Up the Creek by John Harrison
'During recent years a sinister shadow has fallen across the world of travel and travel-writing. It's name is Sponsorship' writes Dervla Murphy in her foreword to John Harrison's unsponsored Amazon adventure, an extremely hazardous canoe trip taken just for the hell of it up one of the more obscure tributaries of the Amazon. Harrison's tale is compelling, full of suspense, humour and wonderful descriptions of Amazon wildlife, all told in down-to-earth unpretentious language with disarming honesty. His quest to reach the upper limit of the Jari river in Brazil and portage his canoe across the border into French Guiana is ambitious, exciting and, ultimately, flawed, but it's the trip itself, full of unexpected encounters, crippling bouts of malaria, moments of intense emotion mixed with just a tinge of madness, which is as inspiring as the tales of even the earliest adventurers. John Harrison uses vigorous, unpretentious language combined with stunning descriptions of Amazonian wildlife. Up the Creek was originally published by Bradt in 1986 and remains as relevant to the spirit of exploration and real, raw travel writing today as it was then. Reviews at that time hailed Harrison's adventure as epic.
'Harrison was born a century too lateHe should have been out there with Livingstone, Speke, Selous and all that lot.' Dervla Murphy (in her foreword to the book) 'The style is the man: randy and rumbustious but never out of control. An admirable book by an admirable man who exposes himself mercilessly.' The Daily Telegraph 'As a record of courage and endurance it deserves to stand in an honoured place on any shelf devoted to the self-punishing experiences of Anglo-Saxons up the Amazon.' The Times 'Mountaineers have many classic accounts of daring ascents of horribly difficult peaks. With Up the Creek, tropical forest lovers now have their own epic adventure.' Dr John Hemming, Geographical Magazine '...recounted in a fashion that provokes the reader's admiration ..... the adventure is of interest, but so is the adventurer.' Good Book Guide
After hitch-hiking from London to Johannesburg before he was 21, and two further years hitching around every country in South and Central America, John never really shook off the travel bug. John has written and presented several radio programmes for the BBC, and contributed articles to many magazines and newspapers. He has entertained audiences with more than 200 lectures over the last 25 years and has been an on-board speaker for cruise lines. He lives in Bristol in the UK with his wife and two children, where he has his own construction company.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781841623849 |
| ISBN 10 | 1841623849 |
| Title | Up the Creek |
| Author | John Harrison |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bradt Travel Guides |
| Year published | 2012-02-23 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |