Cassell's Tales of Endurance by Fergus Fleming

Cassell's Tales of Endurance by Fergus Fleming

Tales of Endurance offers 45 gripping accounts of some of the most amazing feats in the history of exploration. The tales are divided between three 'ages of exploration', each of which is prefaced by a lively essay introducing key aspects of the age in question and identifying themes that will be developed in greater detail in the stories that follow. Taken together, tales and introductions amount to nothing less than a complete, uniquely accessible, and supremely entertaining history of exploration. The volume recounts tales both classic and forgotten: the 'classics' being brought to life in more vivid colours than ever before; the lesser-known tales offering accounts of feats that are no less heroic or extraordinary but which have long lain hidden in the undergrowth of history. Fleming pays due attention to the geographical, political and historical importance of the journeys in question, but also focuses attention on the explorers' characters, their relationships with their fellow explorers, their diet, health, and - in the case of lengthy maritime voyages - their often surprising leisure pursuits.From the the Renaissance golden age of Columbus, da Gama and Magellan to the 20th-century heroics of polar explorers such as Peary, Scott and Amundsen, Cassell's Tales of Endurance offers the reader an unforgettable and unputdownable collection of stories.

'crammed full of high deeds and humour - and, at just under 50p an explorer, magnificent narrative value' -- Michael Kerrigan SCOTSMAN (13.11.04) 'whether describing Columbus sailing to the Americas, Samuel Baker on the Nile or Scott and Shackleton in the ice, he is always entertaining.' -- Anthony Sattin SUNDAY TIMES (14.11.04) 'Each chapter contains a skilfully executed precis of the explorer's biography and a detailed account of the journey undertaken... Concise footnotes and a collection of bizarre facts add a touch of humour that leavens the frequently grisly details of the extreme privations described.' -- Sarah Crowden GEOGRAPHICAL (December 2004) 'You have to be a tough nut for inclusion in Fergus Fleming's anthology of travel: no namy-pamby eulogies to ancient architecture or comical character sketches will do - this man wants you to eat a horse, then your shoes (unnessary baggage anyway after your frostbitten toes fall off).' -- Kevin Rushby GUARDIAN (4.12.04) 'This is popular history at its best - entertaining and accessible... Cassell's Tales of Endurance is an excellent anthology of exploration, dealing, in Fergus Fleming's uniquely anecdotal style, with geographical, political, historical and personal aspects of the world's great journeys. Glory, greed, character and scientific enquiry all contribute to a masterfully entertaining volume.' -- Christopher Ondaatje LITERARY REVIEW (February 2005)

Fergus Fleming is the author of the best-selling Barrow's Boys (Granta), a rip-roaring account of the British expeditions sent out by second secretary to the Admiralty John Barrow during the first half of the 19th century.

SKU	Non disponible
ISBN 13	9780304357475
ISBN 10	0304357472
Titre	Cassell's Tales of Endurance
Auteur	Fergus Fleming
État	Non disponible
Type de reliure	Hardback
Éditeur	Orion Publishing Co
Année de publication	2004-10-14
Nombre de pages	552
Note de couverture	La photo du livre est présentée à titre d'illustration uniquement. La reliure, la couverture ou l'édition réelle peuvent varier.
Note	Non disponible