Synopses & Reviews
"My God, what a superior man TR was" Senator John McCain
What do you get when you combine an obsessive reader and writer, a "wild and wooly" adventurer, an astute naturalist, and an ironclad political will? Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States: a naturalist, a biographer, a hunter and a Nobel Prize winner-among other things. Adventure Classics series editor Anthony Brandt focuses on Roosevelt's robust and adventurous spirit and treats the reader to an engaging assortment of Roosevelt's far-flung adventures across the American West, Africa, and South America.
Theodore Roosevelt was part Francis Parkman, part Lowell Thomas, and one hundred percent spirit of America and master of the printed page. The Adventures of Theodore Roosevelt collects self-contained excerpts from some of his greatest works, including such revealing memoirs as The Rough Riders, the Autobiography, and Through the Brazilian Wilderness, in an effort to capture the many aspects of a great American who was indeed larger than life and his own best "Boswell."
In addition to an introduction that outlines the adventurous aspects of Roosevelt's life, each selection includes a brief introduction by Anthony Brandt that explains the necessary context for each reading. Woven together in this exciting narrative the selections form a chronological account of Roosevelt's lifetime of adventures.
Spanning Roosevelt's entire life, the excerpts in this book include Roosevelt's writings from:
Journals
Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail
The Wilderness Hunter
Hunting Trips of a Ranchman
Book-Lovers' Holidays in the Open
The Rough Riders
African Game Trails
Through the Brazilian Wilderness
The Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt
Selections from articles in Forest and Stream magazine and Scribners
Selected letters
"I like books of exploration and adventure" Theodore Roosevelt
Synopsis
Explorer. Adventurer. Naturalist. Hunter. Historian. Colonel. Conservationist. "You cannot sum Theodore Roosevelt up," writes Anthony Brandt in the introduction to this treasure of adventure tales of the twenty-sixth president of the United States, "you can only stand in awe of him." From capturing cattle thieves in the American West to charging San Juan Hill to tracking lions in Africa, Theodore Roosevelt's thirst for adventure races through each of the selections in this marvelous narrative history, shedding light on a sickly boy who embraced "the strenuous life" wholeheartedly and became a legendary outdoorsman.
Arranged chronologically, these accounts of Roosevelt's adventures trace the rise of one of the most unforgettable characters in our nation's history from his days as a cattle rancher in Montana to governor of New York to the White House and beyond. Among his many talents, Theodore Roosevelt was a gifted storyteller, and the selections in this book brilliantly showcase his most vivid writing. Adventure historian Anthony Brandt deftly sets the selections in context, explaining the personal and political settings of incidents from the creation of the "teddy bear" legend to Roosevelt's harrowing ordeal on Brazil's River of Doubt.
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.
About the Author
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States (the first of the twentieth century), recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, historian, naturalist, best-selling author, and perhaps the most multifaceted and dynamic figure to ever grace the residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Roosevelt was born in New York City in 1858 into a wealthy family, but he struggled--against ill health--and in his triumph became an advocate of the strenuous life. In 1884 his first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, and his mother died on the same day. Roosevelt spent much of the next two years on his ranch in the Badlands of Dakota Territory. There he mastered his sorrow as he lived in the saddle, driving cattle, hunting big game--he even captured an outlaw. During the Spanish-American War, he was lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment, which he led on a charge at the battle of San Juan. He was one of the most conspicuous heroes of the war.
An advocate of robust living and a lifelong naturalist, Roosevelt's most effective achievements as a President were in conservation. He added enormously to the national forests in the West, reserved lands for public use, and fostered great irrigation projects. He crusaded endlessly on matters big and small, exciting audiences with his high-pitched voice, jutting jaw, and pounding fist. "The life of strenuous endeavor" was a must for those around him, as he romped with his five younger children and led ambassadors on hikes through Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C.
Leaving the Presidency in 1909, Roosevelt went on an African safari, then jumped back into politics. In 1912 he ran for President on a Progressive ticket. To reporters he once remarked that he felt as fit as a bull moose, the name of his new party. While campaigning in Milwaukee, he was shot in the chest by a fanatic. Roosevelt soon recovered, but his words at that time would have been applicable at the time of his death in 1919: "No man has had a happier life than I have led; a happier life in every way."
Series Editor Anthony Brandt is an expert in the literature of adventure and the book editor for National Geographic Adventure magazine. He lives in Sag Harbor, New York.