This is a pretty lively summary of readings about discoverers and “discoverers”, explorers and mapmakers. Inherently a volatile mix of political chicanery, the hubris of men that think it‘ll be fun to sail off the edge of the world, scurvy, occasional deaths by polar bear, and the vicissitudes of pre-industrial economics, expansionism, and mercantilism, I found myself grimly laughing at all these misadventures.
Read it.
pickThis is a detailed account of Peter Freuchen, a legendary polar explorer. He had one of the more ridiculous, badass, and gross survival stories from his days of exploring Greenland. Outside of polar exploration, his life was filled with a variety of unique adventures and twists and turns.
#bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks
pick#readingoceania2024 #antartica I selected this for my Antarctica reading as it has some amazing black and white photographs taken during Shackleton‘s failed expedition to the South Pole by photographer Frank Hurley. Shackleton‘s story of amazing leadership and perseverance comes alive in all its brutal cold conditions in the photographs. The book, sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History, is also fairly well written.
pickGood book. I wish to hear more about their trips though. Kinda reminded me of National Lampoons Vacation, a road trip where everything that can go wrong did go wrong, a calamity. Wanted to here more about the expeditions.
panWell that was gigantically disappointing.
There were hints of a story I wanted to read: a mysterious, possibly cursed object with a long history of doomed adventure, investigated in the present day by a pair with their own secrets/possible dark pasts, the promise of answers to both historical and contemporary mysteries; 1/?
Polar explorer math. 🤦🏼♂️ Or is that accounting? 🤔
pickThis was a pretty fascinating bit of narrative non fiction. I‘m interested in the lost city / lost world theme so when I heard about this on a podcast it sounded excellent. Gruesome, but excellent. For a lighter tone, watch the Disney movie Jungle Cruise after reading it 🤣 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickAnother excellent Litsy recommendation that I thoroughly enjoyed. I would not have fared well on any expedition into the Amazon 😂
