# Recommendations for exploration/survival books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919 "2010-07-25T04:06:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JuliaSqueezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@JuliaSqueezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JuliaSqueezer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/21 "2010-07-25T21:45:39Z")
Two of my favorites are by Jennifer Niven: \*The Ice Master \*and _Ada Blackjack_. Arctic exploration and survival, full of well-researched details. Both quite gripping. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/22 "2010-07-25T22:01:13Z")
I’ve mentioned this one before: [We Swam the Grand Canyon: The True Story of a Cheap Vacation that Got a Little Out of Hand](http://www.amazon.com/We-Swam-Grand-Canyon-Vacation/dp/0963405594) A couple of guys take on the Colorado River in 1955 using surplus radio covers as their flotation devices. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/23 "2010-07-25T22:14:28Z")
> [@JuliaSqueezer](#): > > Two of my favorites are by Jennifer Niven: \*The Ice Master \*and _Ada Blackjack_. > > Arctic exploration and survival, full of well-researched details. Both quite gripping. As noted above, I’ve read _Ada Blackjack_. It’s interesting that the same idiot who “planned” that expedition was the same knucklehead who left eleven of those poor bastards on the Karluk to their dooms after abandoning the voyage. Stefansson was an adventurer whose experiences in the wild led him to some very poor theories of survival. ---
**Author:** ![JuliaSqueezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@JuliaSqueezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JuliaSqueezer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/24 "2010-07-25T22:39:55Z")
Sorry, I saw that you had mentioned Ada Blackjack \*after \*I posted. (I just smacked myself). It’s a wonder that Stefansson was able to continue to find audiences for his self-aggrandizing and often inaccurate “memoirs” for decades after the events. His treatment of Ada was especially cruel and dismissive. A real jerk. I have no idea why the Arctic expeditions fascinate me so. I read every one I can find. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/25 "2010-07-25T22:48:45Z")
Check out Peter Hopkirk and his books on the exploration of Central Asia and the Great Game. [The Great Game](http://www.amazon.com/Great-Game-Struggle-Central-Kodansha/dp/1568360223/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280097777&sr=1-1) [Trespassers on the Roof of the World](http://www.amazon.com/Trespassers-Roof-World-Exploration-Kodansha/dp/1568360509/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b) [Quest for Kim](http://www.amazon.com/Quest-Kim-Search-Kiplings-Great/dp/0472086340/ref=pd_sim_b_5) [Foreign Devils on the Silk Road](http://www.amazon.com/Foreign-Devils-Silk-Road-Treasures/dp/0719564484/ref=pd_sim_b_4) You could also check out one of Peter Hopkirk’s early inspirations, Sir Fitzroy MacClean’s [Eastern Approaches](http://www.amazon.com/Eastern-Approaches-Fitzroy-MacLean/dp/0140132716/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2) ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/26 "2010-07-26T00:32:21Z")
Undaunted Courage is very good, it’s about Lewis and Clark ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/27 "2010-07-26T00:41:59Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Undaunted Courage is very good, it’s about Lewis and Clark Oh hell: I wrote “Uncommon Valor” in the OP instead of “Undaunted Courage”. It’s an excellent book, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/28 "2010-07-26T00:44:23Z")
> [@JuliaSqueezer](#): > > Sorry, I saw that you had mentioned Ada Blackjack \*after \*I posted. > > (I just smacked myself). > > It’s a wonder that Stefansson was able to continue to find audiences for his self-aggrandizing and often inaccurate “memoirs” for decades after the events. His treatment of Ada was especially cruel and dismissive. A real jerk. > > I have no idea why the Arctic expeditions fascinate me so. I read every one I can find. If you haven’t read the books about Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition, I’d recommend them highly. ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/29 "2010-07-27T00:18:13Z")
_The Long Walk_ is a gripping escape tale that goes from Siberia, across the Gobi Desert to India, but unfortunately is probably not true, at least for [the author.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%82awomir_Rawicz) ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/30 "2010-07-27T01:03:15Z")
_Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea_ by Steven Callahan I don’t usually find this type of book appealing, but for some reason this one caught my eye and held my interest. It’s about very methodical survival, but surprisingly gripping. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/31 "2010-07-27T01:13:12Z")
Tom Neale’s “An Island to Oneself.” [http://www.janesoceania.com/suvarov\_tom\_neale/index.htm](http://www.janesoceania.com/suvarov_tom_neale/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/32 "2010-07-27T02:07:12Z")
Wow. Lots more recommendations than I thought would be offered. I’m now reading _Into Thin Air_, which is a gripping yarn. The descriptions of crossing the crevasses on metal ladders while wearing ice cleats makes my stomach churn. ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/33 "2010-07-27T13:25:15Z")
On the exploration side, you might enjoy _Barren Lands_, by Kevin Krajick. It’s the story of the search for diamonds in North America. A good chunk of the book takes place in the barren lands of the Canadian Arctic, where a couple of guys ultimately beat DeBeers to the punch and score one of the biggest diamond finds ever. Lots of history, lots of geology, lots of high north adventure. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/34 "2010-07-27T13:29:26Z")
Island of the Blue Dolphin by Scott O’Dell. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/35 "2010-07-27T13:30:39Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Wow. Lots more recommendations than I thought would be offered. I’m now reading _Into Thin Air_, which is a gripping yarn. The descriptions of crossing the crevasses on metal ladders while wearing ice cleats makes my stomach churn. Hah, and that’s when things are still going according to plan. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/36 "2010-07-27T14:07:09Z")
I’m a huge fan of this genre but most of my favorites have already been mentioned. I just finished [Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean](http://www.amazon.com/ALONE-Orphaned-Ocean-Richard-Logan/dp/0982000979/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280239557&sr=8-1). It was pretty good, but the story was less about the girl’s survival and more about the nutjob who killed her family. I scanned the thread - did anyone else mention [Between a Rock and a Hard Place](http://www.amazon.com/Between-Rock-Hard-Place-Ralston/dp/B000IFS0LI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280239779&sr=8-1)? It was pretty gripping. Or the classic [Alive](http://www.amazon.com/Alive-Piers-Paul-Read/dp/0060778660/ref=pd_sim_b_13)? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/37 "2010-07-27T15:16:39Z")
I read “Alive” a long time ago. A good mountain climbing read is _Minus 148 Degrees: The First Winter Ascent of Denali_, by Art Davidson. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/38 "2010-07-27T15:29:47Z")
[Pete Goss](http://www.petegoss.com/index.php) has written a couple books about his solo sailing adventures. In particular, [Close To The Wind](http://www.amazon.com/Close-Wind-Extraordinary-Triumph-Adversity/dp/0786707410/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280244516&sr=8-1) tells the true story of his solo circumnavigation race round the globe. ETA: I have recommended this book to several people who have all loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/39 "2010-07-27T15:31:53Z")
_Sea of Glory: America’s Voyage of Discovery, The U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842_ by Nathaniel Philbrick is good. But not available on Kindle. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919/40 "2010-07-27T23:34:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Wow. Lots more recommendations than I thought would be offered. I’m now reading _Into Thin Air_, which is a gripping yarn. The descriptions of crossing the crevasses on metal ladders while wearing ice cleats makes my stomach churn. _Into Thin Air_ is the first thing I would have recommended coming into this thread but it was mentioned far before I got here. Trying to to spoil anything (since you are reading it) so I’ll make this as general as possible. One of the other people on Everest during that time _strongly_ disagreed with Krakhauer’s interpretation of certain events in _Into Thin Air_ and wrote their own version of the expedition in the book _The Climb_. I’ve read both and personally am inclined to believe Krakhauer but that may be just because I read _Into Thin Air_ first and was biased by my initial exposure to what happened. I’ll also say that, given what all happened over those few days, probably no one was working at full mental capacity and it is quite likely that neither of them are completely correct. But both books are a stark reminder that even with all of our modern conveniences, technology and planning there are things that can still go horribly, terrifyingly wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-exploration-survival-books/547919.md?page=3)