Synopses & Reviews
The man-eating proclivities of Komodo dragons. The complicated art of being a cowgirl. A picaresque ramble with a merry band of tree-cleaners. The big-wave crusaders of the world's best surfers. For the past twenty years, Outside magazine has set the standard for original and engaging reports on travel, adventure, sports, and the environment.
Along the way, many of America's best journalists and storytellers--including such writers as Jon Krakauer, Tim Cahill, E. Annie Proulx, Edward Abbey, Thomas McGuane, David Quammen, and Jane Smiley--have made the magazine a venue for some of their most compelling work. The Best of Outside represents the finest the award-winning magazine has to offer: thirty stories that range from high action to high comedy. Whether it's Jonathan Raban sailing the open sea, Susan Orlean celebrating Spain's first female bullfighter, or Jim Harrison taking the wheel on a cross-country road trip, each piece can be characterized in a word: unforgettable. Commemorating Outside magazine's twentieth anniversary, The Best of Outside is one of the most entertaining and provocative anthologies of the decade.
About the Author
Outside magazine has been in publication since 1977. It has received six National Magazine Awards, including the award for reporting in 1997 and the award for general excellence in both 1996 and 1997.
From the Hardcover edition.
Table of Contents
The heart of the game / Thomas McGuane -- The last pork chop / Edward Abbey -- La matadora revisa su maquillaje (The bullfighter checks her makeup) / Susan Orlean -- Into thin air / Jon Krakauer -- The call of the hunt / Jane Smiley -- Dave Scott, mere mortal / John Brant -- Cowgirls all the way / E. Jean Carroll -- Life among the swells / William Finnegan -- Why do we fish? / Randy Wayne White -- The king of the ferret leggers / Donald R. Katz -- The high cost of being David Brower / Daniel Coyle -- Keeping America's trees safe from small-curd bubble wrap / Ian Frazier -- Moments of doubt / David Roberts -- Voyage of the smithereens / Craig Vetter -- The skiing life / James Salter -- Peruvian gothic / Kate Wheeler -- At sea / Jonathan Raban -- Eternal bliss or bust / Chip Brown -- Everybody comes to Belize / Edward Hoagland -- The Blackfoot years / Annick Smith -- It's a fun, fun, fun, fun country / E. Annie Proulx -- There must be a god in Haiti / Bob Shacochis -- A reflection on white geese / Barry Lopez -- Today many problems / Laurence Shames -- Torched / Michael Paterniti -- Humble is the prey / David Quammen -- Overthrust dreams / William Kittredge -- The big buzz / Ed Zuckerman -- The storm / Sebastian Junger -- Going places / Jim Harrison -- No cannibal jokes, please / Tim Cahill.