Points Unknown: The Greatest Adventure Writing of the Twentieth Century (Outside Books) (Paperback)

by David Roberts (Editor) "The tragic story of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his four teammates reaching the South Pole in early 1912, only to discover that they had..." (more)
Key Phrases: cave divers, final pyramid, depth record, Devils Thumb, White Eyes, Van Heerden (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A great treasure-trove of daunting human courage, frailty, and persistence in the face of the unknown. -- Library Journal

A mesmerizing display of the pull adventure exerts. -- Booklist

A splendid new anthology of exploration literature. -- Newsweek

Product Description
From Robert Falcon Scott's final journal entry to Jon Krakauer's reckless solo climb of the Devil's Thumb, David Roberts and the editors of Outside have gathered the most enduring adventure literature of the century into one heart-stopping volume.

A frigid winter ascent of Mount McKinley; the vastness of Arabia's Empty Quarter; the impossibly thin air at Everest's summit; the deadly black pressure of an underwater cave; a desperate escape through a Norwegian winter—these and thirty-six other stories recount the minutes, hours, and days of lives pushed to the brink. But there is more to adventure than hair's-breadth escapes. By turns charming and tragic, whimsical and nerve-racking, this extraordinary collection gets to the heart of why adventure stories enthrall us.

Includes works by Sebastian Junger, Jon Krakauer, Edward Abbey, Tim Cahill, Edward Hoagland, Ernest Shackleton, Freya Stark, and Wilfred Thesiger.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393323781
• ISBN-13: 978-0393323788
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #182,106 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)