Worlds to Explore: Classic Tales of Travel and Adventure from National Geographic (Paperback)

by Mark Jenkins (Editor), Simon Winchester (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Evoking adventure made possible by the railroad, steamship, and automobile, and before adventure was accelerated beyond recognition by the jet airliner, these 50 National Geographic articles hail from the 1890s to the 1950s. Simon Winchester's introduction rues the haste travel has acquired, while the commentary of editor Jenkins ( Off the Map: Bicycling across Siberia, 1992) introduces the author and the genesis of his or her odyssey. Theodore Roosevelt's postpresidency safari kicks off the geographical organization--Africa, South America, and so forth--and also typifies Jenkins' editorial preferences for the lost worlds of imperialism, still-unexplored regions of earth and sea, and peoples untouched by modernity. Some of Jenkins' selections may be oft-anthologized classics by Roy Chapman Andrews, Richard Byrd, and Edmund Hillary, but most are not frequently reprinted. Collectively, Jenkins' grouping captures imagination-firing details in non-Western settings, such as capture by Mongolian bandits. Suiting the armchair as well as they did as long as a century ago, these articles will be popular indeed. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
"These stories are like potato chips; one is never enough, and they're all but impossible not to devour in rapid succession... Highly recommended." –Library Journal --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (April 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426200447
• ISBN-13: 978-1426200441
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #253,092 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gathering of first-person travel and adventure stories drawn from the first half of the 20th century , July 24, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Worlds to Explore: Classic Tales of Travel and Adventure from National Geographic (Hardcover)

WORLDS TO EXPLORE: CLASSIC TALES OF TRAVEL & ADVENTURE FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC provides a gathering of first-person travel and adventure stories drawn from the first half of the 20th century from the pages of National Geographic: while lacking the color photos of the magazines, it still comes with 60 black and white photos and some of the best 'you are there' stories you'll find under one cover. Dramatic, true stories of encounters around the world capture the wonder of experiences of naturalists, anthropologists and adventurers alike, presenting works by a range of travelers. The result reads with all the drama and flair of fiction, but it's all true fact - and impossible to put down.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worlds to Explore, August 28, 2006

By	Rocco A. Genovese - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Worlds to Explore: Classic Tales of Travel and Adventure from National Geographic (Hardcover)

I would like to leave a few words about 'Worlds to Explore.' This is an excellent book for those who love to travel or at least would like to. It gives a great insight into not only the way isolated areas were a hundred years ago, but also how challenging it was to get there. Each short excerpt is taken directly from a long past article of National Geographic, and is perfect length for children of about eight years and older, giving a small taste of a place and it's people without going on about it so long as to be boring. An excellent starting point for further reading on cultures they may find interesting. Later, you may also want to buy a copy of the original issue to read the entire article; even copies from the early 1900s are easy to find on Ebay. I did just that with an article from 1925. My only complaint is that there are few pictures, but primitive cultures usually wore very little clothing, so maybe less pictures is a good thing for younger readers. I would like to see more publications from National Geographic in this style, but would have rathered even more to see this book broken down into several seperate books, one specifically for each continent, and with many more pictures and illustrations. That being said, even if they put out further editions in the same style, I will continue to buy them. If you are buying this as a gift for a child, I would also recommend a tent, a coleman lantern, and a subscription to National Geographic; I have a feeling they will be wanting all three in short order.

4.0 out of 5 stars wonderful selection of old Nat Geo articles, April 3, 2008

By	Jodi R. Thompson (NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In our world of TV and internet, the ability to view and explore regions around the world seems like second nature. It is thus quite interesting to read these accounts from approximately 1890-1950 when travel was so much more difficult and time consuming. Vivid descriptions of far away lands and peoples certainly helped readers to better visualize the world in which they live.