Tent Life in Siberia: An Incredible Account of Siberian Adventure, Travel, and Survival [Paperback]

George Kennan (Author), Larry McMurtry (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

In the 1860s, the Russo-American Telegraph Company set out to telegraphically connect the United States and Europe using lines running through the Bering Straits and Siberia.  The failed expedition marked one of the first explorations of the vast Siberian wilderness, and George Kennan’s tale of a seemingly endless land filled with wildlife and nomadic tribes is as entertaining today as it was 140 years ago. With biting humor and poignant insight, Kennan details his years fighting to survive a doomed mission. He depicts the quiet loneliness of the desolate landscape, the eerie glow of the sun at midnight, and the refusal to give in to one of the harshest places man has ever tried to conquer. His book is a testament to our planet’s beauty and danger, as well as to the tireless will of the human spirit. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A freshly written and engrossing account." -- American Heritage

"An incredible adventure story. A real classic." -- Annie Dillard

"Breezy, confident, irreverent, and wonderfully readable." -- Larry McMurty

About the Author

George Kennan was born in Norwalk, Ohio. From the age of twelve, he worked in telegraphy, and in 1864 he secured employment with the Russo-American Telegraph Company - a job that ultimately led him on his epic journey through the Siberian wilderness.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602390452
• ISBN-13: 978-1602390454
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #612,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story, August 12, 2007

By 

Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tent Life in Siberia: An Incredible Account of Siberian Adventure, Travel, and Survival (Paperback)

This book is the fascinating travel journal of George Kennan(1845-1924) who was employed by the Russo-American Telegraph company to explore Eastern Siberia in 1865. Leaving from San Francisco in July 1865 Mr. Kennan and three other men set out for Petropavlovski in Kamchatka. From there they began a march to the northwest, meeting the Sea of Okhotsk and then detouring West for a while until heading north, exploring Eastern Siberia as far as the Berings strait, to Anadyrsk. They navigated rivers, saw the Aurua Borealis in February 1867. In the end the exploration did not lead to the laying of telegraph cable, but nevertheless this account should rank with Twain's `Innocents Abroad' as one of the great pieces of American travel literature of the 19th century.

Kennan has a dry sarcastic whit, like Twain, and he writes on many things, from wildlife to flaura, to the people and the country. Most amazing is to consider the great distances covered by such few people. There are many interesting stories and insights into the hard life of Russians in the far east. There are also descriptions of the many native peoples, including Koraks, Kamchatdals, Chookchees, Yookaghirs, Chooances, Yakoots and Gakouts, to the depth of describing rituals, marriages and the languages.

The greatest, almost unforgivable, oversight in this book, one that is almost crippling, is lack of even one map in an account that begs to have many maps given that it is both a travel narrative and one that mentions many obscure places and tribes that no longer exist in the same form today. The reader is left to imagine the position of the Samanka or Penzhina rivers, the villages of Genul, Okoota or Anadyrsk, or the most obscure villages in north Siberia, such as Geezhega or Shestakova.

A great piece of history.

Seth J. Frantzman

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Wild REALLY FAR west, September 19, 2007

By 

Donald C. Pierpoint "Donnie P" (Panama City, Rep. Panama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tent Life in Siberia: An Incredible Account of Siberian Adventure, Travel, and Survival (Paperback)

This book was recommended to me while I was on the Masai Mara and as I thought the person doing the recommendation was great, I figured the book would be too. So I ordered and I was in for a treat. I suggest that you get out your atlas and follow the trail of these incredibly brave and determined men. The routes they had to take are very convoluted and you need a map to follow the story.
I am a birdwatcher and was thrilled with the description of the Kamtchatka(this is how Kennan spells it) Peninsula and was delighted they got there after a rough voyage across the Pacific Ocean. The most amazing thing about the book is that in the great mass of almost absolutely nothing they would come to a small town where there were stoves, rugs and down comforters plus dances, dinner and teas. It is a wonderful description of life in a time and place that most of us know nothing about.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommend., March 9, 2007

By 

Bob Fitzsimmons (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tent Life in Siberia: An Incredible Account of Siberian Adventure, Travel, and Survival (Paperback)

Wonderfully written account of a physically and emotionally demanding journey into the unfamiliar. The dark humor, along with the detailed and sometimes surprising observations made by Kennan, makes this Siberian adventure tale a great read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about Russian history and culture, or in travel literature.