Customer Reviews

An Airplane Was My Burro: The Memoirs Of A Venturesome Geologist

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. Reynolds has written a vivid story of an extremely interesting life that spans the early 20th century to the very recent past. I greatly enjoyed the colorful descriptions of small-town Iowa life in the early 1920s and his Chicago days in the 1930s training to be a geologist. One of the reviewers here mentions the wide variety of disciplines Mr. Reynolds has mastered, from geology to firearms to airplane piloting. He discusses all in great detail and with charming self-deprecation, but the wonderful thing is that the reader learns a lot about them as well, and joins in celebrating the many accomplishments of this man. In fact, in this interesting and charming book, we see the world through the eyes of someone we feel we have gotten to know, and can relate to what he sees and hears in this many-splendored world of ours. Especially interesting also is his account of working as a geologist in Nigeria in the 1950s - a glimpse of a little-known region brought sharply to life. This book is a rare find for anyone who appreciates an articulate, humorous narrative full of absorbing information and meditations about geology, geography, planes, and gear in general and what it is like to be a man who has carefully observed his world from the 1920s to the present day. Highly recommended!!

I just finished your book this morning, and I must say it was immensely interesting and enjoyable! I learned a lot not only about your own point of view and personal relationships and events, but also a lot about geology, geography, culture, sports, weaponry, cars and science in general. You write extremely well and have a sophisticated and dryly humorous style that made reading your book a pleasure. I think anyone would enjoy your autobiography; it is so full of interesting information about the world you lived in and your numerous adventures. It definitely was worth your while in writing it!

My main reason even for posting this review is to clarify the contents of the book. It was given to me as a gift, on the basis of the apparent aviation tie-in. However, in spite of the title and the prominent photograph on the cover, there really is very little discussion of aviation in this book. Almost none, in fact.

If you want a really great non-fictional account of the very interesting life of an Arizonan backcountry pilot, check out http://www.amazon.com/Backcountry-Pilot-Adventures-Russell-Southwest/dp/0816521794 instead.

As far as the memoirs of an economic geologist goes, this book is well-enough written and contains some interesting insights into the business of mining and the important part a trained geologist plays in that. In any case, I doubt there are many other books with similar content, so if that's what you want to read about, this book is a solid contender. :)

I was curious to see "self-deprecating" mentioned in the other review. I suppose there is some of that in this book, but there is also just as much self-aggrandizing as well. Call it a wash, with the author showing a perfectly normal, human attitude about his place in the world.

The book is not without its negatives, including a decidedly one-sided view of the relationship of mining companies to the environment (environmentalists are definitely the villain in this story). A host of environmental concerns, such as strip mining and the hazards of asbestos (with the author claiming that the most common form of asbestos, chrysotile, is harmless) are pooh-poohed or ignored completely.

I found it ironic that the author, who makes a point of calling out the ignorance of people who believe in an evolution-free, six-thousand-year-old planet, also takes the time to dismiss the questions of global warming and acid rain (both caused in no small part by the burning of the coal that he helped find).

Don't get me wrong; coal played and will continue to play an important role in energy production and our economy. But to understate or outright dismiss the negative aspects of the use of coal is hardly what one would expect from someone who otherwise appears to be a strong adherent to the scientific method.

(I can't help wonder whether had the author ever had children, his views on the kinds of things that affect the long-term health of our planet would have been different. Perhaps not, but it's something to ponder).

Anyway, the fact is that the author played an important role in helping form the foundation of our economy during the better part of the 20th century, inasmuch as it relied so much on coal and other minerals that Reynolds was responsible for helping mining companies find and retrieve. It's not great literature, but for anyone interested in a partial history lesson on a topic that is unlikely to be addressed anywhere else, I can definitely recommend this book.

(not that this affected my opinion of the book, but I did find it unfortunate that the paperback cover is of a plastic-laminated paper that curls almost instantly in the non-desert climate in which I live; I don't know if it would have fared better in Arizona, but maybe it would have).

I recently finished reading your book, "An Airplane Was My Burro." I thoroughly enjoyed it. You have had a full and exciting life. I'm amazed at how much you could remember. I'm glad that you and Vi were able to tie the knot in spite of your mother's objections. I got quite a chuckle over your oblique proposal. I got another chuckle over the horse coming up behind Vi and surprising her. I had a similar experience while birding. I have ridden in two Piper Cubs and a low-winged single engine Piper, which helped me to relate to what you had to say about the planes you have owned. Also, your experience with the big bore high powered rifle interested me as I had read about the .600 Nitro cartridge in Stoeger's catalog called "The Shooters Bible" when I was a teenager. I remember reading about the severe kick it had.