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Tip of the Iceberg
- My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, the Last Great American Frontier
- Narrated by: Mark Adams
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
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Tip of the Iceberg
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Publisher's Summary
**The National Best Seller**
From the acclaimed, best-selling author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu, a fascinating and funny journey into Alaska, America's last frontier, retracing the historic 1899 Harriman Expedition.
In 1899, railroad magnate Edward H. Harriman organized a most unusual summer voyage to the wilds of Alaska: He converted a steamship into a luxury "floating university", populated by some of America's best and brightest scientists and writers, including the anti-capitalist eco-prophet, John Muir. Those aboard encountered a land of immeasurable beauty and impending environmental calamity. More than 100 years later, Alaska is still America's most sublime wilderness, both the lure that draws a million tourists annually on Inside Passage cruises and a natural resources larder waiting to be raided. As ever, it remains a magnet for weirdos and dreamers.
Armed with Dramamine and an industrial-strength mosquito net, Mark Adams sets out to retrace the 1899 expedition. Using the state's intricate public ferry system, the Alaska Marine Highway System, Adams travels 3,000 miles, following the George W. Elder's itinerary north through Wrangell, Juneau, and Glacier Bay, then continuing west into the colder and stranger regions of the Aleutians and the Arctic Circle. Along the way, he encounters dozens of unusual characters (and a couple of very hungry bears) and investigates how lessons learned in 1899 might relate to Alaska's current struggles in adapting to climate change.
What the critics say
“Great nonfiction... takes a topic you thought you knew well and makes it new again.... [Adams’s] storytelling is guaranteed to make you want to get off your beach towel and book passage somewhere in the great wild north.” (Outside)
“A literary companion to Google Earth.” (The New York Times Book Review)
“Adams gives readers an eye-opening look at the past and present history of a fascinating region.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
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What listeners say about Tip of the Iceberg
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- rachel cartwright
- 2018-05-30
Very engaging
Having spent a lot of time in Alaska I found this a very refreshing and engaging account of the region - great portrait of John Muir - really brought the events of the Harriman expedition to life
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Hershell Allan Foster
- 2018-05-21
Great book .. could do without the political trash at end
Great book .. I have enjoyed Mark’s other books. He could do without the political trash at end . I really don’t care about his thoughts or feelings on global warming
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- John
- 2022-07-18
Good Stories, But ...
I really enjoyed a lot of this book. It was great to learn about the Harriman expedition. I thought Adams' personal stories about Alaska were also generally engaging.
But here's the thing: Adams just can't help being a condescending New Yorker. If you have lived in the South, the Midwest or parts of the West, you have probably experienced this type of person--Someone who purports to enjoy your company, but then tells you that everything you do is wrong because you just do not know better. If Adams were to write about Southern cooking, he would come to your house for dinner, eat everything and tell you how much he liked it--but would then leave and lecture about how bad it is for you.
Adams' recital of the climate change gospel (everything is due to climate change) is cloying. While he admits climate has been changing in Alaska for centuries and that glaciers have been receding well before the 20th Century, he never tries to put two and two together. He seems to have no concept of geological time.
His discussion of oil is particularly ironic given that oil is now again at or over $100 a barrel and prices at the pump have more than doubled, and we have a President begging Saudi Arabia to pump more. A thoughtful and balanced discussion of use and conservation of natural resources would have been welcome, but you won't find it here.
I just wish he had stuck to the main story.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Ken Pearson
- 2022-09-15
Mark Adams Knows Better than You
Adam's elitism and I-know-better-than-them attitude perfectly encapsulates why Alaskans are so skeptical of east coast urbanites who think they know what's best for the state. He is quick to criticize, and emphasizes anecdotes and oddballs while providing no nuance discussing the challenges Alaska faces.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- sara
- 2021-02-26
Alaska with humor and realism
Adams did a great job narrating his book. I’m always skeptical of authors not from Alaska trying to present a version of it, but Adams really did his research, and presented an impressively realistic version of Alaska with humor, while impressing upon the reader the issues Alaska faces with climate change. I love that Adams didn’t downplay the decrepit look of places and strange characters. He got those spot on. But also showed despite the bizarreness, Alaskans know how to live in and around nature and survive, despite whatever the elected leaders are doing.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Wayne
- 2022-02-23
Interesting....but not entertaining
I loved Turn Right at Machu Pichu and was hoping for another great listen. Nope...not even close. If you want to learn a lot about Alaska (the stuff we were never taught in school), this book is for you. If you're hoping for a great adventure read, this book is definitely not it. I finally gave up half way through.
In addition, the author chose to narrate his own book, which didn't help. I feel like I wasted a credit on this one.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Melinda M. McCarthy
- 2019-05-31
Very enjoyable and informative!
I loved the chapters about the bear warnings and bear encounters. I learned so much from this book while being truly entertained.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Martin A. Blanco
- 2019-05-01
The Iceberg is Massively Satisfying
Never a dull moment. An engaging survey of Alaska through the lenses of history, geography, biology/natural history and sociology. The prose is crisp and engaging. I’ve purchased copies as gifts and am listening to it for a second time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anthony Rionda
- 2018-08-18
Time to go to Alaska
What a wonderful book! History and current events wound together in perfect harmony ! I want led to visit Alaska before, now want to experience Alaska!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-07-18
Spectacular book
Funny, beautiful, interesting, and educational. Highly recommend - now I have to go book my Alaska visit!
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