Help Remus please

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Posting this in fiction, rather than non, as more traffic here.
I want to add an absolute doorstop of a historical exploration book to my Christmas wishlist - something akin to Scott/Shackleton's diaries, or the wonderful book about Everest, Into the Silence.

Recommendations please! Don't mind if it's diaries or commentary written at the time it happened, or if it's a historical retrospective, as it were. I love polar and mountain stuff the most, but maybe the Nile or something might entice me too. :)

Have you tried either Colin Thubron's Shadow of the Silk Road or Ryszard Kapuscinski's Travels with Herodotus?

Another one, that isn't an exploration book per se, but is fascinating (and definitely doorstoppy) is Tom Holland's Millennium

Marking place.

Currently reading Fatal Passage, a biography of the Arctic explorer John Rae, which is very interesting indeed but probably not door-stoppy enough.

Is it that time again?

I recently read an excellent historical fiction book with quite a bit of exploration in it:

Measuring The World - Daniel Kehlmann

It follows the parallel but contrasting lives of two geniuses of the German Enlightenment - the naturalist/explorer Alexander von Humboldt and the mathematician/physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss. Towards the end of the 18th century, these two brilliant young Germans set out to measure the world in their own fashion: Gauss, a child prodigy born to poverty, measures the path of stars from where he sits while Humboldt, a Prussian aristocrat schooled for greatness, negotiates savannah and jungle, climbs the highest mountain then known to man, counts head lice on the heads of the natives, and explores every hole in the ground. All with French botanist Aimé Bonpland, who brought back 60,000 plants that were at the time largely unknown to Europe.

I heartily recommend this book to you, Remus.

Have read (and liked) Fatal Passage.

Ooh yes, Cote. You've told me that one before and I'd forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder.

Looking up your 2 now, Moonlight.

More please!

Might be helpful to post it on the non-fiction thread too!

Ooops sorry Remus didn't see what you said about posting here for traffic!

Have you read Ken McGoogan's biography of Jane Franklin; if so what did you think?

Nope. Have read pretty much everything about Franklin and tbh most of it doesn't paint JF in a terribly good light.

Is it worth a read?

Have you read Mary Queen of Scots? Great book.

Only looking for exploration at the mo. Had my fill of Mary and Liz in the past.

I don't know Remus as I haven't read it. It's called Lady Franklin's Revenge, which would seem to indicate she doesn't appear in a great light here either.

:)

Oh, I completely forgot - if you want doorstoppy, and travel/history/randomness then try the Connemara trilogy or Stones of Aran - Pilgrimage by Tim Robinson - he's English, but ended up in the West of Ireland and basically has penned some fascinating thoughts & insights based on this. Bit of background on TR

Thank you but born in 1935 is probably not historical enough for me!

Oh sorry, he doesn't write about his history, but the history of the places! (Which are a smidgen or thousand older...)

Yup, I know. But I want exciting stories of historical exploration. Tis the only thing that will satisfy me right now! :)

Ah, yes - you had actually said that in your OP too

DH really loved The pale Abbysinian.

www.amazon.co.uk/The-Pale-Abyssinian-Explorer-Adventurer/dp/0006387403

It didn't look hugely door stoppy to me so maybe one for the library.

Read it! But thank you. Exactly the sort of thing I'm after.

Have you read this? I haven't so can't comment on it, but it's been on my TBR for a while:

www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Of-Exquisite-Mind-William/dp/0552772100

Looks perfect!

I bought a copy at the weekend when I was in the National Maritime Museum on a rather specific Xmas present errand

Going to read it when I've finished Un Lun Dun.

Love their gift shop. Love The Wellcome Collection's gift shop even more though!

1491 by Mann? Maybe not be exciting-adventurey enough though, but definitely historical, and a bit door-stoppery.

Thank you. :)