Highly recommended non-fiction I have recently read, any further suggestions?

[FaustoMerckx]

I read mainly non-fiction, books about cycling, survival, mountaineering, musicians and many more. Some I have read recently are -

Summers with the bears by Jack Becklund - Just finished this one, excellent tale of 6 years in the Minnesota woods where a couple befriended some local bears. Nicely written with dozens of incredible pictures.

Crow Killer by Raymond W Thorp and Robert Bunker - Fact based book about Liver eating Johnson, the 19th century mountain man immortalised in the film Jeremiah Johnson. Put together using letters and interviews with the last mountain men.

The longest walk by Guiseppe Maniscalco - Story of his solo wartime trek from the top to the bottom of Africa. An unbelievable adventure, he perseveres through extreme heat, rain, wild animals and multiple bouts of malaria before reaching the salvation of South Africa in tatters.

Cat country by Di Francis - About sightings of big cats in Britain. Two thirds of the book details hundreds of sightings from all areas of the country, some undeniable. Final third is analysis of all the evidence and the authors successful search for cats.

The Gurkhas - John Parker - The history of the British armies most feared but rapidly disappearing forces. A detailed account of the service they gave us over hundreds of years.

One more kilometre and we're in the showers - Tim Hilton - A quirky and eccentric collection of cycling fact and folklore. Tells not only of the greatest cyclists of all time but goes into detail about the British road racing scene over the decades. From the greatest time triallists we have ever produced to the authors own experience of sleeping in hedges and haystacks before races in the post war era.

 

If anyone has any suggestions of other great books worth reading along these lines they would be much appreciated.

Also, I picked up a book today in Poundland, a hardback copy of 'Stargazing' by Peter Hill. Memoirs of a lighthouse keeper on Scottish islands, it caught my eye because he mentions his Captain Beefheart and Zappa record collection that kept him company. Anyone read it???

[Freewheeling Andy]

That Giuseppe Maniscalco book sounds awesome, and right up my proverbial alley.

[FaustoMerckx]

It is a very good book. It's pretty short and simply written but entertaining.

Here's the blurb -

The true epic of a man who pitted his wits, strength and will against beast and man in Africa.

Africa in 1943 was no place for a young Italian recently released from internment by the British. The Abyssinians disliked all Europeans, but they hated the Italians. The British in Asmara couldn't be bothered with homeless ex-internees. Every other colonial power in Africa would either put him back behind barbed wire or pack him home to Italy - and the army.

When bandits attacked their lorry on an Abyssinian mountain road, wrecked it and killed his two companions, Guiseppe set out to walk to the Sudan; it seemed to him the most likely refuge. One mishap led to another, hairbreadth escapes from disease or wild animals delayed or misled him, but he plodded on against all logic or reason. Seven thousand miles and over two years later he finished his amazing solitary trek to the opposite end of the continent.

[Freewheeling Andy]

I've read a couple of "end to end of Africa" books - Paul Theroux's Dark Star Safari, which is modern and travelling in an easy manner; and a South African bloke cycling all the way round (you might actually be interested in this, although it's not very well written - I'll see if I can find the name) the outside, going through every country that has a coastline in Africa. Both, though, modern - I've recently been reading more African stuff - Kapuscinski, who I keep talking about, and also some of Martha Gellhorn's stuff - and although the idea of spending much time in the interior does nothing at all for me, I'm finding it increasingly fascinating.

[Freewheeling Andy]

Riaan Manser's the man's name. Around Africa On My Bicycle.

 

Incidentally, something else I keep going on about, but it might very well be your sort of thing - Eastern Approaches by Fitzroy Maclean. He started out in the foreign service in Moscow during Stalin's times and travelled whilst being pursued by the NKVD throughout then-forbidden central Asia, came back during the war and was one of the founders of the SAS, and then ended up as Churchill's point-man to Tito in the Yugoslav mountains. Great writing, and genuinely exciting- and he was apparently one of the role-models for James Bond.

[FaustoMerckx]

Sounds really interesting, thanks for the suggestions, I'll see if I can find them.

Just popped in the good ol' charity shop on my way home and picked a couple of interesting ones up for 50p each. A book of travellers tales by Eric Newby, which is a large collection of excerpts and short stories of travels all around the world. Its separated up by continent and has writings from the likes of Thoreau, Fleming, Burton, Kerouac and tales from the time of Hannibal etc. Also got The path to Rome by Hillaire Belloc which I've been looking for for some time

[Anika]

I read mainly non-fiction, books about cycling, survival, mountaineering, musicians and many more.

 

 

I also enjoy reading about exploration and musicians. I thought you might like to know about some books I found interesting. They are:

 

 

'Barrow's Boys' (Sailing exploration)

'Ninety Degrees North' (Polar exploration) --both by Fergus Fleming

 

'Last Breath ~The Limits of Adventure' (The dangers of extreme sports) --by Peter Stark

 

'Deep Descent ~Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria'

--by Kevin F. Mcmurray

 

'Ghost Rider' --by Neil Peart [drummer of Rush] Travelogue of motorcycle tour & recovery-journey.

 

 

Have you read any of these?

[FaustoMerckx]

I've not read any of those but I'll definitely take a look at them. Thanks for the suggestions. I've just been listening to a Rush gig recorded in London so the Ghost Rider book sounds interesting.

You might like 'Home before daylight' by Steve Parish, its a great book about life with the Grateful Dead written by a roadie

[Axelfoley]

You might like "Miracle in the Andes" by Nando Parrado. A very good account of the rugby team whos flight crashed in the Andes and their fight for survival for 72 days until they were rescued.

[FaustoMerckx]

Excellent, sounds right up my street, cheers.

[Talisman]

IAlso, I picked up a book today in Poundland, a hardback copy of 'Stargazing' by Peter Hill. Memoirs of a lighthouse keeper on Scottish islands, it caught my eye because he mentions his Captain Beefheart and Zappa record collection that kept him company. Anyone read it???

 

I haven't read this one, but wondered if you were aware of the works of Tony Parker. Parker is deceased now, so most of his books are out of print, but he did a whole series of books where he interviewed various people in certain social situations or unusual jobs - lighthouse keepers being one of them (also prison officers). I have read the lighthouse book, which is simply called Lighthouse half a dozen times now. I came across it in the cottage I stay in on the Island of Lundy, which is known as the Old Light Cottage, as it was a former storehouse (among other things) for the island's lighthouse keepers.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Talisman