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Barrow's Boys - A Stirring Story of Daring, Fortitude and Outright Lunacy |
The 19th C explosion in British exploration (and the enduring myth of the plucky, bumbling British explorer) had less to do with knowledge and more to do with a lack of wars and promotion. John Barrow, Admiralty Secretary, sought to make his mark through promoting expeditions over the globe - Timbuktu, the Niger, Australia and, most famously, the North West Passage. These are extraordinarily vivid chronicles of brave, frequently under-funded and, sadly, politically disposable heroes.
(Clive Yelf - bwl 28 February 2005) |
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Killing Dragons - The Conquest of the Alps |
Dragons on the tops of mountains kept them safe until the age of scientific enquiry and the sudden realisation that an unmapped corner of the globe lay just a few days journey away from London. Cue the formation of the British Alpine Club and a desperate scramble to claim the summit of every peak in sight. A wonderful tale of eccentrics, fanatics and gentlemen climbers all strung together with rope the thickness of a washing line.
(Clive Yelf - bwl 39 April 2007) |
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Ninety Degrees North - The Quest for the North Pole |
This gripping book showed me all I need to discover the North Pole: 1) a fanatical, charismatic and self-important leader 2) a ship stuck in pack-ice for a number of years 3) lack of food 4) treacherous Eskimo guides 5) multiple amputations of fingers and toes 6) scurvy 7) an inability to determine exactly where you or the Pole actually are (useful when claiming success) and 8) a refusal to learn from others. Easy!
(Clive Yelf - bwl 24 June 2004) |
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The Sword and the Cross |
Apart from dramatic film backgrounds, ever wondered what it was Foreign Legionnaires were actually doing in those desert forts? Actually they were part of France's visionary North African empire intended to transform the desert with water and railways. Foucauld, (ex-soldier and visionary monk) and Lapperine (soldier and founder of the camel corps) are significant players in a doomed enterprise. 'Let the cockerel scratch in the sand' was Britain's attitude and Flemming again writes fascinating history.
(Clive Yelf - bwl 32 November 2005) |
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