Synopses & Reviews
What makes a good explorer? Adaptability, ambition, stamina, self-confidence, curiosity, optimism, authority—and fund-raising ability. Though few of us will ever have to face a charging elephant, or survive solely on penguin stew, when it comes to project management, crisis aversion, or any number of everyday problems, there is much we can learn from the larger-than-life tales of the worlds most famous adventurers. Here, award-winning documentarian Mick Conefrey pulls practical advice from their original diaries and logs, like how to survive an anaconda attack (wait until it has swallowed your legs, then reach down and cut its head off), and how to keep morale up (according to Ernest Shackleton, “A good laugh doesnt require any additional weight”). In addition to the wonderful characters and stories, this book offers many lessons on how to set sail without a clear path home.
Answers to some important questions, courtesy of The Adventurer's Handbook:* How many corpses are believed to be on Mt. Everest?
Answer: 120 * How is polar bear meat best prepared?
Answer: Raw and frozen.
* What do you do if attacked by a charging lion?
Answer: Stand very still and stare it down. * What should you wear when crossing a desert?
Answer: Lots of layers—fabric absorbs sweat and prolongs
its cooling action.
Review
"I enjoyed this book so much my friends and I are attempting to make a film out of it. I did the same with 'A Clockwork Orange,' but apparently, some random guy has beat me to it."--Jonah Hill
Synopsis
What makes a good explorer? Adaptability, ambition, stamina, self-belief, doggedness, curiosity, optimism, authority, hardiness -- and fund-raising ability.
A powerful punch of self-help, how-to, popular history, and humor. In this celebration of the glory days of exploration, Mick Conefrey takes a new look at the larger-than-life tales of many famous American and European adventurers. He pulls practical advice from their original diaries and logs stories of endurance and survival, such as Thor Heyerdahl's crossing of the Pacific in a raft and Robert Peary's heroic North Pole adventure. All expeditions are essentially projects that have to be managed. Teams have to be selected, equipped, and motivated. Goals have to be set and crises have to be overcome. For example -- some believed that it was always important to include in an expedition someone whom everyone else disliked because it would give focus to their complaints and help them bond. The book is chuck full of useful information, such as what to do if you are attacked by an anaconda--you wait until it is has swallowed you up to your knees and then you reach down and cut its head off. The instructions are very clear about not panicking in this situation.
In addition to the wonderful characters and stories you will find many lessons on how to be an explorer and what it takes to set sail without a clear path home.
Synopsis
Combining The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook and Into Thin Air, award-winning documentarian Mick Conefrey's The Adventurer's Handbook draws lessons from the glory days of exploration.
What makes a good explorer? Adaptability, ambition, stamina, self-confidence, curiosity, optimism, authority--and fundraising ability. Though few of us will ever have to face a charging elephant, or survive solely on penguin stew, when it comes to project management, crisis aversion, or any number of everyday problems, there is much we can learn from the larger-than-life tales of the world's most famous adventurers.
Here, award-winning documentarian Mick Conefrey pulls practical advice from their original diaries and logs, like how to survive an anaconda attack (wait until it has swallowed your legs, then reach down and cut its head off), and how to keep morale up (according to Ernest Shackleton, A good laugh doesn't require any additional weight). In addition to the wonderful characters and stories, this book offers many lessons on how to set sail without a clear path home.
Answers to some important questions, courtesy of The Adventurer's Handbook:
* How many corpses are believed to be on Mt. Everest?
Answer: 120
* How is polar bear meat best prepared?
Answer: Raw and frozen.
* What do you do if attacked by a charging lion?
Answer: Stand very still and stare it down.
* What should you wear when crossing a desert?
Answer: Lots of layers--fabric absorbs sweat and prolongs its cooling action.
About the Author
Mick Conefrey is an author and filmmaker who has made award-winning documentaries on Arctic exploration and Himalayan mountaineering. He also produced the BBCs anniversary film to commemorate the first ascent of Everest in 1953. He is the author of Mountain Men: A History of the Remarkable Climbers and Determined Eccentrics Who First Scaled the Worlds Most Famous Peaks and A Teacup in a Storm: An Explorers Guide to Life. He lives in Oxford, England.