The Devil May Care: Fifty Intrepid Americans and Their Quest for the UnknownTony Horwitz Stripped naked and pursued across cactus-studded plains by a band of armed Blackfoot Indians, John Colter escaped certain death to become the one of the most durable characters in western American history. But Colter's harrowing tale was not beyond the ordinary when compared to the adventures of other American explorers. In The Devil May Care, popular historian and travel writer Tony Horwitz has culled through the American National Biography and selected fifty stirring biographies of adventurers who had no one's footsteps to follow in--and yet contributed enormously to our understanding of the world. Horwitz introduces us to fascinating individuals such as John Ledyard, the first American to see what would become the Pacific Northwest, and Elisha Kent Kane, America's first arctic hero, who stumbled upon an extremely strange remedy for scurvy while icebound off of Ellesmere Island. Having set off into the unknown many times himself as a foreign correspondent, Horwitz brings a subtle sense of humor and a reporter's eye for detail to a collection that offers a glimpse inside the lives of historic Americans who brazenly challenged danger as they pursued their wanderlust to extreme climates and forbidding environments. Beginning with a short essay, Horwitz seeks his own definition of exploration, drawing on some of his research into the voyages of Captain James Cook and considering its larger implications throughout history. Archival photographs as well as a lively and personal introduction to each story by Horwitz further enhance the appeal of a volume that winds its way through several centuries of American exploration, affirming that the best adventure stories are the true ones. |
Contents
Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca c 1490c 1559 | 3 |
David Pietersen de Vries 15931655? | 15 |
Hannah Duston 16571736 | 25 |
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Adams adventure Albert Pike Aleut American Fur Company Arctic army arrived balloon became Beltrami biography Blackfoot born Bressani Bridger British Buffalo California Captain captured career Catlin Cherokee colony Colter command Cooper Crowninshield Cuming Custer death died Dorion Douglas Duncan Hines Duston early England English expedition explorer Fagen father film Frémont frontier fur trade George Crowninshield Halliburton Hannah Duston Haraszthy Hines Indians Island John John Ledyard journey Judson Kahanamoku Kane Kenton Kentucky land later Ledyard lived Louis March Marie married Mason Mexican Milner mission missionary Mississippi Missouri Missouri River Morrissey Mountains Native Americans Netsvetov Nez Percé Nicaragua North Núñez Ohio party Patch Pike pioneer returned River Royall Sable sailed Salm-Salm Sam Patch scout settlers ship Smith Society South Spalding story Sutter trade trappers traveled trip U.S. Army Virginia voyage Vries Walker West wife wild William Wright wrote Yellowstone York