Customer Reviews

Attending Marvels: A Patagonian Journal

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This is an odd book. It is hard to find, even for an experienced
haunter of used book stores, and not many people have read it. But
once you vicariously join the Scarrit Expedition
hunting fossils in the Patagonian wilderness in the early
1930s, you may never completely recover. "Attending Marvels"
is a trip into several lost worlds at once: most obviously
that of the "whole lot of other ---ontotheres" that
dominated South American fauna before the Isthmus of Panama
rose, but also into the almost incredibly isolated and harsh
lives of the Patagonians. But the trip that takes the reader
furthest is into Simpson's outlook. He is endlessly curious,
delighted with everything in the natural world, and able
to appreciate and communicate with people who are as culturally
different from him as a fellow human could be. This wide-eyed
gusto for the world shows in his lyrical descriptions of such
unpromising subjects as hedgehogs, yerba mate, and
of course, bits of fossilised bone. True, there are also
national politics, academic politics, martial law and a
homicidal maniac but none of these are as important to
Simpson or as vivid to the reader as the fossil snake. It is
a prime example of the scientist/naturalist world view at its best.
"Atending Marvels" is also great fun to read. It
is full of wonderful anecdotes and some very funny passages;
some lines ("You can't possibly kill anyone before the 15th
of the month"; "This is your Patagonia--keep it beautiful",
"Es triste, non?") have become code phrases among my
friends and family. So take the effort to find this book;
the trip is worth the trouble.

I first read this book many years ago, and it is one of the best books I have ever read. I started reading not knowing anything about Patagonia, or the subject of the book, but was quickly swept into a real life adventure. I have taken several trips with a vague destination and purpose in mind, but found the journey was far more interesting than the goal. This is one of those adventures. The book is about a constant unfolding landscape of people, places, and things, where each new discovery is a suprise to the reader. Too bad it is out of print, but my copy is not for sale.

I bought this books years ago at an estate sale of a anthro. prof. at a local college. Estate and garage sales are a fantastic source of cheap books.

I agree with the criticism of the Eurocentric attitudes, but hey Bernal Diaz had even harsher attitudes in his Conquest of New Spain - and that book is still worth reading.

I often recommend this book to friends . If I had only been aware that it was out of print I would have held on to it.

Time to look for another copy...........

The book is well done overall. But I thought Dr. Simpsons attitudes toward Patagonian poeple and culture were through a myoptic pair of American/European glasses.

It is fun to read this book as the second in a trilogy. The first is Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle", the third is Bruce Chatwin's "In Patagonia". Chatwin's appreciation of Patagonian people and culture is much more to my liking.

Don Bailey jeep1104@yahoo.com