Synopses & Reviews
The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons, recently ranked number four on
Adventure magazines list of top 100 classics, is legendary pioneer John Wesley Powells first-person account of his crews unprecedented odyssey along the Green and Colorado Rivers and through the Grand Canyon. A bold foray into the heart of the American Wests final frontier, the expedition was achieved without benefit of modern river-running equipment, supplies, or a firm sense of the regions perilous topography and the attitudes of the native inhabitants towards whites.
What started as a scientific exploration of uncharted territory quickly turned into a harrowing quest for sustenance and survival. Shaped from Powells original field writings, this book is as exciting today as it was when first published in 1874. This handsome new edition from National Geographic Adventure Classics also features an exclusive introduction by adventure historian Anthony Brandt that puts into perspective Powells achievement and traces its great legacy across United States history.
Synopsis
The legendary one-armed pioneer John Wesley Powell was a born explorer. But when he led the first expedition down the Colorado River and into the Grand Canyon, he and his men had no maps, no modern equipment . . . and no idea what awaited them.
This is Powell's account of what they found: fierce rapids and hostile natives, scarce food, and sheer, unclimbable cliffs that left them no choice but to persevere or perish. What began as a scientific survey soon became a harrowing quest for sustenance and survival. Shaped from Powell's original field notes and journals and featuring a new introduction by Anthony Brandt that puts the expedition in proper context as one of the great sagas of American exploration, this book is an adventure classic for the ages.
National Geographic Adventure Classics is a series that celebrates the "100 greatest adventure books of all time," as compiled by a panel of experts for National Geographic Adventure. These titles have been carefully selected for their adrenaline quotient and their status as classics of the adventure genre.