Great Exploration Hoaxes (Modern Library Exploration) [Paperback]

David Roberts (Author), Jon Krakauer (Editor), Jan Morris (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Modern Library Exploration | Publication Date: March 6, 2001

Did Peary reach the North Pole? Was Admiral Byrd the first to fly over it? Did Frederick Cook actually make the first ascent of Mt. McKinley? Spanning 450 years of history, Great Exploration Hoaxes tells the spellbinding stories of ten men who pursued glory at any cost even the truth. Acclaimed author and explorer David Roberts delves deeply into the psychology behind the stunt and asks why these individuals, all of whom were exceptionally able, would perpetrate fraud on such a grand and public scale and defend it to their deaths, even in the face of damning evidence, and why these dubious achievements are still so hotly debated, often hundreds of years afterward.

Demonstrating that the qualities that brought an individual so close to his goal were often the same ones that drove him to fake success, Great Exploration Hoaxes is history at its best: entertaining, provocative, and revealing of human nature.

David Roberts is the author of thirteen books, the most recent of which are A Newer World: Kit Carson, John C. Fremont, and the Claiming of the American West and True Summit: What Really Happened on the Legendary Ascent of Annapurna. He was also responsible for the rediscovery of the lost Arctic classic In the Land of White Death, by Valerian Albanov, published in English for the first time in 2000 by The Modern Library.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Roberts led or co-led thirteen Alaskan mountaineering expeditions, making such first ascents as the west face of Mount Huntington, Shot Tower, and the direct north face of Denali.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Roberts has written about adventure, archaeology, and literature for National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, and other magazines.
A very amusing idea and excellently carried out."

From the Inside Flap

Did Peary reach the North Pole? Was Admiral Byrd the first to fly over it? Did Frederick Cook actually make the first ascent of Mt. McKinley? Spanning 450 years of history, Great Exploration Hoaxes tells the spellbinding stories of ten men who pursued glory at any cost even the truth. Acclaimed author and explorer David Roberts delves deeply into the psychology behind the stunt and asks why these individuals, all of whom were exceptionally able, would perpetrate fraud on such a grand and public scale and defend it to their deaths, even in the face of damning evidence, and why these dubious achievements are still so hotly debated, often hundreds of years afterward.

Demonstrating that the qualities that brought an individual so close to his goal were often the same ones that drove him to fake success, Great Exploration Hoaxes is history at its best: entertaining, provocative, and revealing of human nature.

David Roberts is the author of thirteen books, the most recent of which are A Newer World: Kit Carson, John C. Fremont, and the Claiming of the American West and True Summit: What Really Happened on the Legendary Ascent of Annapurna. He was also responsible for the rediscovery of the lost Arctic classic In the Land of White Death, by Valerian Albanov, published in English for the first time in 2000 by The Modern Library.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Roberts led or co-led thirteen Alaskan mountaineering expeditions, making such first ascents as the west face of Mount Huntington, Shot Tower, and the direct north face of Denali.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library (March 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679783245
• ISBN-13: 978-0679783244
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Readable, Breezy Look at Fascinating Hoaxes, April 16, 2001

By 

Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Great Exploration Hoaxes (Modern Library Exploration) (Paperback)

David Roberts, in the re-released Great Exploration Hoaxes by Modern Library Exploration, looks at nine exploration hoaxes and one poor fellow (Abyssinian James Bruce) whose adventures turned out to be true while being believed as a hoax in his own lifetime. The short chapters detailing each hoax are fascinating and the book is a wonderfully entertaining little read. Once one reads the first hoax one will be hooked and the rest of the book will quickly cascade from one folly to another. The author presents each case quite clearly and, though, supporters of various of these explorers, such as Peary and the North Pole, will balk, the average reader will come away with a little wisdom and a touch of cynicism about the great adventure yarns we all grew up learning. And that can be a good thing. A delighful little collection of adventures that should lead the reader to other true adventure stories with a greater understanding and appreciation.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Roberts Digs for Dirt, September 29, 2001

By 

Jena Ball "Jena Ball" (North Carolina, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Great Exploration Hoaxes (Modern Library Exploration) (Paperback)

The problem with Dave Roberts is that he has established himself in a particular genre - i.e. intense, concise and slightly acerbic adventure writing. As a result, you tend to expect that approach from all his writing, which isn't really fair, but there you have it.

In Great Exploration Hoaxes, Roberts steps outside his usual format to do some research. I'm not really surprised. Comments in the introductions to his previous collections make it clear he is intrigued by the workings of the human psyche as well as the thrill of high risk adventure. However, this book is definitely a departure, and reads like a series of well-written research papers - which I guess, in essence, they are.

There is nothing wrong with Great Exploration Hoaxes. It is a good read and I recommend it, especially if you are interested in what history says versus what actually happened. The problem lies with Robets tackling historical data. It is hard to bring the dead back to life, especially when their writing is not available for comment. For example, Roberts does a fine job of getting the reader interested in John Cabot, but must rely on the work of Cabot's contemporaries and other researchers to substantiate his theories.

Roberts is at his best when he is relating the story and not supporting his hypothesis with data. But since he is trying to debunk some old myths, he naturally has to support his statements. It is an uneasy alliance that works, but is not the usual Roberts fare.

I recommend the book, but will be looking forward to Roberts' next tale of his own wanderings and resulting insights.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Revealing hoaxsters and raising doubts about others..., August 21, 2001

By 

Michael J. Muller "Adirondack Reader" (Queensbury, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Great Exploration Hoaxes (Modern Library Exploration) (Paperback)

The author presents an interesting collection of well documented essays (and a few historical photographs) that intrigue and educate the reader about some of the greatest adventurer and discovery hoaxes over the centuries. His most interesting inquiry is saved for the reader to ponder. "How many claimed discoveries and adventures that we unquestionably and faithfully accept as true were also mere fantasy?" Did Hannibal really cross the Alps? Was it Tenzig Norgay first to summit on Everest or was it Hillary? If Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, who took the famous picture of him descending from the space capsule planting a foot firmly onto Moon soil? This book can get you thinking.