Limits of the Known

by David Roberts

“If you’ve run out of Saint-Exupéry and miss the eloquent power of his work, then you are ready to read David Roberts.” —Laurence Gonzales, author of Deep Who Lives, Who Dies and Why

David Roberts has spent his career documenting voyages to the most extreme landscapes on earth. In Limits of the Known, he reflects on humanity’s—and his own—relationship to exploration and extreme risk. Part memoir and part history, this book tries to make sense of why so many have committed their lives to the desperate pursuit of adventure. What compelled Eric Shipton to return, five times, to the ridges of Mt. Everest, plotting the mountain’s most treacherous territory years before Hillary and Tenzing’s famous ascent? What drove Bill Stone to dive 3,000 feet underground into North America’s deepest cave? And what is the future of adventure in a world we have mapped and trodden from end to end? In the wake of his diagnosis with throat cancer, Roberts seeks answers with new urgency and “penetrating self-analysis” (Booklist).

Genres: Nonfiction, Adventure, Travel, Memoir, History, Mountaineering, Outdoors

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
See this thread for more information.

David Roberts is the award-winning author of twenty-nine books about mountaineering, exploration, and anthropology. His most recent publication, Alone on the Wall, was written with world-class rock climber Alex Honnold, whose historic feats were featured in the film Free Solo.

Reviews

[Dax · Rating 4 out of 5]

This almost reads like an essay collection, but Roberts book has a nice flow to the structure that gives it a sense of being whole. Roberts starts with a couple of chapters talking about some of his favorite explorers as well as some of his own adventures (Roberts was an accomplished climber himself). About halfway through the book Roberts begins to consider the future of exploration. The tallest peaks in the world have been tackled, and the blanks have been filled in on the maps. So where will the explorers turn their attention? Space is an obvious answer. But Roberts also talks about options existing here on earth, specifically caving. Lastly, the book takes an emotional turn as Roberts provides the reader with a sense of perspective from his own experience. Roberts, who was dying of cancer when he wrote this book, wants to convey that adventure and exploration are worthy pursuits, but the memories most dear to him have nothing to do with a tackled peak. When he thinks back on his life, he envisions time spent with friends and the soft touch of his wife. I found it moving. Low four stars. Roberts was a good writer.

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am definitely an armchair adventurer! I just love these books about climbing mountains and doing other daring feats. This book was a bit different as it explored all the various ways to explore the limits of Earth: mountain climbing, the artic, Antarctica, caves, and rivers. Also included were the historical accounts of some of the early explorers to these places. And a personal touch, detailing David's battle with throat cancer, which he lost back in August 2021 :(. This was very well written and I'm happy to see he had written a bunch of other books so I can continue my armchair adventuring!

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 'if you liked' algorithm gave me a winner this time around.
Roberts' writing delves into 'what makes an adventurer tick?', why do people risk life and limb to climb mountains, scale rock faces, cave dive, etc in an effort to do something or go somewhere that no one has done before?
I am of the armchair school of such activities and this book supplied all the goods. The stories of the various exploits of such adventurers made for great reading. Roberts' prose is vivid and I had no trouble picturing the locations and the people. He deftly weaves his own story in with the various subjects, as he has done quite a lot of this and that during his writing career.
While I loved the whole book, two lines of inquiry caught my attention. One concerned the Anasazi of the US southwest. These long vanished people built elaborate dwellings in hard to reach cliff caves (see Mesa Verde for a prime example). Why? and even more interesting, How? The archaeologists don't have a really good answer to the 'how'. The author offers a few insights, along with chiding the archaeologists for ignoring possible subjects for further study. The second was more philosophical in nature--has the proliferation of modern communication technology 'ruined' the experience? If you can call for help (rather than having no choice but to save yourself), is your effort less 'pure'? The 'in my day, we had to...' argument is well presented; the author favors the 'more self-reliance' school, but acknowledges that the tech genie is out of the bottle and not going back in.
I would never have found this book on my own and I would have missed out on several hours of reading pleasure and some tasty food for thought.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good memoir of someone who led an astonishingly adventurous life. He starts as a mountain climber, but as a way to make that kind of life pay a salary, he became a journalist, which led into quite a few other pursuits.

A good autobiography.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are people around that revel in climbing the tallest mountains, seeking out the wildest places and pushing their bodies to extremes. David Roberts was one of those people who was always seeking the next place, another mountain all because he could. He never considered himself a risk-taker though, more of a risk manager, as he knew the absolute limit of what he could achieve and never pushed himself over that line. His outlook on life all changed though with his diagnosis of throat cancer. Gone were the days of scaling the peaks and he had to take time out to be treated and to rest and recuperate.

The sudden expanse of spare time that he had meant that he could consider whys and wherefores as to why he undertook adventures and also made him think about other people who have sought the perils of extreme travels. These days we are not cut off from civilisation, our technology can pinpoint our exact spot in the globe and we are only a phone call away from help should things become sticky. That said becoming too dependent on it can be lethal. It feels that there are no more blank spaces on the maps anymore; even 100 years ago there were parts of the North American continent that had never had humans walk or climb over them.

Restricted because of his health, the journeys in this book are literal and historical. Not only does he reminisce on the highlights and the close calls that he had in his own adventures all of the globe, but he writes about adventures that he admires, such as Henry Worsley’s epic walk across Antarctica, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen who managed to get closer to the North Pole than anyone else before him and British explorer Eric Shipton who was the first to see some of Alaska before it appeared on a map. There are modern adventures in here too, people who have turned away from the much-photographed and mapped surface and headed underground, deep deep underground to discover about those who push their limits right to the limit when cave diving.

Roberts asks some interesting questions, about the need for humanity to seek the places that have never glimpsed directly by our eyes and what drives these people to do these things. He goes some way to answer them too, by considering his take on adventures and his attitude to risk even after losing climbing partners to falls. This is the first of his books that I have read. I really liked his writing style, detailed and yet concise and will definitely be reading some more of his books.

[Lance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected - a lot of explanation of what were his expeditions and why they were good or bad. I was hoping for more depth - the same goes for his writing about the expeditions by ships in the Arctic such as the Jeannette. While his accomplishments are certainly impressive, I wasn't overly impressed with this book or the writing style.

[Zardoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert’s was one of my favorite outdoor writers. A friend took me through Grand Gulch on a backpack many years ago and introduced me to the Anasazi ruins there. I asked so many questions that she gave me a copy of one of his books. I quickly fell in love with his writing soon after.
This book is part memoir and part history of the exploits of those explorers hoping to go to the vanished blank spaces of the map. Robert’s traces his own exploits and provides a nice history of the modern mania for being the first at something in hopes of procuring fame and fortune.

[Lissa00 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. David Roberts has written many books on his own mountaineering exploits and on other adventurers, such as himself, who have blazed new ground. This collection covers some of those adventurers while also interspersing with his own stories and his current battle with stage four throat cancer. I have a hard time coming down too harshly on this book because it is obviously a labor of love from someone who is facing his own mortality but I do have to admit at times I found myself losing interest. Maybe it is because I wanted more about his own adventures, of which there are many, but I found myself getting bored with the intricate details of the history of these explorers. I do think that it lays out the present difficulty of exploration in our age of constant communication and GPS and those are the parts that I found most interesting. Overall, this is a solid history of the plight of the adventurer through the ages. I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Terri Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

With, The Mountain of My Fear, David Roberts introduced me to superior mountaineering writing, way back when. This was problematic because with some exception, almost everything that came after in this genre, was inferior. Except his writing has continued to get better, book by book. As an 'original' hard core mountaineer, one of the biggest thinkers around, period, and his superior ability to research, organize and craft information and ideas, fans have been entranced by Roberts work for many years. In likely his last book, he not only revisits that ever niggling question of 'why' in his usual, thoroughly perused, hard-line opinionated manner, he also offers this book up as a tribute to his well-lived life and loved ones. In an effort to engage further with this exceptional writer, I have reread several of Roberts books, and I'm certain this will be one that goes another round or two. David Roberts, you will remain one of the greats. I am a better writer because of your influence and I can't thank you enough for sharing your experiences through your sharp, ever pondering mind.

[Donovan Colegrove · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of an author looking back on his life at the end is well-worn, but Roberts makes the trip worthwhile. The conclusions drawn at the end of the book are thoughtful and poignant, especially in light of the rest of the book. The descriptive passages are thrilling and the breadth of the authors knowledge and research is evident in every chapter. This book is worth reading, but if you are new to adventure-travel literature, I would point you to some other books first.

[Alissa Nemmers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very dry

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly moving, the memoir of an adventurer reflecting on a life at its end. There's no arrogance or bravado here; just the satisfaction and sorrow of a life well-lived in its final days.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly the driest thing I’ve ever read. I had to read a non-fiction book for English so I picked the first one I saw in the media center. I regret my choice.

[Kiley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not recommend. I stuck with this book for the history and my curiosity and rage for the the authors insights.
Almost in totality do I disagree with Roberts on his view of adventure. He extols adventurers of the past, only giving credence if they were the first white man to “discover” an unmapped/unexplored section of the world. Those of us who have grown up in the technological age with GPS and Sat phones aren’t adventurers and wusses. There is not true adventure anymore because someone has already laid down the beta. We can reach for comfort (safety) anytime we want (need) it.
I think it’s unfortunate the author has perceived adventure in this way; in the end he equates adventure to joy and joy to another day with his spouse (he wrote this book while undergoing treatment and eventually dying from throat cancer).
He misses entirely a part of the human psyche that we are not only driven to explore unknowns in the physical world, but driven to explore unknowns within ourselves. This is what adventure has morphed into today - an exploration of the self through FKTs, new traverses, new techniques, new gear, and any creative undertaking in the outdoors (think ultraneering).

Adventure is what you make it. Go explore within and without.

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food for thought, delves into the existential questions all adventurers ask… why?

Juxtaposed with his battle with cancer, this book goes deeper into human experience, thought-provoking questions, and Roberts’ life to conclude that perhaps love has been his greatest adventure.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roberts has written several books I've enjoyed. Instead of telling someone else's story, this one is more personal. He recounts several of his own climbs of remote mountains in Alaska, trips down wild rivers, and explorations into deep caves. But he also entwines his story with those of others. He reflects on the differences of modern adventurers from their historic forerunners who lacked helicopter evacuations and cell phones if things went wrong, and wonders at the loss of places yet untouched by humans. His loss of stamina with metastatic cancer makes him ask questions about his life, but the ending chapter is a deep tribute to the wife who never developed his love for the wilderness but who has stood by him for the past 50 years,

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. A glimpse into some of the extremes that people go to in the search for adventure. Arctic and Antarctic, mountains, rivers, caves. Roberts has a number of first ascents of his own, of Alaskan peaks. He describes some of his own adventures but mostly focuses on a handful of other adventurers. I’ve already read about many of these adventures. Those books provide much more detail and excitement than Roberts can convey in his overview. This book fails to really explain why people go the the extremes that they do, except for perhaps Mallory’s “because it’s there”. Underlying it all is Roberts story of his own terminal cancer. His adventuring days are over. Now his focus is on the limited time that he has left with his beloved wife of 49 years.

[Susie Dumond · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last chapter of this book is what I was really expecting based on the description, and I would have enjoyed the book much more had all of it been so thoughtful and introspective. Instead, earlier chapters were a little dry in their lack of feeling and personal experience. While one chapter discussed the ways in which "exploring" can be problematic and damaging to native cultures, he made similarly problematic statements throughout the rest of the book. I wish this had been more of a reflection on why he did what he did rather than a listing of adventures he took.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Limits of the Known / David Roberts. Despite the fact that I am far from being an adventurer—or because of it, I enjoyed Roberts’ stories of physical risk and ruminations about his life and end time. Actually, I’ve never met a Roberts book I didn’t enjoy, whether it was historical or of a more personal nature. In this instance, he takes on the future of geographical exploration and challenge, even as he recalls the great feats of the past. He balances the international and the intimate, relating a surprising amount about his marriage and present medical issues. It is a book I can appreciate as one of his peers.

[Jeff Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about travel books. This one is a little different -- as the author riffs on in the last chapter, this is about "adventure" is the true sense of the word. He describes his own adventure travel as well as chronicling the historical adventures of other outstanding explorers in the world. The book goes from expeditions to the North Pole to excursions in Alaskan and Pakistani mountain ranges to the the caves of North America, France and Georgia to the Cenotes in the Yucatan peninsula and white water rafting trips in Africa and Papua New Guinea. It's a book with a high amount of energy and variety.

[Jean Dupenloup · Rating 4 out of 5]

The indefatigable David Roberts delivers yet again!

In Limits of the Known, Mr. Roberts explores humankind’s relationship with risk and death to previously undiscovered depths.

The book is part meditation, part reminiscing, as Mr. Roberts looks back on his own climbing careers (and others’) and tries to extrapolate: why do we risk, and how do we justify it?

Ultimately, it seems to me the book comes up with more unanswerable questions, but isn’t that the essence of philosophy?

[Stuart Corbett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of interesting history of adventure through the ages. I enjoyed learning how other cultures managed feats which, today, are considered dramatically difficult!

This is written by an old man dying slowly of cancer. The whole book is written with a "back in my day" sort of tone and mourns the loss of "real" adventure. I understand the sentiment but I don't agree and I think it tainted the narrative.

[Jacob Ortwein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to read more of Roberts books. Good story mixed with adventure facts and not the usual big stories everyone knows about.
The value of companionship in adventure is more than the summit.
Most interesting were his research into the Old Ones and the story of Aboriginals in new Guinea.
Travel doesn't show we are all the same but how uniquely different we all are and accept that difference.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but kinda goes all over the place. Roberts mixes personal stories with descriptions of other famous adventure tales as he processes the purpose of adventure and life. He concludes that the relationships formed are of the utmost importance.

[randy brich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sobering sonnet

Roberts describes the irresistible force that drives all adventurers seeking the unknown.
He also eloquently describes his ordeal with cancer. Either worth reading. Both baffling.

[SJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book dragged and dragged. To me, it felt like a uni prof who spoke like I should have read all their books and articles to even be worthy of their presence. I wanted to like it, but it was too much of "look what I did that you can't!"

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won it in a contest and it was a good read.

[Lloyd Fassett]

3/3/18 Found it in the WSJ Saturday Review. ‘Limits of the Known’ Review: What Is Left to Be Conquered https://www.wsj.com/articles/limits-o...

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book best when Roberts attempts to uncover the deeper meanings of his adventures rather than when he recounts the specific details of each adventure.

[Kevin Vanderwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting observations about future explorations and past explorers.