Books for the Armchair AdventurerLike this list

21 items

• In the Heart of the Sea

  Philbrick, Nathaniel,

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  This story was the inspiration behind "Moby Dick." Interested in reading more? See "In Search of Moby Dick."

• The Lost City of Z

  a Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

  Grann, David

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  In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Desert Queen

  the Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell, Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia

  Wallach, Janet, 1942-

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  This is the story of Gertrude Bell, who explored, mapped, and excavated the Arab world throughout the early twentieth century. Recruited by British intelligence during World War I, she played a crucial role in obtaining the loyalty of Arab…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Man-eaters of Tsavo

  Patterson, J. H. (John Henry), 1867-1947

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  "The Man-Eaters of Tsavo" is the firsthand account of the infamous Tsavo lions who for nearly a year terrorized East Africa and succeeded in bringing the construction of a railway line to a complete halt. They have been credited with the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Between a Rock and a Hard Place

  Ralston, Aron

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  This is about a guy who survived a near-fatal accident by amputating his arm when it became trapped behind a boulder in Utah, and how he endured more than five days of hypothermia, dehydration, and hallucinations before managing his own…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons [TITLE NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

  Powell, John Wesley, 1834-1902

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  "The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons," is legendary pioneer John Wesley Powell’s first-person account of his crew’s unprecedented odyssey along the Green and Colorado Rivers and through the Grand Canyon. A bold foray into…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kon-Tiki

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  Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean in a balsa wood raft in 1947, together with five men, to prove that South Americans in pre-Columbian times could have crossed the sea to settle on Polynesian islands. After…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Destination Moon

  the Apollo Missions in the Astronauts' Own Words

  Pyle, Rod

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  "Destination Moon" tells the significant, spectacular, and intriguing story of the Apollo program through first-person accounts by the astronauts themselves—both their mission dialogue and retrospective reminiscences—explained and put into…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Voyage of the Beagle

  Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches

  Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882

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  This is a shortened version of the five years that English naturalist Charles Darwin spent traveling around the world on the HMS Beagle, a voyage that led him to develop his theory of the evolution of the species.

• Nothing Daunted

  the Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West

  Wickenden, Dorothy

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  The acclaimed and captivating true story of two restless society girls who left their affluent lives to “rough it” as teachers in the wilds of Colorado in 1916.

• Driving While Black

  African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights

  Sorin, Gretchen Sullivan,

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  The true story behind the award-winning film of the same name explores the role of travel in civil rights, the specific impact of the automobile on African-American life and the cultural importance of Victor and Alma Green’s famous Green…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Lost City of the Monkey God

  a True Story

  Preston, Douglas J,

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  Venturing into this raw, treacherous, but breathtakingly beautiful wilderness to confirm the discovery, Preston and the team battled torrential rains, quickmud, disease-carrying insects, jaguars, and deadly snakes. But it wasn't until they…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Travels of Marco Polo

  Polo, Marco, 1254-1323?

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  Marco Polo almost single-handedly introduced fourteenth-century Europe to the civilizations of Central Asia and China. He takes readers on a fascinating journey into a world once unknown.

• The Long Walk

  the True Story of a Trek to Freedom

  Rawicz, Slavomir

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  In 1941, the author and six fellow prisoners of war escaped a Soviet labor camp in Yakutsk—a camp where enduring hunger, cold, untended wounds, and untreated illnesses, and avoiding daily executions were everyday feats. Their march—over…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Women of Discovery

  a Celebration of Intrepid Women Who Explored the World

  Polk, Milbry

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  Featuring eighty heroic, groundbreaking women, this inspiring collection of mini-biographies covers stunning female achievements in botany, space exploration, air travel, and deep sea diving, among many others.

• Death on the River of Doubt

  Theodore Roosevelt's Amazon Adventure

  Seiple, Samantha,

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  The action-packed true story of President Theodore Roosevelt's dangerous adventure down one of the most treacherous rivers on Earth.

• Over the Edge of the World

  Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe

  Bergreen, Laurence

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  A chronicle of Ferdinand Magellan's sixteenth-century voyage around the world draws on candid first-person accounts and describes his crew's experiences with mutiny, navigation, death, unusual sexual practices, and Magellan's ruthless…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lewis & Clark

  Voyage of Discovery

  Ambrose, Stephen E.

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  A distinguished historian and noted photographer join forces to chronicle the epic journey of Lewis and Clark across uncharted wilderness to the Pacific Ocean, in a compelling narrative that incorporates entries from the explorers'…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Swell

  a Sailing Surfer's Voyage of Awakening

  Clark, Liz, (Sailor),

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  This photo-heavy book is a cross between a work for display and a memoir. It will appeal to readers who enjoy the details of living on the water, embracing nature, and experiencing outdoor adventures.

• The Flight

  Charles Lindbergh's Daring and Immortal 1927 Transatlantic Crossing

  Hampton, Dan,

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  A decorated fighter pilot and best-selling author provides a front-seat view of Charles Lindbergh’s legendary, non-stop journey from New York to Paris in 1927 at the age of 25, despite never having flown over water before.