Book Description
In 1897 a grimy steamer docked in Seattle and set into epic motion the incredible succession of events that Pierre Berton’s exhilarating The Klondike Fever chronicles in all its splendid and astonishing folly. For the steamer Portland bore two tons of pure Klondike gold. And immediately, the stampede north to Alaska began. Easily as many as 100,000 adventurers, dreamers, and would-be miners from all over the world struck out for the remote, isolated gold fields in the Klondike Valley, most of them in total ignorance of the long, harsh Alaskan winters and the territory’s indomitable terrain. Less than a third of that number would complete the enormously arduous mountain journey to their destination. Some would strike gold. Berton’s story belongs less to the few who would make their fortunes than to the many swept up in the gold mania, to often unfortunate effects and tragic ends. It is a story of cold skies and avalanches, of con men and gamblers and dance hall girls, of sunken ships, of suicides, of dead horses and desperate men, of grizzly old miners and millionaires, of the land — its exploitation and revenge. It is a story of the human capacity to dream, and to endure.
Customer Reviews:
Yukon Gold didn't used to be a potato .......2005-06-15
For those of us whose knowledge of the Klondike Gold Rush comes mostly from the 1950s radio drama, "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon" this is a fine book to read. (Trivia question: What was the name of Sergeant Preston's preternaturally intelligent huskie?) Originally published in 1958, "Klondike Fever" has proven to be a minor classic. (See note below concerning a new edition of the book.)
This Gold Rush, named after the Klondike River in the Yukon territory of Canada, was the last great scramble for gold in the old West. One hundred thousand persons, mostly from the U.S., set out for the Klondike in 1897, 30,000 or 40,000 got there, after an arduous journey through killing winter snows, and a few hundred found gold. The stories of the long, hard journey into this Arctic wilderness are often horrific. In one party of 19 men, 15 died or were killed along the route and the other four had eyes damaged by snow blindness. The gold seekers included author Jack London, Wyatt Earp, and poet Joaquin Miller.
The author tells a compelling tale of the men and women who participated in the Klondike Gold Rush. It was indeed a fever. The characters in this book include crusty old miners who suddenly became rich beyond their wildest dreams, stalwart, incorruptible Canadian Mounties, conmen like Soapy Smith -- who in the dramatic tradition of the West receives his just deserts -- prostitutes, madams, gamblers, angels of mercy, last-chance losers, rich adventurers, Indians, and missionaries. It's a fascinating read, based on research that included interviews with many of the oldtimers who lived to talk to the author in the 1950s. The author's standard of truth telling is high; he identifies a tall tale or an unlikely exaggeration when he finds them.
The maps could be better and the text would be enhanced if there were photographs, but I doubt you'll find a better book about the Klondike Gold Rush. However, "Klondike Fever" was revised in 2001 and the newer edition, called "Klondike" embodies new information and interpretations of the events that once took place in the land of the Northern Lights. All in all, I'd buy "Klondike" rather than "Klondike Fever."
Oh, yes, Sergeant Preston's dog was named "Yukon King."
Smallchief
An Excellent Read.......2005-03-31
Berton is one great writer! It was SOOOO entertaining to read the stories of all the different characters involved in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. This book NEVER GETS BORING!!! Read it for pure enjoyment or for writing a college history paper. This book is one of the greatest history books I've ever read! Check out "Ordeal by Hunger" by George R. Stewart too if you like miner/pioneer/gold rush history. It's fascinating too.
MY STORY HOW I ACQUIRED THIS BOOK:
I was in Skagway, AK (it was a port stop for the vacation cruise I was on) and I had been touring the area (ie, White Pass Train, car, etc.). I had this tour guide who was REALLY knowledgable of Yukon & Alaska history. I thought his storytelling was fascinating and asked him what ONE book would be the one to read concerning the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. This was the one he suggested. (He also said Pierre Berton was an excellent writer...I must agree this tour guide was telling the truth!) I almost forgot to purchase it! I had to run back to the bookstore in downtown Skagway and buy it so I could enjoy it for the rest of the cruise. I swear I was the last one on the boat! I started reading this book right when I got to my cabin and I was finished with it before the cruise was over!
The Klondike Fever.......2004-05-27
I recently read this book for my economics class. This books gives a new dimension to what happened during the gold rushes. This book focuses on the Klondike, one of the last great gold rushes. It gives great details into the way people lived and survived in the destructive climate that is the Klondike. It gives the reader an opportunity to read about the many people who "made it" and the many people who "failed". From poor factory workers who find thousands of dollars in gold to the people that were standing upon a fortune and didn't even know it. You will learn about the rise and fall of the "dictator" of Skagway. It gives you a glimpse into the mindset of a person going off to find his or her fortune. Overall I think it was a very well written book. I found many parts interesting. There was one thing that I didn't like though. This was the fact there were so many little stories mixed in with the bigger picture. I felt that at the end of the book I didn't really remember the people mentioned in the beginning of the book. I give this book a four. Hats off to Mr. Pierre Berton
sharing the wealth.......2004-05-20
This is an amazing book containing thrilling stories based on the "last great gold rush". Berton tells these stories in so much detail, that you'd think that you were traveling the Klondike, looking for treasure. It makes you realize that these prospectors were playing a real-life game of "hot or cold" when they got so close to a strike and left to search somewhere else. A must read for anyone who likes adventure stories.
Read before you cruise!.......2003-07-18
This is the book I bought in Skagway, Alaska that I wish I had read BEFORE I visited gold rush country. So many times when reading it I thought to myself "I wish I had known this a week ago when I was standing there where it happened!" It's a facinating read. So before you take that Alaska cruise, read this book!
Book Description
With the building of the railroad and the settlement of the plains, the North West was opening up. The Klondike stampede was a wild interlude in the epic story of western development, and here are its dramatic tales of hardship, heroism, and villainy. We meet Soapy Smith, dictator of Skagway; Swiftwater Bill Gates, who bathed in champagne; Silent Sam Bonnifield, who lost and won back a hotel in a poker game; and Roddy Connors, who danced away a fortune at a dollar a dance. We meet dance-hall queens, paupers turned millionaires, missionaries and entrepreneurs, and legendary Mounties such as Sam Steele, the Lion of the Yukon.
Pierre Berton's riveting account reveals to us the spectacle of the Chilkoot Pass, and the terrors of lesser-known trails through the swamps of British Columbia, across the glaciers of souther Alaska, and up the icy streams of the Mackenzie Mountains. It contrasts the lawless frontier life on the American side of the border to the relative safety of Dawson City. Winner of the Governor General's award for non-fiction, Klondike is authentic history and grand entertainment, and a must-read for anyone interested in the Canadian frontier.
Customer Reviews:
Vintage Berton!.......2005-11-01
As a Canadian living away from home, I never miss an opportunity to read a book by Pierre Berton. Berton had a talent for making History come alive in a way that is rare not only among Canadian authors, but indeed is rarely equaled and certainly not surpassed by any other author I have encountered abroad.
Klondike is one of those books that is so well constructed and written that you forget you are reading History and instead are absorbed into the story-line as if you were reading a first-rate novel. Burton develops the story-line and characters so that you are drawn into the history and come to appreciate the facts of the era and location. The people become real. You leave having experienced history instead of just having been served warmed over facts with a few theories as to how they tie together.
Despite the difference in genre, reading Burton's account of the Gold Rush in the North is every bit as entertaining as reading Farley Mowat or Jack London.
I recommend this book highly. It is a good introduction to Berton, to the Canadian North, the history of the Yukon, and a good primer before you launch into the other great books of Berton if you have never read him before!
"The Northern Lights have seen queer sights . . .".......2005-09-28
THE book on the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-99. Berton tells the story in chronological order, beginning with the pre-Gold Rush period when individual prospectors roamed the Yukon River territory looking for El Dorado. A million dollars worth of gold was hauled out of Circle City, an early camp, in 1896; a year later they would do the same in a matter of weeks in Dawson City, a few hundred miles up the Yukon from Circle City. Of course, after the big strike was made on Rabbit Creek in August 1896, Circle City was emptied of its population by the spring. Gold camp communities that had lived and thrived under a well-understood frontier code lost their cohesiveness; the thousands of outsiders rushing into the Klondike could never abide by such a code.
Berton relates the human interest stories, too. The infamous Soapy Smith, the dictator of Skagway, is here, as are the thousands of crazies who came north to the Arctic Circle underclothed, unprepared, unprovisioned, full of the gold fever. Things got so bad by the winter of '97 that the government had to appropriate $200,000 for those in the Yukon to prevent mass starvation. And still they came, heading up the Chilkoot Pass like ants. It was called a stampede, but progress was so slow it seemed anything but. Only the outbreak of the Spanish-American War put an end to it, along with the discovery of gold in Nome.
It's an exciting story, the last gold rush anyone will ever see. Factual, without unnecessary hype, Berton's book is an excellent account of this period in history. Highly recommended.
Back in the days when Yukon Gold wasn't a potato .......2005-06-15
For those of us whose knowledge of the Klondike Gold Rush comes mostly from the 1950s radio drama, "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon" this is a fine book to read. (Trivia question: What was the name of Sergeant Preston's preternaturally intelligent huskie?) This is a revised and updated version of the book "Klondike Fever" published in 1958. Read "Klondike" if possible, although the earlier "Klondike Fever" is still perfectly readable. The maps are much better in this edition.
This Gold Rush, named after the Klondike River in the Yukon territory of Canada, was the last great scramble for gold in the old West. One hundred thousand persons, mostly from the U.S., set out for the Klondike in 1897, 30,000 or 40,000 got there, after an arduous journey through killing winter snows, and a few hundred found gold. The stories of the long, hard journey into this Arctic wilderness are often horrific. In one party of 19 men, 15 died or were killed along the route and the other four had eyes damaged by snow blindness. The gold seekers included author Jack London, Wyatt Earp, and poet Joaquin Miller. By late-summer 1899, "one of the weirdest and most useless mass movements in history" was over. Most of the gold seekers went home to live normal lives, although a few moved on to the beaches of Nome, Alaska where gold could be picked up among the grains of sand.
The author tells a compelling tale of the men and women who participated in the Klondike Gold Rush. It was indeed a fever. The characters in this book include crusty old miners who suddenly became rich beyond their wildest dreams, stalwart, incorruptible Canadian Mounties, conmen like Soapy Smith -- who in the dramatic tradition of the West receives his just deserts -- prostitutes, madams, gamblers, angels of mercy, last-chance losers, rich adventurers, Indians, and missionaries. It's a fascinating read, based on research that included interviews with many of the oldtimers who lived to talk to the author in the 1950s. The author's standard of truth telling is high; he identifies a tall tale or an unlikely exaggeration when he finds them.
The text would be enhanced if there were photographs, but I doubt you'll find a better book about the Klondike Gold Rush. Oh, yes, Sergeant Preston's dog was named "Yukon King."
Smallchief
A Classic.......2004-12-02
I consider this the definitive book on the Klondike Gold Rush. Interesting, informative, highly entertaining and hugely enjoyable, the book covers all the drama from the first discovery to the last days of the Klondike Kings. You don't have to be a Klondike enthusiast to enjoy this book, because Berton is first and foremost a storyteller, and the historical facts come alive in his writing.
I've read this book at least 9 times, and it inspired me to backpack the Chilkoot Trail. It's not just one of the best history books I've ever read - it's one of the best books, period, that I've ever read. Enjoy!
Wild-West scholarship from a man who was (almost) there!.......2004-05-11
This is the best-written, most entertaining history book I've read in ages. What an amazing story! In January 1897, a message went out from Dawson City in the isolated Yukon Territory of Canada: gold had been discovered! It took until July for anyone to notice, but then it seemed like the whole world stampeded toward the Klondike. Most did not make it over the mountains before winter, but were stuck in lawless Skagway, Alaska, enduring frostbite, graft, and privation, until arriving in Dawson in June of 1898. Suddenly, Dawson went from a few tents to as many as 10,000 people; then, in August of 1899, a rumor of gold in Nome, Alaska emptied the town as quickly as a fire: 8,000 people left in the course of a week.
Berton spins a mighty good yarn: careless prospectors paying for drinks with gold dust; dance-hall girls; wiley villains like the infamous Soapy Smith, boss of Skagway's underworld; heroic Mounties keeping order over treacherous mountain passes. All of this is the result of an enormous amount of primary research: in the 1950's Berton personally interviewed a large number of the last survivors of the stampede, and appears to have memorized every printed word, published and unpublished, ever written on the subject.
Berton caps off his expert handling of the narrative with a wonderful chapter reflecting on the meaning of the Klondike rush for the American and Canadian national characters. I was charmed to discover, at the very end, that Berton's parents were prospectors and that he himself grew up in Dawson, almost a ghost town, playing among the abandoned gold dredges and cast-off dance slippers.
This 2001 version of "Klondike" is significantly updated from the 1958 original; it's considerably longer and reflects many new primary sources. "Klondike Fever" still available via Amazon (ISBN 0786713178), is the older and less up-to-date book. This 2001 edition is the one you want!
Average customer rating:
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The house of gold: Lenten sermons
Bede Jarrett
Manufacturer: The Newman Bookshop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
 Sermons
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ASIN: B0007FC5MY |
Book Description
In 1887, two British sailors landed on the coast of Ecuador and set off across the Andes on a secret mission. Their task was to locate an immense hoard of Inca gold which had been lost for hundreds of years. A botanist who had recently returned from Ecuador had provided them with documents proving it still existed and gave them the route to find it. And find it they did - but both perished before they could make their way back to the cave a second time.
In Valverde's Gold, Mark Honigsbaum attempts to unravel a riddle that has inspired frustrating and fatal treasure hunts for centuries. When he delves into the botanist's life and discovers an ancient Spanish treasure guide buried in his notebook, he cannot help but be drawn into the mystery. Undeterred by the cursed history of the gold, Honigsbaum embarks on an epic journey into the last uncharted range in the Andes-the Llanganati Mountains of eastern Ecuador. This is the story of how the lure of gold intoxicates even the most level-headed of historians, and of how men-and women-are seized with the desire to claim treasure from one of the most inhospitable landscapes in the world. Honigsbaum battles through mountains, jungles, and conflicting stories, and, as he draws closer to the hidden cache, illuminates the allure of lost gold and the hold it has on our imagination.
Customer Reviews:
Excessive.......2007-10-17
I must agree with another reviewer... all that is required of this book is the first and last chapters.
Instead of high-level adventure or life threatening exploits into the mysterious, the reader is best to settle for historical research of past attempts to locate Ecuador's legendary Inca treasure. No Indiana Jones script here.
With such an entanglement of characters past and present, along with weak geographical perceptibility due to a map which is certainly difficult to interpret, the discourse turns into muddle.
The subject at hand is simply overdone to the point of exhaustion.
Lacklustre - Read the first and last chapters and skip the rest.......2006-04-24
This book is pretty disappointing. Whilst treasure hunts are inherently interesting (and this one is the biggest of them all), following Honigsbaum is more often than not utterly boring. In each chapter his quest for the lost Incan treasure diverges into a new dead-end avenue, and his research is so hodge-podge that it is difficult to follow.
Much of his prose is boring and ought to have been cut short. For instance, he spends a chapter detailing his study of old Spanish documents in Seville, despite the fact that he finds absolutely nothing of import. Historical research is not exactly something one needs to read about in detail. His prose reads something like, "And suddenly, I put a new search term in the computer! I waited, as the hourglass turned on screen for what seemed an eternity. Then, just as I thought I was about to find the key document, my search came back! 'No Documents Found,' it said." He might then look over an unrelated document, and spend a page talking about a story that has no bearing on the treasure or anything to do with it; it just seems to fill up space in the book.
Overall, the author seems out to intrigue his audience enough to buy the book, but that's the extent of his effort. It's like a bad movie in which the preview only shows scenes with pretty girls and cars blowing up. Suck the audience in, because once you've got their money, what do you care? As I labored to get through Valverde's Gold, all I could think was, "I know exactly how this ends... I mean, if he found the treasure, would he really have written this awful book?"
a bad search by a bad author.......2005-05-09
this is perhaps the most disappointing book i have read in years. i have always loved treasuer hunts but this is just a terrible account of one. the author lays out the basics about the capture of the inca king and all that, but then it disloves into loose ends. he hunts down various people who have information and maps but he seems to alienate them so quickly that he fails to get any helpful data and most of them will speak to him again. further he goes on a trek with a drunk and comes back more than empty handed. a terrible book and a total waste of time and money. wait for the movie "how not to find a treasure for dummies". dgs
Thoroughly researched and mostly entertaining...........2005-02-17
First and foremost, this book is more of a literary and investigative adventure. It's not until the last chapter that the author actually details his own physical search for the fabled treasure in Ecuador of the Incan King Atahualpa. A treasure that by all accounts over the last 500 years may be the most valuable land cache of gold and other precious objects on earth. It provides interesting and entertaining background on the other treasure hunters and explorers who went before him on the search. This leads the reader through labrynthine twists of misinformation, questionable documents/maps and several "characters" the author encounters who come across as gold-crazed swashbucklers. The book is definitely well-researched, but I expected something more along the lines of an Indiana Jones type of real-life adventure and came away with something more along the lines of a day spent in a musty-smelling library....
Book Description
Jonathan Tolins's hilarious and poignant play The Last Sunday in June follows in the tradition of The Boys in the Band and Love! Valour! Compassion! Set in a Greenwich Village apartment, Michael and Tom plan to spend Gay Pride Day contemplating their move to the suburbs. But with the parade happening outside their window, friends drop by, igniting a chain of events that rocks the foundations of their relationship. Also included in this collection are If Memory Serves, a satire of repressed memory and celebrity scandal, and The Twilight of the Golds, the controversial Broadway play about genetics and homosexuality that was the basis for the Showtime film starring Brendan Fraser and Faye Dunaway.
Customer Reviews:
SMART & FUNNY & MORE.......2006-11-01
All of Tolins' work here is relatable, but brave. The characters, gay and straight, are recognizable without being the usual cliches found in some other gay-themed books, TV shows, movies, etc. Best of all, his plays are richly entertaining. I highly recommend.
Lowest common denominator gay fiction.......2006-09-28
When I found out this author was a writer on Showtime's series "Queer As Folk" it came as no surprise, as his fictional work is just a continuation of gay stereotypes. As a gay man with a lover of nine years, I find this material lacking in talent, wit and authenticity. It is sadly typical of how many gay TV writers with marginal talent portray gay life. If Tolins actually had true writing talent, he might choose to look at the multi-layered aspects of gay lives in America, rather than his one-dimensional cartoon versions of gay life.
This guy can write!.......2004-06-07
Last Sunday in June was my favorite theater experience of whatever year I saw it in! And Twilight of the Golds was truly searing and thought-provoking! This man is a writer we'll be hearing more about. Comparisons to Neal Simon are obvious but don't do justice to this writer whose heart is as big as his sense of humour and his compassion for his characters reminds me more of Checkov than Neal Simon. (So if he's so good, why no 5 stars? Simple: I'm an honest man and I haven't read this book yet, and am reviewing it only on the basis of the two productions I SAW. So, when I read If Memory Serves I'll re-check in on this review if it's a warranted 5th star.) But buy this book! You won't be disappointed! This man's one liners and characters are as good as they get.
Average customer rating:
- Amazing Story...and it was never told before?!!?!
- IT'S A NOVEL.
- "He chose to live a bold life rather than settle for mediocrity" (a history teacher's review)
- The Myth and the Man
- Great Read!
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The Last Voyage of Columbus: Being the Epic Tale of the Great Captain's Fourth Expedition, Including Accounts of Swordfight, Mutiny, Shipwreck, Gold, War, Hurricane, and Discovery
Martin Dugard
Manufacturer: Hachette Audio
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Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 1594830673 |
Book Description
This thrilling adventure narrative recreates the epic, never-before-told story of Columbuss fourth and final journey to the New Worlda voyage that was by far his most dangerous, unexpected, exhilarating, and consequential.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing Story...and it was never told before?!!?!.......2007-10-09
Dugard is a fantastic writer. Although the beginning of the book begins slowly, the tale of the fourth voyage is one of the most thrilling adventures I ever read. The fact that this was a true story and not fiction makes the reader hold onto their armchair as Dugard's narrative reads beautifully and steers the reader along, and it does so as masterfully as the great Columbus himself, who tenaciously led his frightened men to the New World. And despite Columbus' later misfortunes during this fourth voyage, he was an extremely clever man with outstanding resolve that although never found that elusive passage to Asia did manage to return home safely after a nerve-racking series of disasters. That is astounding by any mortal's standards.
I was glad to see that the History Channel made a movie on Dugard's book, as it is a crucial piece of history and an amazing story. Despite Columbus' failed mission he led his crew through, while even being deathly sick, to finally being rescued. That so many men did follow him, regardless of the mutiny, which was understandable at that crisis, it seems the main issue many others and I have is about Columbus being a tyrant. This whole issue truly needs factual evidence to prove that it was Columbus rather than his officers who committed those gross misdeeds on Hispaniola that tarnished Columbus' name, honor and right to govern.
In comparison to King Ferdinand's Spain, which was entering its most ugly period of pogroms by first expelling the Muslims and currently on a mission to begin the Inquisition, Columbus appears to have been an angel. If harsh punishments were meted out on Hispaniola, it seems the evil King Ferdinand, who was killing people in mass, was no one to reprimand Columbus or his men for harsh treatment. Many factors indicate that the King's aim was to demote Columbus and his monopoly on the New World, which he and his evil bishop, Fonseca, managed to do. They were ruthlessly expelling Muslims and Jews, and Columbus was just another expendable victim added to the list. Hence, this vital information needs to be finally resolved by ALL historians writing about Columbus.
However, this book is titled "The Last Voyage of Columbus", so I can't criticize Dugard too much in this regard, yet his storyline does address this previous issue, and therefore should to some extent. But as for the tantalizing fourth voyage, this is nothing short of extraordinary and almost too unreal to believe.
This was a fascinating tale, written in a fascinating and engaging style. Bravo Dugard! And thanks for bequeathing to the world this great and important tale. A MUST READ!
IT'S A NOVEL........2007-09-25
Sigh. Dugard is such a good writer -- an awe-inspiring writer -- but a book with an index promotes itself as nonfiction. He's got the basic outline of the Columbian story, but the very vividness of his talent makes his historical blunders all the more jarring. Eventually they become unbearable, which is sad.
He keeps tripping over his own cursory research, bedecking Columbus in the correct colorful Renaissance attire, for example, at a time when the real Columbus wore monk's robes. He has Columbus the father holed up with his son Ferdinand in a hurricane -- getting to know each other "after a lifetime apart." What lifetime was that? Ferdinand's mother was Columbus's partner from 1485 to his death. Family life with her, their son Ferdinand, and Columbus's elder son, the motherless Diego, probably made seven years of waiting bearable for him. Cordoba, where Beatriz lived, was his home base, and we know that he stayed there with her and his children between voyages as well: At one point Ferdinand tells us in his biography that Columbus finally sent the two boys back to school because the next voyage was hopelessly delayed.
One night in a storm together may have made for vivid memories, but they knew "each other very, very well" already. With some research, this book could have been a masterpiece.
"He chose to live a bold life rather than settle for mediocrity" (a history teacher's review).......2007-09-01
"The only certainty about Columbus is that, for better or worse, he chose to live a bold life rather than settle for mediocrity." (p. 268)
That is how Dugard ends a lively and informative biography of Christopher Columbus. As the title indicates, Dugard focuses on the fourth voyage of Columbus and its successes and mishaps. In order to properly place this voyage in its correct context, he uses the first half of the book to give the reader a fairly comprehensive biography of Columbus, as well as a thorough look at the politics of the day and other voyages of exploration, especially those of the Spanish and Portugese.
Columbus has been a whipping boy for the politically correct crowd for decades now. Dugard does a solid job of putting Columbus's actions in their proper context without becoming an apologist for his actions. Dugard is unabashadly admiring of Columbus's skills as a navigator and his bravery, but he's quite critical of his abilities as a colonial administrator. His narrative would be a wonderful movie except for two things: #1) Columbus is still radioactively politically incorrect; #2) No one would believe it.
It is a fascinating story and I highly recommend this read. However, I cannot give it 5 stars because Dugard does the unthinkable for a writer of any history - he fails to provide any sort of footnotes or endnotes. None. He does provide an extensive bibliography, but that is not good enough. I require my high school students to provide footnotes or endnotes. Dugard should do the same thing.
The Myth and the Man.......2006-12-04
This book is divided into two parts, the first deals with Columbus, his time spent getting some one (anyone) to back him finacially on a hairbrain scheme to get to China/India by sailing West, and his first three voyages and their results. The second deals with the Fourth Voyage (which he calls his "High Voyage) it's triumph(s), tragedies and their aftermath.
But what makes this book worth reading is what it really deals with, and that when a man's dreams come true they are not always what he expected nor what he wanted in the first place (or thought he did). Columbus wanted to sail west, discover a way to the Orient, make himself a fortune, be showered with lands medals and titles and leave a great legacy for his children and posterity.
Because of his political naivete, what he got was short term acclaim, then humiliation and banishment, the smugness and pettiness of syncophants and courtiers, privation and deprivation, and lastly he almost lost credit for discovering the "New World" to a man (Amerigo Vespucci) who might never have actually commanded a ship of discovery. Keep in mind that the two continents are called America not Columbia (or Colonia, or Colomboia).
Dugard does a marvellous job of bringing out the personalities of all the people involved, from Ferdinand (miser and ingrate) and Isabella (friend and admirer), to his schizophrenic crews (who could never make up their minds on whose side they were on), the indigenous people (some who fought him and others that saved him from starvation); to the man himself who thought that he was protected by God, and never lost his belief in the miraculous help of prayer.
Great Read!.......2006-09-21
This is exciting stuff! I enjoy the honest portrayal of Columbus, showing his strengths and weaknesses and how he was both an opportunist and a victim of the system. The narrative is spell binding and gripping. It is a great story and very well written. One thing the reader should be aware of is that the first half of the body of the book is background information. It interesting and important information to have before you read the account of the voyage, but there is a lot of it and the title may mislead you into thinking that the body of the book primarily consists of the account of Columbus's fourth voyage, when the account is really about half. Secondly, I wished that there were more maps marking the important places the book mentions in Spain, Africa and the New World. There is a map of the New World and the lines marking Columbus's four voyages, but not enough of the important points are included on that map. Having that would have aided my mental picture of what was happening. Also, one of the other reviewers mentioned the lack of source citations. I have noticed the same thing about other recent reader's-history books lately. I wonder if it is becoming a trend to cite less, in order to prevent distraction to the reader. I hope not. Citing sources is an important part of validating one's research and it reassures folks that undue embellishments are not being made. Nonetheless, these are all nit-picky points compared to the almost magical way that Dugard draws you into the story. Buy the book! You won't be able to put it down you will be amazed at what Columbus and his crew endured.
Average customer rating:
- An exquisite book
- delightfully bizarre story!!
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The Last Alchemist
Colin Thompson
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Humorous
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Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
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ASIN: 0375801561
Release Date: 1999-07-20 |
Book Description
Long ago in a kingdom far away, Spinifix, the king's alchemist, labored in the dank cellar of the castle to find the secret of turning base metals into gold. The king had promised to share the wealth with Spinifix if he could produce gold before the Millenium. As the Millenium approached, Spinifix became obsessed with his quest for gold. Meanwhile, his young apprentice tried to open Spinifix's eyes to the richness of their kingdom--fields of golden flowers, goldfish in the rivers, the burnished orange sun--to no avail. The young apprentice knows that true gold--and the happiness it brings--lies within one's heart. With illustrations lush with the intricate detail that has become his trademark, Colin Thompson's fans will delight in searching out the critters and graphic surprises hidden no the pages of this medieval fantasy tale.
Customer Reviews:
An exquisite book.......2006-09-12
This book stands the test of time, having been a continual favorite for me and my kids for several years now. It has been my daughter's favorite book since before she could read, and it remains her favorite despite the fact that she now reads and enjoys long chapter books. The illustrations hold endless depth and fascination -- in how many pictures can you find Cafe Max or the long-eared dog? The story is mystical, sincere and very sweet. I can't think of a better book for children or for adults to read with children.
delightfully bizarre story!!.......2002-10-18
In a kingdom far, far away, in the deep and dark cellars and dungeons of a King's castle, alchemists have been toiling away for centuries to find the secret for turning metals (or anything else) into gold. For centuries, they've failed at this attempt, though in Mr. Thompson's book, "The Last Alchemist", we meet the pop-eyed, withered and completely stressed out Spinifex. Spinifex is the 19th alchemist for the kingdom, and the greedy king has given him until the end of the year to find, FINALLY, the secret for turning metals into gold.
Spinifex sets off on this quest with a passion, doing research in the vast (and completely bizarre) library, cooking up everything he possibly can think of to make gold, all the while bossing around his small apprentice, Arthur. For his own part, Arthur is far more interested in things like sunflowers than smelly potions, and as the story goes on, the reader gets the distinct impression that as Spinifex's experiments build and build up to a gigantic machine, something downright catastrophic is going to happen before the story is over!
The plot and text of "The Last Alchemist" is fun and easy to read, but what will REALLY hook readers are the illustrations. Brightly colored with many shades of almost fluorescent pink, blue, orange and red, the book is a veritable treat for the eyes. On each page fantastically odd things are happening that almost defy explanation. The castle's library, for example, is right out of M.C. Escher's world, with staircases going upside down, sideways, and off into impossible directions. Walking all over these stairs, reading books, hiding in crannies or peeking out of cracks are hooded figures, strange creatures and beady lil' eyes. Doors are on walls which are really floors for other stairs, and many of the books themselves are odd, winged creatures. Teeny little creatures crawl through and around Spinifex's laboratory equipment, bringing the wrinkled and gray Spinifex the strange ingredients for his experiments.
It's hard to think of a close equivalent in illustration style that really gives an accurate picture. The crowded pages of "Where's Waldo?" comes to mind, but Mr. Thompson's illustrations are far more bizarre than anything Waldo had seen. There's a slightly macabre feeling to these pictures, and if I was hard pressed I'd have to say it resembles the album cover of Elton John's 1975 "Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy". There's a certain Monty Python-esque feeling to the illustrations.
I personally LOVE this book, as do both of my children and the students I've shown this to at school. Some kids said that very young children might find it "really weird" because of all the little creatures crawling over the pages or the inanimate objects (books, flasks, lamps, etc) that have legs or eyes. Highly recommended for those interested in a visual tour-de-force!
Average customer rating:
- Delicious Story
- DELIGHTFUL AND HUMOROUS!
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Last Gold Diggers
Harry Horse
Manufacturer: Penguin UK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Literature
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Similar Items:
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ASIN: 0140376763 |
Customer Reviews:
Delicious Story.......2006-12-14
After buying The Last Castaways while in London a year prior, I fell madly in love with the adventures of Grandfather and Roo. I had to have more, so the next trip, I bought all the rest of the series. They can be read in any order. Each tale stands alone. They are funny, warm-hearted and clever. Your children will love each one.
DELIGHTFUL AND HUMOROUS!.......2004-04-21
What a pleasure to read to my granddaughter a book that was witty, clever and sophisticated. Harry Horse's Last Gold Digger is not your run of the mill children's book. Its humor is at times subtle, a bit eccentric, and just plain fun. And best of all, it's great fun for the adult reading the book to a child.
Book Description
The Cripple Creek District, on the back of Pikes Peak in central Colorado, first found fame through Bob Womack, the cowboy who publicized his knowledge of gold in the high country and drew thousands to the area. Gold fever allowed the region to flourish, while strikes, fires, and economic hardships threatened the district's survival. The dwindling populationís fortitude, plus innovative ideas to boost the economy, carried the city from a struggling gold-minersí paradise to a favored tourist spot. ÝÝ
Customer Reviews:
Great local history book!.......2006-02-08
A neat book giving details of the early area difficult to find elsewhere. Jan has a great writing style that's informative and easy to read and her book contains many vintage photos with views I have not previously seen. I just wish there was more! Nice meeting you at the Monarch!
Richard Courson,
Victor Colorado
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