In August 1914; polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance and set sail for Antarctica; where he planned to cross the last uncharted continent on foot. In January 1915; after battling its way through a thousand miles of pack ice and only a day's sail short of its destination; the Endurance became locked in an island of ice. Thus began the legendary ordeal of Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men. For ten months the ice-moored Endurance drifted northwest before it was finally crushed between two ice floes. With no options left; Shackleton and a skeleton crew attempted a near-impossible journey over 850 miles of the South Atlantic's heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization. Their survival; and the survival of the men they left behind; depended on their small lifeboat successfully finding the island of South Georgia-a tiny dot of land in a vast and hostile ocean. In Endurance; the definitive account of Ernest Shackleton's fateful trip; Alfred Lansing brilliantly narrates the harrowing and miraculous voyage that has defined heroism for the modern age.
#431721 in Books James Horn 2006-09-26 2006-09-26Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.00 x 5.25l; .81 #File Name: 0465030955352 pagesLand as God Made It Jamestown and the Birth of America
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Treatment of the Subject MatterBy Royal JamesOutstanding summary of the first two decades of the Jamestown Colony and the missteps and misunderstanding that occurred while the colony was under the control of the Virginia Company. The author has an engaging writing style and in the hardcover edition; the type font is easy to read and the paper has a nice feel.The author attempts to give a balanced view of what was going on from both the British colonist and the native population perspective during the early years of the colony and he does not shy away from detailing the sheer incompetence demonstrated by the Virginia Company in the formation and administration of the colony though he does not do this in a preachy manner. He provides a chronological summary of the facts and lets the reader draw their own conclusions.Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a more detailed treatment of the early history of the Jamestown Colony. It is far more informative than the sanitized versions of the period's history one normally encounters in general history texts; the popular media; or at the site itself.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Well-balanced HistoryBy Keith C.Horn has written a good; succinct narrative of the Jamestown story going beyond the familiar characters of John Smith and Pocahontas to include the larger picture of Spanish and English competition in the New World and the expansion of English settlement in the Chesapeake.A perfect balance between more limited volumes and longer histories that lose focus following too many threads and overuse of long quotation of primary source accounts.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Jamestown; the Colony that Made it.By E. Joseph Anna“A Land as God Made It – Jamestown and the Birth of America†by James Horn is a chronicle of the English to establish a permanent colony in North America in the early 17th Century. Bringing Protestantism to the Indians to counter balance the Catholicism of the Spanish was one goal. But larger was the prospect of bringing home riches such as the gold and silver flowing into Spain. A private enterprise; the Virginia Company; was formed by share holders to explore and exploit the Chesapeake Bay area. Familiar individuals appear; if not under familiar circumstances; such as Captain John Smith and Pocahontas. The tenuous relationship of the colonists with the Native Americans is examined in some detain. There are many quotes from letters and journals of the day; lending to the authority of the narrative. The unconventional spelling of the day is both distracting and fascinating.
