Author Topic: Naturalist-Traveler Book Recommendations?  (Read 2031 times)

Naturalist-Traveler Book Recommendations?
« on: 30 May, 2008, 05:44:22 pm »
I've been reading quite a few travel works by naturalists in the last few years--both historic accounts (Darwin's _Voyage of the Beagle_ and Wallace's _Malay Archipelago_, Wm. Bartram's _Travels_, etc.) and more recent stuff (several by Peter Matthiessen, George Schaller's _Stones of Silence_, etc.).

Can anybody recommend any similar books? I'd like to get a list together of well-written ones that I should track down.
scottclark.photoshelter.com

Re: Naturalist-Traveler Book Recoomendations?
« Reply #1 on: 30 May, 2008, 05:49:03 pm »
I thought you meant people who travelled with no clothes on and wrote books about it.

<Note to self: lift mind from gutter.>
Stropping rocks

Re: Naturalist-Traveler Book Recoomendations?
« Reply #2 on: 30 May, 2008, 06:00:28 pm »
I thought you meant people who travelled with no clothes on and wrote books about it.

<Note to self: lift mind from gutter.>

Naturalist, not naturist!   ;D
scottclark.photoshelter.com

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Naturalist-Traveler Book Recoomendations?
« Reply #3 on: 30 May, 2008, 09:51:35 pm »
Oh how disappointing! ;D
Getting there...

outwith

Re: Naturalist-Traveler Book Recoomendations?
« Reply #4 on: 30 May, 2008, 10:56:00 pm »
Fiction, obviously, but have you read Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels?  (The first one is Master and Commander.)  Stephen Maturin is a doctor, a naturalist and a naval surgeon, in the very early 1800s, and the story takes him all over the world, from orang-utans in Java to sea elephants in the South Atlantic.  Beautifully written and scrupulously researched.

Really Ancien

Re: Naturalist-Traveler Book Recommendations?
« Reply #5 on: 31 May, 2008, 11:10:56 am »
Just had a trawl through my travel books, what you need is Redmond O' Hanlon. I'll leave you to Google him, his fellowship of learned societies crosses boundaries from literature to geography and natural history. I'm sat here with a copy of 'In Trouble Again' a good read but one with over 9 pages of select bibliography. You can enjoy reading the book and gain an insight into the work of other authors at the same time.
Here's an interview with him from 1997 when he was promoting a book about the Congo. Salon Wanderlust | Fetishes and Fossils  A review of the Congo Book here.  Salon Wanderlust | Gonzo Congo



Damon.

Re: Naturalist-Traveler Book Recommendations?
« Reply #6 on: 31 May, 2008, 08:22:01 pm »
Thanks for the recommendations...I have read one of O'Hanlon's books, but it's been a very long time.  O'Brian I'm not really familiar with yet.
scottclark.photoshelter.com

Glosbiker

  • Gentleman Antiquarian
Re: Naturalist-Traveler Book Recommendations?
« Reply #7 on: 04 June, 2008, 06:26:34 pm »
Patrick O'Brian is THE MAN as far as I'm concerned.  As a student of 18th century history, no-one gets closer than him to a faithful reconstruction of those times.  The natural philosophy work of Stephen Maturin is excellent with Joseph Blain (head of the British Secret Service) a clear copy of Sir Joseph Banks - go away and see how many plants have Banksii in their latin name.

Matthiesen is excellent, of course.  What about William Fiennes (Snow Geese) and Bruce Chatwin (ignore the fact he was an outragegously pretentionous and objectionable being and enjoy the writing).
Question everything, accept nothing.

Re: Naturalist-Traveler Book Recommendations?
« Reply #8 on: 04 June, 2008, 07:20:02 pm »
What about William Fiennes (Snow Geese)

Hi there--this is a new one to me, so I'll take a look.

Quote
and Bruce Chatwin (ignore the fact he was an outragegously pretentionous and objectionable being and enjoy the writing).

Heh--I once read a tribute (?) to BC by Paul Theroux, who I really liked when I was younger, but stopped enjoying once I started paying attention to what he was actually saying.  :-\  But anyway--in reading his "tribute," I became convinced that BC (as a person) was not my cup of tea at all.
scottclark.photoshelter.com