as was used by the indigenous people of the west coast of South America for coastal travel. He then sailed/drifted it to Polynesia along with an agreeable crew in an attempt to prove that there may have been contact between the peoples of South America and Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.
~1962~

Sailing Alone Around the World
by Slocum, Joshua b. 1844 - missing 1909
pub. by The Century Co., NY 1900     isbn 0- - - xvi p, 294 pages. maps, few pictures (sketches)
Just what the title says. This is the narrative of the first single handed sail around the world. This book is the absolute classic in sailing adventure.
~ 1963- ~

The Silver Chalice: A Story of the Cup of the Last Supper
by Costain, Thomas B.
pub. by Hodder and Stoughton - 1953     isbn 0802471048 - - - 527 p
The story of the Last Supper of Christ and the Apostles followed by the story of the Silver Chalice which was used at the Last Supper - the Grail.
~ 1964 ~

- Dear and Glorious Physician
by Caldwell, Taylor, 1900-1985
pub. by Doubleday ,Garden City, N.Y. - 1959    isbn none - LCCN = 58-012032 - - - 574 p
A fictionalized biography of St. Luke.
~ 1962 ~

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