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.
#5646 in Books Vintage Books 1999-06-28 1999-06-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.95 x .81 x 5.20l; 2.00 #File Name: 0679751521400 pagesGreat product!
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting; strange; entertainingBy John A. BrissetteI really liked it. I know there is some criticism of this book claiming it not to be "great literature". It never claims to be. It is very popular; in true; and it should be. It is an entertaining look into the inner workings of a rather private; somewhat quixotic; very quirky altogether strange southern city. A pirate town that guards secrets to this day still. It does read like a magazine article as sone detractors have said; and this makes sense. It is written by a periodical writer as a sort of non-fiction expose. That said it is still charming; funny; interesting a good read. I think a trip to Savannah is in order 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Loved this book—twice!By leslie bakerRead this book many years ago. Wanted to revisit it. It is extremely well written (was on the New York Times bestseller list for many weeks when it was first written.) Really a number of smaller stories (or actually character profiles) woven together to give the reader a view into a charming and fascinating Savannah Georgia in the 1990's. And there is a mystery! What more could you ask for?0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Intriguing and straight to the pointBy claire ford fullertonI loved this book! A New York writer takes up residency in Savannah; Georgia where the glaring nuances of this cloistered southern town beg every instinct the writer has to document the social swing of an old society steeped in blue-blood histrionics. At the core of this nonfiction book is a murder in an opulent mansion owned by a prosperous antique dealer that brings a handful of eccentric characters into play during a riveting trial. All the characters that make up the talk of the town are written with a keen eye and described in a setting so vivid you can feel the humidity in the historic squares which comprise the grid of Savannah. What struck me about this book is the clean; economic writing: it clips along fast-paced and precisely; much in the manner of an investigative reporter's findings. I found this book to be an entertaining; spell-binding page turner well worth the read.
