What do you think?
Rate this book
American Daredevil: The Extraordinary Life of Richard Halliburton, the World's First Celebrity Travel Writer
With a polished walking stick and neatly pressed trousers, Richard Halliburton served as an intrepid globetrotting guide for millions of Americans in the 1920s and ’30s. Readers waited with bated breath for each new article and book he wrote. During his career, Halliburton climbed the Matterhorn, nearly fell out of his plane while shooting the first aerial photographs of Mt. Everest, and became the first person to swim the Panama Canal. With his matinee idol looks, the Tennessee native was a media darling in an era of optimism and increased social openness. But as the Great Depression and looming war pushed America toward social conservatism, Halliburton more actively worked to hide his homosexuality, burnishing his image as a masculine trailblazer. As chronicled in American Daredevil, Halliburton harnessed the media of his day to gain and maintain a widespread following long before our age of the 24-hour news cycle, and thus became the first celebrity adventure journalist. And during the darkest hours of the Great Depression, Halliburton did something remarkable: he inspired generations of authors, journalists, and everyday people who dreamt of fame and glory to explore the world.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published June 1, 2016
9 people are currently reading
452 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 12, 2016
Cathryn Prince's latest book, American Daredevil: The Extraordinary Life of Richard Halliburton, the World's First Celebrity Travel Writer, delivers a tale that is exhilarating, enlightening, and flat out entertaining. The story of adventurer and journalist Richard Halliburton is told brilliantly thanks to Prince's prose and thorough research that pulls from thousands of letters Halliburton exchanged with his family and friends, as well as other sources. Prince was able to synthesize the material into a heart-pounding telling of his life that is filled with suspense, drama, and tragedy.
American Daredevil sheds light on both Halliburton's personal and professional life. The book delves into the challenges he faced as a gay man living in the first half of the 1900s and the lengths Halliburton took to keep his romantic life secret from the public. Prince also provides a detailed look into the world of journalism in the early part of the 20th century, highlighting the
importance of Halliburton's career as a truly original American writer.
American Daredevil doesn't create a mythological view of Halliburton but presents an honest portrait of her subject, sharing some of the less admirable qualities of his character such as racist views he held and freely shared in his letters.
American Daredevil will transport you back to another time and send you on an adventure around the world with a nearly forgotten, but important, literary character. It's a trip worth taking and about a person worth remembering.
American Daredevil sheds light on both Halliburton's personal and professional life. The book delves into the challenges he faced as a gay man living in the first half of the 1900s and the lengths Halliburton took to keep his romantic life secret from the public. Prince also provides a detailed look into the world of journalism in the early part of the 20th century, highlighting the
importance of Halliburton's career as a truly original American writer.
American Daredevil doesn't create a mythological view of Halliburton but presents an honest portrait of her subject, sharing some of the less admirable qualities of his character such as racist views he held and freely shared in his letters.
American Daredevil will transport you back to another time and send you on an adventure around the world with a nearly forgotten, but important, literary character. It's a trip worth taking and about a person worth remembering.
June 7, 2016
More than 75 years ago, Richard Halliburton set sail in a Chinese junk, “The Sea Dragon,” hoping to arrive in time for the San Francisco Golden Gate International Expo. Instead, he vanished without a trace when his craft sank in March 1939.
Halliburton had been a household name since 1930, known for his bestselling books published by Bobbs-Merrill. The first biography written about this nearly forgotten celebrity in American history has recently been published (June 1, Chicago Review Press). American Daredevil: The Extraordinary Life of Richard Halliburton, the World’s First Celebrity Travel Writer by Cathryn J. Prince. It retrieves from oblivion the story of this globetrotting guide who inspired Americans to explore the world after World War I.
As an adventure journalist, he did more than write the headlines. He made them. Halliburton orchestrated media spectacle. Chronicling his escapades around the globe, Halliburton gave adventure a handsome face. He climbed the Matterhorn, swam across the Panama Canal, took a dip in the reflecting pool at the Taj Mahal, got himself arrested on the Rock of Gibraltar, and flew a two-seater airplane he named the “Flying Carpet” to Timbuktu. Halliburton’s first book, The Royal Road to Romance, reflected his philosophy of living life to its fullest. Swash-buckling good looks and a charismatic personality, Richard Halliburton took America by storm as a romantic hero. Adored by women, and especially popular on the women’s book club circuit, his personal path veered in the opposite direction from marriage.
When he graduated from Princeton University in 1921, he traveled to Europe and adopted a vagabond daredevil persona. Far from his Memphis home and his father’s insistence he find a suitable girl to marry, the most eligible bachelor Richard Halliburton discovered his homosexuality with a fellow American traveler. It was the first of several relationships he kept separate from his persona as a celebrity. As the era of social and sexual openness came to an end and began to constrict toward social conservatism in the mid-1930s, Halliburton found himself burnishing a hyper-masculine version of himself to the public. He and his editor, photojournalist, and partner, Paul Mooney embellished his writings with entirely fabricated female love interests.
Cathryn Prince headshot (1)Cathryn Prince brings Halliburton’s biography to life with her rich description based on extensive research and archival visits. The production value of the book itself, published by Chicago Review Press, is exceptionally high and worthy of note. The hardback edition has a heavy dust-jacket with beautiful cover art. Inside they’ve incorporated black and white photographs into the body of the narrative text. This is what I like to hold in my hands when I read a great book. Halliburton’s adventures are fascinating to contemplate in this era of global communications and international travel.
This book might not have been written before the Obergefell decision by the Supreme Court, but it makes for an interesting historical counterpoint to the rapidly changing cultural definitions of family and marriage. A century ago, Richard Halliburton’s public profile required a heterosexual emphasis and he became the darling of the ladies and young lads. Every youngster in America read his two Book of Marvels (Occident, and Orient) during the late 1930s. He lusted after fame and fortune and found himself caught in the crosshairs of cultural wars on a personal battlefield. When Richard and Paul sailed eastward from Hong Kong they encountered a typhoon and their bodies were never found. This story should not be forgotten.
No spoiler here. I won’t disclose the evidence on what happened during Halliburton’s final voyage to the bottom of the ocean here based on original interviews with the college boys who had signed on to crew his last adventure. You’ll want to read this book. It’s a delicious romp through the early 20th century history of journalism, books, publishing, and travel. This is the kind of narrative nonfiction history that makes the past new again.
Halliburton had been a household name since 1930, known for his bestselling books published by Bobbs-Merrill. The first biography written about this nearly forgotten celebrity in American history has recently been published (June 1, Chicago Review Press). American Daredevil: The Extraordinary Life of Richard Halliburton, the World’s First Celebrity Travel Writer by Cathryn J. Prince. It retrieves from oblivion the story of this globetrotting guide who inspired Americans to explore the world after World War I.
As an adventure journalist, he did more than write the headlines. He made them. Halliburton orchestrated media spectacle. Chronicling his escapades around the globe, Halliburton gave adventure a handsome face. He climbed the Matterhorn, swam across the Panama Canal, took a dip in the reflecting pool at the Taj Mahal, got himself arrested on the Rock of Gibraltar, and flew a two-seater airplane he named the “Flying Carpet” to Timbuktu. Halliburton’s first book, The Royal Road to Romance, reflected his philosophy of living life to its fullest. Swash-buckling good looks and a charismatic personality, Richard Halliburton took America by storm as a romantic hero. Adored by women, and especially popular on the women’s book club circuit, his personal path veered in the opposite direction from marriage.
When he graduated from Princeton University in 1921, he traveled to Europe and adopted a vagabond daredevil persona. Far from his Memphis home and his father’s insistence he find a suitable girl to marry, the most eligible bachelor Richard Halliburton discovered his homosexuality with a fellow American traveler. It was the first of several relationships he kept separate from his persona as a celebrity. As the era of social and sexual openness came to an end and began to constrict toward social conservatism in the mid-1930s, Halliburton found himself burnishing a hyper-masculine version of himself to the public. He and his editor, photojournalist, and partner, Paul Mooney embellished his writings with entirely fabricated female love interests.
Cathryn Prince headshot (1)Cathryn Prince brings Halliburton’s biography to life with her rich description based on extensive research and archival visits. The production value of the book itself, published by Chicago Review Press, is exceptionally high and worthy of note. The hardback edition has a heavy dust-jacket with beautiful cover art. Inside they’ve incorporated black and white photographs into the body of the narrative text. This is what I like to hold in my hands when I read a great book. Halliburton’s adventures are fascinating to contemplate in this era of global communications and international travel.
This book might not have been written before the Obergefell decision by the Supreme Court, but it makes for an interesting historical counterpoint to the rapidly changing cultural definitions of family and marriage. A century ago, Richard Halliburton’s public profile required a heterosexual emphasis and he became the darling of the ladies and young lads. Every youngster in America read his two Book of Marvels (Occident, and Orient) during the late 1930s. He lusted after fame and fortune and found himself caught in the crosshairs of cultural wars on a personal battlefield. When Richard and Paul sailed eastward from Hong Kong they encountered a typhoon and their bodies were never found. This story should not be forgotten.
No spoiler here. I won’t disclose the evidence on what happened during Halliburton’s final voyage to the bottom of the ocean here based on original interviews with the college boys who had signed on to crew his last adventure. You’ll want to read this book. It’s a delicious romp through the early 20th century history of journalism, books, publishing, and travel. This is the kind of narrative nonfiction history that makes the past new again.
February 14, 2017
A lightweight biography of adventurer Richard Halliburton, who captivated American audiences with his feats of derring-do, including swimming the length of the Panama Canal, flying planes across the Middle East, and getting arrested as a spy at Gibraltar. A few months after the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, Halliburton vanished in the Pacific while trying to sail a junk from Hong Kong to California. As with Earhart, his disappearance continues to intrigue conspiracy theorists.
Although the research behind this book appears extensive, the writing is sometimes flowery and old-fashioned. For example, describing the death of Halliburton's teenage brother, Prince writes, "And so was plucked a thread of the close-knit family. It was dawn on January 1, 1918."
But, those interested in Halliburton's life, especially the efforts he made to conceal his homosexuality, will find this an interesting and quick read.
Although the research behind this book appears extensive, the writing is sometimes flowery and old-fashioned. For example, describing the death of Halliburton's teenage brother, Prince writes, "And so was plucked a thread of the close-knit family. It was dawn on January 1, 1918."
But, those interested in Halliburton's life, especially the efforts he made to conceal his homosexuality, will find this an interesting and quick read.
June 18, 2016
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
This book is an enjoyable story of a fascinating man.
Recently I had a passage through the Panama Canal and was told the story of Richard Halliburton's swim. That interested me so much that I was excited to see this biography. As it turned out, there was so much more that he had done! It was incredible that one man (and a small, slight one at that) could accomplish all the feats he did. One wonders what else he might have done if he had lived longer.
This biography is well written and presents an easy to read account of an incredible life.
This book is an enjoyable story of a fascinating man.
Recently I had a passage through the Panama Canal and was told the story of Richard Halliburton's swim. That interested me so much that I was excited to see this biography. As it turned out, there was so much more that he had done! It was incredible that one man (and a small, slight one at that) could accomplish all the feats he did. One wonders what else he might have done if he had lived longer.
This biography is well written and presents an easy to read account of an incredible life.
October 10, 2016
I found Cathryn Prince's American Daredevil: The Extraordinary Life of Richard Halliburton, the World's First Celebrity Travel Writer to be an exciting, entertaining and educational read. Richard Halliburton lived an amazing life full of truly unbelievable, non-stop adventures. The book is so full of facts, history and information that I marked several pages where I want to go back and read more. I enjoy books where I learn something and this book didn’t disappoint. Prince’s book has piqued my curiosity to read Halliburton’s books. What an amazing, adventurous, fast and sad life Halliburton lead. The ending is befitting for how he lived his life and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
August 3, 2016
Whether Richard Halliburton was taking midnight swims in the pools of the Taj Mahal, sliding down the rugged face of the Matterhorn, braving the alligators beside him in the Panama Canal or writing about these adventures in an attic garret of his parents' Memphis home, he dreamt big. He was determined to do the impossible--make a living from his risky adventures. And he did, by speaking publicly to crowds curious and envious, and eventually landing publishing deals that lead him to his devoted and rapt armchair travelers. Daring, dashing, articulate and mysterious enough to intrigue the public, he drew people in--as Ms. Prince does again here, in her fifth book--eventually carrying letters of introduction from the U.S. State Department. Halliburton's story is not all fun and games; Prince explores the challenges of his quiet exploration of his homosexuality during a time when honest adventure was less than acceptable in the arena of relationships, and Halliburton's increasing fears of his own success. Packed with reporting, thoughtfulness and detail, Prince's book gives us a complicated man who saw and shared the world, on foot, train, a plane aptly called Flying Carpet and his fated ship, the delightfully crafted but forbidding Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon. Driven by wanderlust, a passion for storytelling and his dreams of living free from the painful judgement he felt at home, this American Daredevil was, and still is, the secret side of the Everyman.
July 19, 2016
Once upon a time, before there were hordes of backpackers clutching Lonely Planet guidebooks almost everywhere in the world, explorers and adventurers were the few who traveled. Some wrote about their exploits, which gave the masses a look at the world outside their own. Cathryn Prince, in her engaging, beautifully written and well-researched biography of Richard Halliburton, introduces her readers one of the 1920s and 1930s leading travel writers, one the public loved and many critics hated. (Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald thought him a poseur.) And what a life Halliburton led! Although he was fond of embellishing his tales, he certainly lived his life fully. He swam the Hellespont, climbed Mt. Fuji and the Matterhorn, flew around the world and attempted to cross the Pacific on a junk. Photos add to the story Prince paints of Halliburton’s incredible life.
Read
October 4, 2021It is surprising how few famous people of the past are remembered now. In his time, Richard Halliburton seems to have been as well known as Amelia Earhart or Charles Lindbergh but I had never heard of Richard Halliburton until recently.
This book is very well researched but, particularly at the beginning, it is a little worshipful and the writing is flowery, a bit like Halliburton's. I think it gets a lot better as it goes along.
As is usually the case when I read biographies, I finished liking the subject less than when I started. Halliburton devoted his life to travel in exotic locations and finding adventure in foreign lands but, unfortunately, his pleasure was tempered by the presence of the actual natives of those places because he was both racist and xenophobic.
Halliburton was also kind of hard on pets. I didn't take notes but I remember a dead bird, a monkey, two dogs and two cats. The elephant he borrowed to ride across the Alps survived but it was a close call.
Halliburton started writing about his travel straight out of Princeton and his youthful exuberance was a big part of the attraction. Young readers identified with him and older readers forgave his hi-jinks because he was just so darned perky. I don't know if this would have lasted much longer. Esquire magazine's George Weller is quoted as saying that Halliburton died ten years too late (1939), that he was too mercurial, too romantic for the Depression years of the 1930's.
I was already aware of the advantages but it was still interesting to me that the graduate of an Ivy League school could travel all over the world, find a fellow alum absolutely anywhere and freeload room and board, and even borrow their clothes. On page 57, the author quotes a glowing fan letter to Halliburton from a Nicolas E. Crosby. "High praise indeed from a reader who just happened to hold a PhD..." But it's from Princeton. We already know he'd give Halliburton the shirt off his back.
For Halliburton's one foray into film, check out the photoplay "India Speaks" on YouTube. On page 111, the author states that "no remaining copies of the film exist" but, unfortunately, a copy has turned up. It was a flop in 1933 and it hasn't improved with age.
This book is very well researched but, particularly at the beginning, it is a little worshipful and the writing is flowery, a bit like Halliburton's. I think it gets a lot better as it goes along.
As is usually the case when I read biographies, I finished liking the subject less than when I started. Halliburton devoted his life to travel in exotic locations and finding adventure in foreign lands but, unfortunately, his pleasure was tempered by the presence of the actual natives of those places because he was both racist and xenophobic.
Halliburton was also kind of hard on pets. I didn't take notes but I remember a dead bird, a monkey, two dogs and two cats. The elephant he borrowed to ride across the Alps survived but it was a close call.
Halliburton started writing about his travel straight out of Princeton and his youthful exuberance was a big part of the attraction. Young readers identified with him and older readers forgave his hi-jinks because he was just so darned perky. I don't know if this would have lasted much longer. Esquire magazine's George Weller is quoted as saying that Halliburton died ten years too late (1939), that he was too mercurial, too romantic for the Depression years of the 1930's.
I was already aware of the advantages but it was still interesting to me that the graduate of an Ivy League school could travel all over the world, find a fellow alum absolutely anywhere and freeload room and board, and even borrow their clothes. On page 57, the author quotes a glowing fan letter to Halliburton from a Nicolas E. Crosby. "High praise indeed from a reader who just happened to hold a PhD..." But it's from Princeton. We already know he'd give Halliburton the shirt off his back.
For Halliburton's one foray into film, check out the photoplay "India Speaks" on YouTube. On page 111, the author states that "no remaining copies of the film exist" but, unfortunately, a copy has turned up. It was a flop in 1933 and it hasn't improved with age.
October 12, 2020
Cathryn Prince's latest book, American Daredevil: The Extraordinary Life of Richard Halliburton, the World's First Celebrity Travel Writer gives a wonderful look at the life of one of the most famous adventure travelers of all. His influence in America in the 1920s and 1930s was phenomenal. His books were sold out immediately and he was second only to Will Rodgers as a public speaker. He opened the eyes of hundreds of thousands to places and adventures around the world they had never heard of. He greatly changed the direction of my life making me a traveler to 59 countries and living and working in England, Japan, and Peru.
Prince's book is a beautiful portrayal of an amazing and complex man, one that we all should know and still read. If you read this book you will be off on an adventure of reading Halliburton's books.
I am grateful to Cathryn for bringing him back to us.
Prince's book is a beautiful portrayal of an amazing and complex man, one that we all should know and still read. If you read this book you will be off on an adventure of reading Halliburton's books.
I am grateful to Cathryn for bringing him back to us.
May 17, 2017
American Daredevil, by Cathryn J. Prince , is an amazing book, with a wonderful insight into the life of Richard Haliburton.
Richard traveled the world and performed daring stunts that astonished people, and accomplished daring acts that would never be allowed in this day and age.
I found the book thought provoking,exciting and also unbelievably sad, that his last adventure ended so tragically.
I won this book through Goodreads. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Richard traveled the world and performed daring stunts that astonished people, and accomplished daring acts that would never be allowed in this day and age.
I found the book thought provoking,exciting and also unbelievably sad, that his last adventure ended so tragically.
I won this book through Goodreads. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.
February 28, 2017
A valiant attempt by the author to stem Halliburton's fading glory, giving us a glimpse behind his swashbuckling veneer at his demons and his misfortune. At times, the chronicling got repetitive, but then again, life's like that, even for celebrities. Thank you Goodreads First Reads for my free copy.
August 22, 2016
Richard Halliburton, hailed as the World's First Celebrity Travel Writer, was so much more than than just a writer. He was filled with a ferocious urge towards adventure, often dangerous adventure throughout his life. He came up with wild travel plans that would challenge him physically and financially, primarily because he felt his life force ebbing if he stayed in one place for too long. He couldn't ,and wouldn't settle for a comfortable stable life, even when he had a new home built to specification on the cliffs at Laguna Beach, called (Hangover House) the building considered a central image in Ayn Rand's novel, The Fountainhead.
I started reading American Daredevil without thinking about the infamous Halliburton corporation, but in fact, the monstrous entity is hardly mentioned in this book at all. Richard's cousin, Erle, who founded the company did lend Richard some money for an early expedition, but Richard only asked out of desperation: his need to start his newest larger-than-life travel adventure was stronger than his pride.
Richard Halliburton did more in one in his first few years after college than anyone I have know has done in a lifetime: traveling across the Ocean from New York, around Scotland, climbing Mt. Everest, trekking through Egypt, retracing Ulysses trip in the Greek Isles, and swimming the full length of the Panama Canal – and that's just in the first few chapters of American Devil!
For all the excitement she is able to vividly capture in this book, author Cathryn Prince does an excellent of job of presenting the man behind the myth throughout. At times, the reality is almost too much to feel good about, because we all want a hero without flaws. But her honesty (and subtlety: she doesn't mention that Richard Halliburton was gay until the book is well underway) make this a worthwhile biography.
Well-researched and set in historical context (troubles getting published and the mad marketing schedules resound today) Cathryn Prince offers fascinating armchair travel reading from start to breathless finish in American Daredevil. Recommended!
I started reading American Daredevil without thinking about the infamous Halliburton corporation, but in fact, the monstrous entity is hardly mentioned in this book at all. Richard's cousin, Erle, who founded the company did lend Richard some money for an early expedition, but Richard only asked out of desperation: his need to start his newest larger-than-life travel adventure was stronger than his pride.
Richard Halliburton did more in one in his first few years after college than anyone I have know has done in a lifetime: traveling across the Ocean from New York, around Scotland, climbing Mt. Everest, trekking through Egypt, retracing Ulysses trip in the Greek Isles, and swimming the full length of the Panama Canal – and that's just in the first few chapters of American Devil!
For all the excitement she is able to vividly capture in this book, author Cathryn Prince does an excellent of job of presenting the man behind the myth throughout. At times, the reality is almost too much to feel good about, because we all want a hero without flaws. But her honesty (and subtlety: she doesn't mention that Richard Halliburton was gay until the book is well underway) make this a worthwhile biography.
Well-researched and set in historical context (troubles getting published and the mad marketing schedules resound today) Cathryn Prince offers fascinating armchair travel reading from start to breathless finish in American Daredevil. Recommended!
December 3, 2016
Richard Halliburton is now an obscure adventure and travel writer, active between the world wars, from the early 1920's to 1939. In 1939when he disappeared while attempting to crossing the Pacific Ocean in a very un-seaworthy custom Chinese junk on his way to the 1939 San Francisco World's Fair. Halliburton was very famous for his times and was huge on the lecture circuit.
For various reasons, his fame faded away while other contemporaries, like Amelia Earhart, who also disappeared, still remain the forefront of public consciousness.
I found the prose of the book very dry and dull and the narrative slow moving. I would give the writing style 2 stars. Given that there was some interesting content on his travels, the times and the luminaries he crossed paths with, I assign it 3 stars for content.
I'm now tempted to read one of his adventure/travel books to see if his style and content still appeals, at least to me, several generations past his time.
For various reasons, his fame faded away while other contemporaries, like Amelia Earhart, who also disappeared, still remain the forefront of public consciousness.
I found the prose of the book very dry and dull and the narrative slow moving. I would give the writing style 2 stars. Given that there was some interesting content on his travels, the times and the luminaries he crossed paths with, I assign it 3 stars for content.
I'm now tempted to read one of his adventure/travel books to see if his style and content still appeals, at least to me, several generations past his time.
November 13, 2016
I won this book from Goodreads.
I had never heard of Richard Halliburton and found this a fascinating read. This young American adventurer traveled the world and wrote about it in the 1920's and 30's before the age of instant communications. He influenced the lives of so many and opened their eyes to the wonders of the world.
There was obviously an incredible amount of research involved in this story and I especially found the ending so compelling because the author didn't just end with his untimely death but tied up so many loose ends by letting the reader know how his family and friends and readers felt and coped after he was gone.
I had never heard of Richard Halliburton and found this a fascinating read. This young American adventurer traveled the world and wrote about it in the 1920's and 30's before the age of instant communications. He influenced the lives of so many and opened their eyes to the wonders of the world.
There was obviously an incredible amount of research involved in this story and I especially found the ending so compelling because the author didn't just end with his untimely death but tied up so many loose ends by letting the reader know how his family and friends and readers felt and coped after he was gone.
July 29, 2016
I received this book from Goodreads Giveaway Program.
I could not finish this book. I'll try again at a later time to pick it up again but I just can't stay interested. I do respect all Richard Halliburton accomplished throughout his life, especially considering the time period, each chapter seems to be written the same. The research is definitely extensive but I have to agree the writing is flowery.
I could not finish this book. I'll try again at a later time to pick it up again but I just can't stay interested. I do respect all Richard Halliburton accomplished throughout his life, especially considering the time period, each chapter seems to be written the same. The research is definitely extensive but I have to agree the writing is flowery.
September 25, 2016
Extremely well research. Extensive detail. Easy to read with very good writing, but I agree a bit "flowery" in parts. The book does bring Halliburton to life. It's amazing to me all that Richard Halliburton accomplished in his short lifetime at that period of history. Quite a feat.
The book introduced me new characters and events in history. Definitely recommend to those who want to read about interesting characters in history.
The book introduced me new characters and events in history. Definitely recommend to those who want to read about interesting characters in history.
September 5, 2016
Such a great opportunity missed! On the one hand this is a good, solid biography about the writer who introduced me to Victoria Falls, Petra and other exotic place. On the other, it's not as engaging as Halliburton's writing and no examples are included. Snippets of letters, yes. Examples from his books, no. Sad face.
December 12, 2016
An interesting story about someone that I had never heard of who took lots of risks that usually panned out pretty much ensuring a sense of immortality until he took a risk that didn't. The book looked pretty cool with photos but I didn't like the writing much at all.
February 4, 2017
I like travel books so this one was fascinating to the hilt he had a life to the max traveled all over the world . Flew airplanes sailed boats clmbed mountains liked reading this
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews