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The Explorer King: Adventure, Science, and the Great Diamond Hoax Clarence King in the Old West
In the 1800s, the young Clarence King was an icon of the new a man of adventure and intellect, a flash-in-the-pan celebrity who combined science and exploration with romanticism and charm. Robert Wilson’s biography, The Explorer King , vividly depicts King’s daredevil feats including his journey to the highest peak of the Sierra Nevada, and uncovers the reasons for the shocking decline he suffered after his days on the American frontier.
Through King’s own rollicking tales, some true, some embroidered, of scaling previously unclimbed mountain peaks, of surviving a monster blizzard near Yosemite, of escaping ambush and capture by Indians, of being chased on horseback for two days by angry bandits, Robert Wilson offers a powerful combination of adventure, history, and nature writing, he also provides the bigger picture of the West at this time. Ultimately, King himself would come to symbolize the collision of science and business, one of the sources of his downfall. Fascinating and extensive, The Explorer King movingly portrays the America of the nineteenth century and the man who—for better or worse—typified the soul of the era.
Through King’s own rollicking tales, some true, some embroidered, of scaling previously unclimbed mountain peaks, of surviving a monster blizzard near Yosemite, of escaping ambush and capture by Indians, of being chased on horseback for two days by angry bandits, Robert Wilson offers a powerful combination of adventure, history, and nature writing, he also provides the bigger picture of the West at this time. Ultimately, King himself would come to symbolize the collision of science and business, one of the sources of his downfall. Fascinating and extensive, The Explorer King movingly portrays the America of the nineteenth century and the man who—for better or worse—typified the soul of the era.
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2006
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About the author
Robert Wilson
5 books5 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Robert Wilson has been the editor of Phi Beta Kappa's magazine, The American Scholar, since 2004. Previously, he was the editor of Preservation, the magazine of the Natural Trust for Historic Preservation; literary editor of Civilization ; and the book review editor for USA Today.
Robert Wilson has been the editor of Phi Beta Kappa's magazine, The American Scholar, since 2004. Previously, he was the editor of Preservation, the magazine of the Natural Trust for Historic Preservation; literary editor of Civilization ; and the book review editor for USA Today.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 4, 2024
For over 20 years I have been walking sections of the Pacific crest trail in September. One especially memorable trip was the 3 weeks I spent walking the Muir trail from Yosemite south 210 miles to Mt Whitney.
My familiarity with the Sierra Nevada made this account very entertaining, since the exploits of King have long been a part of my own campfire tales. Learning the personalities behind the mountain names is something I will appreciate from my time with Wilson's book.
But overall, as far as biographies go, this was a lightweight effort. We get little depth to King's inner working, although his early years are fairly well chronicled the book ends as abruptly as King's fieldwork.
In many ways it seems more a book report about King's own account of his exploits, Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada. The secret wife, the failed businesses, the lonely death in Phoenix from tuberculosis--- this all occurs within a few simple concluding pages. As if the author ran out of interest, or time, or money, we are left with the final sentences "call it imagination, call it intuition", which seem to serve as the author's advice on how we should deduce the methods and meaning of a life spent recklessly scaling mountain peaks as a way to elude what forces thrust those peaks skyward and what riches lay hidden beneath.
My familiarity with the Sierra Nevada made this account very entertaining, since the exploits of King have long been a part of my own campfire tales. Learning the personalities behind the mountain names is something I will appreciate from my time with Wilson's book.
But overall, as far as biographies go, this was a lightweight effort. We get little depth to King's inner working, although his early years are fairly well chronicled the book ends as abruptly as King's fieldwork.
In many ways it seems more a book report about King's own account of his exploits, Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada. The secret wife, the failed businesses, the lonely death in Phoenix from tuberculosis--- this all occurs within a few simple concluding pages. As if the author ran out of interest, or time, or money, we are left with the final sentences "call it imagination, call it intuition", which seem to serve as the author's advice on how we should deduce the methods and meaning of a life spent recklessly scaling mountain peaks as a way to elude what forces thrust those peaks skyward and what riches lay hidden beneath.
November 19, 2017
In the book The Explorer King, by Robert Wilson is a biography of Clarence King. This biography is about the Scientist-Explorer Clarence King who helped create the West of the nineteenth century. Clarence King became a celebrity after exposing a fraud known as The Great Diamond Hoax. Clarence King in having a sense of adventure, tells of amusing stories, some that are true, and some that are exaggerated. Such as, him escaping an attack by Indians, being chased by bandits for two days, and him surviving a huge blizzard near Yosemite.
In my opinion, this book was a good book and I like how it gave many vivid descriptions of the stories. Such as, when Clarence King was hiking in Yosemite, the book writes, “ Snow blew in every direction, filling our eyes and blinding the poor mules, who often turned quickly from some sudden gust, and refused to go on” (Wilson 154).
I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes biographies and reading stories of adventure and discovery. This biography really shows Clarence King's personality and adventure in really vivid ways.
In my opinion, this book was a good book and I like how it gave many vivid descriptions of the stories. Such as, when Clarence King was hiking in Yosemite, the book writes, “ Snow blew in every direction, filling our eyes and blinding the poor mules, who often turned quickly from some sudden gust, and refused to go on” (Wilson 154).
I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes biographies and reading stories of adventure and discovery. This biography really shows Clarence King's personality and adventure in really vivid ways.
June 16, 2018
Very good look at Clarence King, a scientist and explorer of the western part of the US that I had never heard of before. I was a little disappointed with the abrupt end, but the book draws a great picture of the life of western explorers in the mid to late 1800s.
January 19, 2020
Interesting subject but far too slow and too much inconsequential detail for my liking. Couldn’t finish it.
August 22, 2021
Fascinating biography of an explorer/scientist in the 19th century ...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews