Good Reads
Books which I have read and recommend.

this List alphabetical by Author

this List alphabetical by Title

Non-Fiction High Adventure

Skeletons on the Zahara - A True Story of Survival
by King, Dean
pub. by Little Brown - 2005     isbn 0316835145
320p. - - adventure
An account of an actual shipwreck of an American trading vessel at Cape Bojador on the west African coast about 1815. The crew suffers from incredible thirst is captured enslaved and after further adventure wandering with their captors in the western Sahara desert are ransomed through the intervention of a British consul and much good will from one of the capturers. Not all of the natives come off as savages some are very honorable. Their life-style is explored at length. This is a survival tale. An early version of it was a favorite read of President Abraham Lincoln.

Along the Edge of America
by Jenkins, Peter
pub. by Mariner books - Houghton Mifflin Co - 1995     isbn 0-395-87737-7
319p. - - adventure/travel
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. He buys a boat and learns how to operate it, then over 2 years travels the Gulf of Mexico from the Dry Tortugas at the end of the Florida Keys to Freeport, Texas. His sprint to the mouth of the Rio Grande is un-documented. He stopped for considerable lengths of time in southern Florida at Goodland, then at a fishing camp on the Wakulla River near the more inland Perry, Florida. His next long stop was inland, up the Alabama River from Mobile Bay, Alabama to Wilcox County where he experience Southern hospitality in its classical sense. The next major stop was New Orleans, followed by Cameron, Louisanna at the western edge of the State. In Texas he stopped at Chambers County on the NE side of Galveston Bay, and again in Freeport. He spent some time in Seadrift, TX and was nearly hijacked near Aransas Bay. After that the trip comes to a rapid close - probably by way of a sprint for the last 160 miles or so to the southern tip of Texas. If you are interested in the adventure and travel parts of the book, skip the first 78 pages, after that it becomes very interesting as Jenkins soaks up the individual life stories of some very interesting people. Interestingly most of his informants are people with deep roots where they live. This is an interesting book which describes a time as much as a place, in the United States of America.

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 Timbuctu (sp?). A great read if you are considering a hike in a hot dry place. A very interesting traveling tale.

Boats and Boating including design and construction

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. - - boatbuilding
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. The author owned the Wabun and is intimately familiar with these lightweight shallow draft Presto class cruising sailboats. He was a friend of Commondore Munro who designed them and popularized the design in Florida at the turn of the century. This is a delightful book full of good common sense.

Buehlers Backyard Boatbuilding
by Buehler, George
pub. by McGraw-Hill - 1991     isbn 0-07-158380-7
371p. - - boatbuilding
Buehler espouses a common sense approach to boat design and building. No magic here - just common sense. The author does assume access to lumber in dimensions and quality which may not be available in 2006 or at least not in south Texas. His advice on wood materials is probably more appropriate in the Pacific Northwest and some places in Northeast USA.

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. - - boatbuilding
This book is an in depth study. Includes graphs. charts etc. leading to an understanding of what it takes to build a strong boat.

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

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

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. A useful book for one who wants to sail long distances offshore, written by an eminently qualified sailor.

Fiction worth reading

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. Flamel being the hero and lead of a set of teenage fraternal twins and Dee being the evil one in league with powerful beings from the earths past. It is set in southern California, San Francisco and Ojai. The action progresses quickly and it is artfully written. It is set in current times with references to the children using wikipedia on the internet. It does not end however, just segways into the following title -The Magican- and a shift of setting to Paris, France. It is somewhat like the Harry Potter books. Time will tell if the series continues the quality of writing through the various volumes.

The Cry of the Heron
by Allan, Dick
pub. by Longfellow Publishers, Farnham, Surrey, UK 2000     isbn 0-9533291-2-7
- maps - 240 p. - boating - historical fiction
A work of fiction. This book describes the inland waterway trade in Southeastern UK (England) between 1777 - 1794. The story is fairly straightforward and involves 2 families of bargemen, one the hero, the other his evil foil. The real reason for this books popularity is that it portrays the barge trade on the River Wey and Thames in great detail, including the operation of the locks, towpaths, weirs etc. and even construction of part of a new canal. The author has a special interest in the preservation of the canals.
The author is an avid sailor and has sailed a small yacht, the Greylag around the world.

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 - remember it is a work of fiction. 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. This movie is a good translation from the book. Read the book / see the movie.

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 are prominently featured. The action does extend to Austin, Galveston, New York and Washington, DC in this tale of oil, South Texas ranching, big money and environmental concern. Historical facts are interwoven giving it more local flair. A short bit of offshore sailing up the Texas coast adds boating flavor. There are some interesting plot twists and turns in the last part of the book which give an OHenry flavor. The chapters are very short, which gives reading this a feeling of immediacy. On the whole a satisfying read. I believe this is the authors first work of fiction. The author is a South Texas native, and claims that his family has been here for 5 generations. I am told that his name is French. For more information on him see www.michaelputegnat.com

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. It is read by Edward Lewis, who entertains wonderfully interepreting Russian and Cuban Spanish accents. It is also quite a tour of Cuba after the Soviets pulled out from the purported view of a Russian.

History

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. - - history
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.

The Bounty - The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty
by Alexander, Caroline
pub. by Penguin Audiobooks - 2003     isbn 1-14-280030-9
10 cassettes (unabridged). - - history
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.

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. He was involved in French colonialization of N Africa and outside the of this biography one can glean a lot of information on European influence in north Africa. 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.

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 book which won a Western Writers Award. 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). It is filled with humanity and insight on how ancient democratic structures function in a rural enviornment. - It is a very good read.

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. The concept of the seekers of fortune being Coronado s children is apt, as Coronado was the first European seeker of fortune and all subsequent seekers follow in his footsteps. I was amazed at the sheer number of claims of buried treasure, of Comanche and Apache involvement and of people who found treasure and after going for supplies, assistance etc. could not re-find their earlier find. Includes a chapter on Laffite the pirate.

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, and which were harvested in great abundance shortly after the U.S. Civil War. It is also a history of the storied cattle drives from south Texas to Kansas, and even to Montana. A fair amount of description of south Texas brush country, and ranch operation is included. J. Frank Dobie was born and raised on a south Texas ranch. He was a great Texas writer and folklorist.

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. - - history
The author follows Captain Cook and asks how he is remembered in places where he visited and lived in his youth. Interestingly in some places he receives little response and in others hostility. The book examines Cook and his life and works. In some places this is a lighthearted read then you realize that you have learned something fairly painlessly.

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. - - history
Druett researched women as captains, and found them from 500 BC to past 1900 AD. The stories are lively.

Bismark and his times
by Kent, George O.
pub. by Southern Illinois Univ Pr. - 1978     isbn 0-8093-0859-0
184p. indexed. extensive bibibliography - - history
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. To build the German nation out of a group of principalities and stave off what was Austria and Russia Bismark warred threatned war and did a wide variety of underhanded deals. In the end he was successful in uniting Germany into a unified country at a cost. This is an academic book. It reads like one. If you have interest in the time period.

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. - - history
WWI in Arabia. Palestine. Syria. This is the longer version of the story. the shorter version being Revolt in the Desert which I have not read.

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
Another very readable work on Western history. This one covering the end of the Medieval and beginning of the Renaissance. Manchester is not an expert in this time period. His expertise is in more modern history nontheless his approach is fresh and very readable 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.

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.

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 - - history
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 and had may other adventures.
This is an amazing book to read in light of current (post 2001) world events.

Selkirks Island
by Souhami, Diana
pub. by Weidenfeld and Nicholson. London - 2001     isbn 0-297-64385-1
246p. index. illus. - - history
The story of Alexanser Selkirk who was marooned on the Juan Fernandez Is. off the coast of Chile in 1704. Perhaps not scholarly but readable and thorough. It has good endnotes.

In Search of Robinson Crusoe
by Sverin, Tim
pub. by Basic Books - 2003     isbn 0-465-07689-x
or 0-465-07699-8 - - 333p. - - history
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.

With Lawrence in Arabia New enlarged edition
by Thomas, Lowell
pub. by Doubleday - 1967     isbn LCCN 66-24339
(orig pub Century Co. - 1924) - 320p. - - history
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. 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. - - history
World War I sea raider Sea Adler a sailing ship, captained by Felix von Lukner raided commercial shipping in the Atlantic and Pacific. Although many ships were taken and sunk not so much as a pet kitten died. Lukner was later awarded a medal for humane warfare after the war.

A Distant Mirror - the calamitous 14th Century
by Tuchman, Barbara W.
pub. by Knopf (a Borzoi Book) - 1978     isbn isbn
maps. pictures. index - 720p. - - history
A very readable work of history. Written from a French perspective it is refreshing as most of the historical work we Americans read is from an English or American perspective. It covers one of the more horrific centuries in western history and shows how civilization muddled through despite its problems.

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. - - history
Fascinating history of an interesting life and of the living history of Arabia Mesopotamia Syria and Iraq. 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.

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. - - history
This book is not an easy read. It is slow stylistically but it is incredibly detailed and well documented. If you have any serious interest in this part of the world in this time period. Read this book.

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

Natural History

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. - _p. - - nature
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. This is excellent writin very well worth reading.

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 - - nature
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. OHanlon tells all including the gritty details of canoe expedition, the personnel and their issues as well as describing he flora and fauna in detail.

Natural History and Enviornment - 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. - - nature
A personal recollection of a college professor and wife who after retiring from teaching took up a job with the National Wildlife Service on Matagorda Island living there some 10 years.

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. - - nature
Pulitzer prize winner in 1977 and very deservedly so. Follows the life cycle of the blue crab whose scientific name translates from the Latin as beautiful swimmer. This is excellent writing very well worth reading.

Tracker
by Brown Jr. , Tom
pub. by Berkley Books. - 1978     isbn 0-425-10133-9
229p. - - outdoors
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.

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. - - outdoors
Five case stories of tracking lost people, plus an introduction. Not all end happily.

Arthur Ransome - works and works about Ransome

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. - - ransome
Arthur Ransome. author of the Swallows and Amazons and other childrens books involving sailing and childhood adventure lived a very interesting life himself. He was in Russia when the revolution broke out and found himself thrust into being a foreign cor He met knew most of the revolutionaries but was himself a-political. He married Evangenia Trotskys secretary and had many sailing adventures with her in the Baltic. 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. - - ransome
Good writing about the background to Arthur Ransoms childrens works.

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. - - ransome
Describes 19 trails - walks - in the Lake District of England where Arthur Ransome lived and set many of his books.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
_ - - ransome
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. Some of it describes Aleppo, Syria where her father had a significant medical practice, and the Lake District of England, where her father met and married Dora Collingwood, who was also Arthur Ransomes sweetheart. Ransome remained a family friend of the Altounyans for life. It reveals some of Arthur Ransoms biography that is otherwise unknown to this level of detail. A fascinating book if read with a historical eye.

Sailing

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.)

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.

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 - - sailing
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. Among the adventures, the Padanaram Rendezvous race where the last boat to cross the finish line - within an hour of the first boat crossing the finish line - wins. (LIFR - Last is first, race. see p. 62) The boats previous names Esther - - Josephine S. - - Pelican - - Cape Girl..
see also http://www.catboats.org - the Catboat Assn.

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. - - sailing adventure
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. This storm system sunk several ships. After being hit by a rogue wave the Flying Entertrise hull cracked and cargo shifted. The engines refused to work (lube oil would not pump at the extreme angle). The ship was dead in the water and taking on water in an Atlantic winter storm. Other vessels stood by and the few passangers and crew were ordered to abandon ship. Carlson stayed aboard and when the salvage tug Turmoil eventually arrived assisted in the attempted salvage. The second officer on the tug Kenneth Dancy managed to jump onto the Flying Enterprise and assist the captain in his eventually vain efforts to save the ship.

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 - - sailing adventure
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. These people are pure sailors.

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. - - sailing adventure
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.

Wayward Sailor - in search of the real Tristan Jones
by Dalton , Anthony
pub. by McGraw Hill - 2003     isbn 0-07-144028-3
- map - 350p. - - sailing biography
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. Even Jones worst detractors allow that he was a great story teller. In this case Tristan Jones (Arthur Jones) real life is very possibly as interesting as the fiction he spun.

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

Three Years in a Twelve-Foot Boat
by Ladd, Stephen
pub. by Seekers Press - 2000     isbn 0966933737
- map - 390p. - - sailing adventure
The author 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 process.

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 - - sailing adventure
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.
The 33 ft Kurun is specially built for ocean cruising. Le Tourmelin sails around the world as only one raw from WWII could do it. He is very French, visiting with French govt. officials at every stop. His lack of envionmental concern is jarring. He often shoots at and takes game to eat where modern cruising sailors would not think of hunting, including the Galapagos Is. where he hunts goats, and even dolphins, where he is never successful. But it is understandable from one who lived in France through all of WWII, under German occupation. The first boat he had built was seized by the Germans and wrecked.
He is a purist sailor - no engine and takes few offers of tows. After Tahiti he seems to be in a hurry to get home to le Croisic Brittany, NW France. However when he arrives, celebrated by the powers that be, he feels that -home- is just another port-of-call.
There seems to be a follow-up book of his sailing in the Carribbean in the early 1960s, which I have not seen, but is listed in the holdings of the Library of Congress.
The Kurun has been restored and is owned by a group which maintains it in sailing trim at le Croisic. Jacques-Yves le Tourmelin is considered one of the great voyagers along with Slocum, Gerbault, and Moitessier.

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. A great little read.

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. - - sailing adventure
Mackinnon acquires a Mirror dingy at the school where he is teaching. He resigns and 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. The story is told in a very engaging style and before it is over there are true adventures.

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. - - sailing adventure
Day-by-day adventure of a canoe trip down the full length of the Mississippi. Interesting to cross reference this trip with many others down the same route at different times in history. As per the authors card -Huck Finn meets Jack Kerouac in a canoe adventure down the Mississippi River. Has website www.floatingdownthecountry.com

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. This is the boat that could have won the first single handed around the world race... but Bernard dropped out, sailing one and a half times around the world, ending up in French Polynesia.

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. - A very interesting read. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to see into the head and soul of one of the greatest voyagers of all time. This was publshed shortly after Moitessier died.

Serpants Coil - A stunning true epic of storm and salvage in mid-Atlantic
by Mowat, Farley
pub. by Ballantine, NY - 1961     LCCN = 62-9543
222p. - - sailing adventure
This is the story of - the Foundation Company, a marine salvage company and the freighter Leicester a WWII Liberty ship. (The story may be compared to the story of the Flying Enterprise described in the book Simple Courage described above.) The main differences are that the Leicester was abandoned by her captain (Hamish Lawson) and crew when they reasonably feared that the ship would turn over and sink, while the captain of the Flying Enterprise stayed aboard, and the Leicester was successfully towed into a port (in Bermuda) by Foundation Josephine. The seagoing tug Foundation Lillian assisted, then was sent across the Atlantic to rescue another ship (a tanker) which lost its propeller. The Leicester, in some ways like the Flying Enterprise got into trouble due to a shift in cargo. Leicester was loaded with gravel ballest which shifted. It also survived 3 hurricanes during the whole ordeal, the last one while it was in port in Bermuda being stabelized before it was finally towed to a shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, for final repair work. The Leicester eventually returned to service. Its rescue and the underwriters examination of the cause of the ballast shift caused a change in the way Liberty ships were loaded. It solved the mysterious dissappearance of several -Sam- Liberty ships and allowed corrective action to be taken to keep other such ships to be saved from this peril.
Mowat weaves a fast paced tale where the rescue tugs crew and management are the heros.

The boat who wouldnt float.
 by Mowat, Farley
pub by Little Brown - Boston - 1970     LCCN = 73-103952
241p. - - sailing adventure - and humor
Mowat attempts to sail a leaky sailboat from Canada south to USA. The boat resists by attempting to sink every time he sails south. Mowat anthromoporphises the boat, giving it a mind of its own.

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 adventure - and humor
Sailing a catboat from southern New England to Florida by way of informal inland waterways, before the ICW (Intercoastal Canal) existed. A man, a boy (who is actually his son) and a cat sail south away from the northern winter. Many small adventures are had along the way. As weather warms they sail back north. This takes place in Pre WWI and the South is a raw and interesting place.
This book is a classic.

Passage to Juneau - a sea and its meanings
by Raban, Jonathan
pub. by Pantheon - 1999     isbn 0-679-44262-6
435p. - - sailing adventure
Raban sails from Seattle to Juneau Alaska. His write-up is full of thoughtful insights and historical tidbits. In the middle of the trip his father dies and he interrupts the voyage to deal with the funeral - in England - then returns to the voyage and completes it. It is an excellent read. - I recommend any of Rabans works as good reads.

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 - 409p. - - sailing adventure
Raban buys 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.) This is one of his earlier tales of travel in USA. Travel was done in the late 1970s. Being English he offers a non-natives views on what he sees. Raban is an excellent travel writer and is always readable.

Coasting - A Private Voyage
by Raban, Jonathan
pub. by Vintage Press - 1985     isbn 0375725938
304p. - - sailing adventure
Raban sails around England, viewing what he sees, the English, and commenting on the Thatcher government. He meets travel author Paul Theroux who is walking around the coast in the other direction. Interesting having 2 books covering the same area being researched at the same time.

Sailing Alone Around the World
by Slocum, Joshua
originally pub. by Century, NY - 1909     ISBN-10: 1574092618 - - ISBN-13: 978-1574092615
(currently available from Sheridan House) - with the original Fogarty and Varian sketches. map - 320p. - - sailing adventure
The classic tale of a lone voyage around the world in his 30 ft sloop Spray. Lived and told by the man who made the voyage, through Straits of Magellan and around the Cape of Good Hope not through the Panama or Suez canals.

Voyage of the Liberdade
by Slocum, Joshua
originally pub. pre 1900 - now pub by Dover - 1998     ISBN-10: 0486400220 - - ISBN-13: 978-0486400228
128p. - - sailing adventure
Slocum and his family (wife and 2 children) are shipwrecked. He constructs the Liberdade in Brazil and sails it to Washington, D.C., USA. Interestingly the boat, described by Slocum as a large dory is rigged with Chinese lug sails. The boat was donated to the Smithsonian, but was later lost or deleted from that museums collection.

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. - - sailing adventure
extracts from the following books by H. W. Tilman

Tilman who was a fameous mountaineer takes to sailing and hiking as he grew older. Tilman sailed on an very robust but elderly sailboat to the Antarctic and Arctic in search of adventure in the post WWII era. He traveled without radio or other modern conveniences. His navigation in icepack near Greenland and in the howling latitude 50 deg. south Atlantic is the stuff of legend. This book is a compilation of a number of his books - extracting mostly the sailing material - leaving out some of the on-land adventure.

500 Days
by Testa, Serge
pub. by Trident Press - 1988     isbn 0731648498
216p. - - sailing adventure
Serge sailed Acrohc Australis a very specially built 12 ft. boat around the world. Well written. Common sense and good humored.

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. - - travel adventure
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. They do meet, but not much is noted about the meeting.

21,500 miles alone in a canoe
by Watson, Don B.
pub. by Don B. Watson, Pendleton, Oregon, USA - 1980     isbn - none -
239p. - - sailing adventure
Watson siled 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 traveedl 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.

Boy Scouts
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. A thoroughly interesting study of Boy Scouting - its history and current state.
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 and military hero from the siege of Mafeking in S. Africa. A good read - a positive book. Has a good index and list of sources and publications.

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.

updated - 24 August 2008

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