Explorer Memoirs

More than a quarter-century before September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center was immortalized by an act of unprecedented daring and beauty. In August 1974, a young Frenchman named Philippe Petit boldly - and illegally - fixed a rope between the tops of the still-young Twin Towers, a quarter mile off the ground. At daybreak, thousands of spectators gathered to watch in awe and adulation as he traversed the rope a full eight times in the course of an hour.

Four geologists and two mountain guides face the brutal beauty of West Antarctica eight hundred miles from the United States main base. Their search reaches far into the treacherous mountains of Marie Byrd Land. Over six weeks of living in tents and traveling by snowmobile, the team endures endless cold and furious blizzards. They cross ice fields and hidden crevasses, which one of the team learns about the hard way.

Sue Tidwell lived in awe of Africa’s extraordinary wildlife. After years spent appreciating the animals in her imagination, the tenderhearted American hated the idea of joining her husband on a big game hunting safari. And getting attacked by blood-sucking tsetse flies the moment she stepped off the plane gave no hint of the mind-blowing change of perspective in her future. With her initial animosity turning into curiosity as they breathlessly tracked dangerous beasts, Sue formed a surprising bond with their young female government-assigned game scout.

From late 1872 to 1876, H.M.S. Challenger explored the world's oceans. Conducting deep sea soundings, dredging the ocean floor, recording temperatures, observing weather, and collecting biological samples, the expedition laid the foundations for modern oceanography. Following the ship's naturalists and their discoveries, earth scientist Doug Macdougall engagingly tells a story of Victorian-era adventure and ties these early explorations to the growth of modern scientific fields.

When Kathy decides to leave her abusive marriage, she is 59 years old. She’s unprepared to live on a reduced income when her estranged husband hides his assets from the court. She’s shocked by the cost of rentals in Southern California. She didn’t realize how impossible it would be to land a job at her age and after being out of the market for two decades while she raised her kids. She hasn’t anticipated that her nearly grown children would be mad at her for finally standing up for herself.

A wild adventure on horseback, beyond the Mississippi River into America's far west of 1832. Washington Irving, author of the “The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle,” joins a group of inexperienced rangers, hunters and an assortment of colorful characters on a trip into the unsettled prairies. Their goal: meeting Native Americans, hunting buffalo and getting in trouble.

A fearless and funny memoir about love, loss, adventure, and the photographs we take to remember who we are. The Love Offensive travels from a Massachusetts childhood to wanderlust-fueled trips across the world — and into the heart of what it means to lose and find yourself again. Through humor, grief, friendship, family, and art, Tara tells a story about the things that break us, the things that save us, and the extraordinary ways we learn to keep going.

When Richard “Frosty” Hesson was first approached by a young Jay Moriarty in 1990, the skinny kid with a sparkle in his eye only wanted one thing from the icon: His help in becoming a better surfer. Hesson, one of the first to conquer the huge waves off northern California known as Mavericks, recognized that the kid “had a vision.” Jay quickly demonstrated a resolve that reminded Frosty of his younger self, pursuing his goal with a seriousness far beyond his years. His attitude and work ethic earned Frosty’s respect and, eventually, his friendship.

In "Africa to Arizona–Memories of a South African Scatterling" Tihêhô takes listeners on a captivating journey through his life, spanning continents and cultures. Born and raised on the picturesque farm of Wintershoek in South Africa, his childhood is filled with adventures, close encounters with wildlife, and the unique experiences of rural life. Tihêhô's early years are rich with memories that shaped his identity. His years in the military also left scars on him–both psychological as well as physical.

Vous allez découvrir l'Histoire de la découverte des Amériques en suivant Christophe Colomb, marin devenu Amiral, Vice-Roi et gouverneur du Nouveau Monde.

Danskerne på Titanic følger de 14 danskere, der var med om bord, da det legendariske gigantskib bragede ind i et isbjerg på sin jomfrurejse i 1912. De drømte alle om eventyr og om at begynde et nyt liv i USA, men kun to af dem overlevede de vanvittige timer, der udspillede sig på det iskolde Atlanterhav en stjerneklar aprilnat. Resten gik til bunds med skibet.

Freeman Dyson is a world-renowned astrophysicist who dreams of exploring the heavens and has designed a spaceship to take him there. His son, George, a brilliant high-school dropout, lives in a tree house and is designing a giant kayak to explore the icy coastal wilderness of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

Haunting forty-year-old injuries. Inexperienced in foreign travel. No Spanish-speaking ability. Yet, the Camino de Santiago whispered its call: Come walk 500 miles across the French Pyrenees and northern Spain. Alone. What could go wrong?

Kathryn Hulme's life was radically changed and enriched by the influence of Gurdjieff. Undiscovered Country is a tribute to him and his teachings, a vivid personal memoir of her experience as his student, and of the burning spiritual intensity that dominated her life as a result of his influence.

Long before his finest hour as Britain's wartime leader, Winston Churchill emerged on the world stage as a brazen foreign correspondent, covering wars of empire in Cuba, India, the Sudan, and South Africa. In those far-flung corners of the world, reporting from the front lines between 1895 and 1900, Churchill mastered his celebrated command of language and formed strong opinions about war.

37 years of flying provides material for a lot of stories. Daddyman’s Flying Adventures is a collection of personal experiences—about people, connections, and the opportunities and chance meetings woven into the fabric of life. There is joy in flying, and sharing the experience with others. This book is for anyone who finds the joy and freedom of flight alluring

The Red River Trail, used approximately between 1820 and 1880 to take supplies and settlers to the West, stimulated commerce in the region and played an important part in the growth of Manitoba and Minnesota. It highlights the role of the Metis in the development of the area and follows the life of Pierre Bottineau, a Metis guide and well-known frontiersman and military scout. He traveled the route regularly and was known as the Kit Carson of the North.

Here is the story of the infamous 1910 race to the South Pole, as told by its fearless yet desperate leader, Robert Falcon Scott. The New York Times called Scott's Last Expedition "A splendid record of heroism not soon to be forgotten."

For swimming champion Nancy Stearns Bercaw, the pool was a natural habitat. But on land, she could never shake the feeling of being a fish out of water. Starting at age two, Nancy devoted her life to swimming, even qualifying for the 1988 Olympic Trials in the fifty-meter freestyle event. But nearly two decades later, when she hung up her cap and goggles, she was confronted with a different kind of challenge: learning who she was out of the lanes.

Voici l'histoire peu ordinaire d'un homme né sans main gauche qui décida un jour de devenir marin professionnel. Damien Seguin sera au départ du prochain Vendée Globe en 2020. Damien a toujours su ce qu'il voulait faire de sa vie. La preuve : ses deux titres aux JO d'Athènes et de Rio, ses trois Route du Rhum accomplies entre 2010 et 2018, sa victoire dans le Tour de France à la voile en 2017 démontrent bien que le handicap n'est pas une anomalie mais peut être un formidable moyen d'insertion pour les jeunes.