Madcap journeys: the Americas

Allen, Benedict, Through Jaguar eyes: crossing the Amazon basin. Harper Collins, 1994. 981.1 ALL

An enthralling account of a perilous 3600 mile journey, unaided by compass or map, from the Andes of Ecuador across the Amazon at its widest point to the dense forest of the Mato Grosso in Brazil.

Barich, Bill, Big dreams : into the heart of California. Pantheon Books, 1994. 979.4 BAR

The account of Bill Barich's journey from California's far north to the Mexican border, which captures the true nature of the state behind the stereotypes. "California is a place, a dream, a heritage of great significance to the American experiment."

Carter, Hodding, Westward whoa: in the wake of Lewis and Clark. Simon & Schuster, 1994. 978 CAR

An exhilarating, mind warping excursion into what's really out there in the great American wilderness. Carter and Maybank set out in a rubber raft, on foot, and on horseback to discover the Northwest passage.

Cody, Robin, Voyage of a summer sun: canoeing the Columbia River. Knopf, 1995. 979.7 COD

The record of an eighty-two day solo voyage from the peaceful Columbia Lake down the Columbia River, around massive dams through killer rapids, across enormous reservoirs and out to the open sea.

Cowper, David Scott, Northwest passage solo. Seafarer Books, 1993. 910.91632 COW

A first hand account of the captain and crew of the first ever ship to complete a circum-navigation of the infamous Northwest passage.

Dew, Josie, Travels in a strange state: cycling across the USA. Warner books, 1994. 973 DEW

This personal memoir of an improbable eight month journey, revealing the United States, as it is rarely seen from the seat of a bicycle.

Du Cann, Charlotte, Reality is the bug that bites me in the Galapagos. Flamingo, 1994. 980 DU

In 1991, two friends sold everything and went west. From Mexico through Central and South America to the end of the Andes.

Ghinsberg, Yossi, Back from Tuichi : the harrowing life and death story of survival in the Amazon rain forest. Random House, 1993. 984 GHI

What began as a dream adventure for four amicable back-packers, quickly became dangerous as they unravel under the duress of travel, relations reach breaking point and the four split up. This is a tale of survival and human fortitude against the wildest backdrop of the planet.

Jenkins, Peter, Along the edge of America. Rutledge Hill Press, 1995. 976 JEN

This is a vivid portrait of a colourful slice of America from the Florida Keys to the Mexican border by way of the mysterious Everglades.

Kisor, Henry, Zephyr: tracking a dream across America. Times/Random House, 1994. 973 KIS

The exhilarating record of one man's experiences travelling into the heart of America aboard the transcontinental train, the California Zephyr. It is an earth bound cruise ship bearing five hundred souls, each with a story to tell.

Kurtz, Irma, The great American bus ride: an intrepid woman's cross-country adventure. Poseidon Press, 1993. 973 KUR

An entertaining account of a journey across America by Greyhound bus. Rolling from big-city bus stop to flyspeck towns, sampling road food from egg McMuffins to Cajun delights, observing the changing landscape and getting to know her fellow passengers, Irma had the trip of a lifetime.

Lamb, David, Over the hills: a midlife escape across America by bicycle, Times, 1996. 973 LAM

Lamb drove across America while researching his previous book Stolen Season. Then he decided to bicycle across America as a way of confronting middle age. His story encompasses several months of travel from Virginia to California through small town America and he shares his musings along the way.

Lilliefors, Jim, Highway 50 : ain't that America. Fulcrum, 1993. 973 LIL

More than any other American road, US50 tells the story of how the country grew. As one of the original highways west, it is a living history of westward expansion from Ocean City, Maryland in the east it literally cuts through the middle of the continent to Sacramento, California.

Preston, Douglas, Cities of gold : a journey across the American South west in pursuit of Coronado. Simon & Schuster, 1992. 979 PRE

A riveting personal account of the author's journey in the footsteps of Coronado, the legendary 16th century explorer and conquistador who led the first European expedition through the American Southwest.

Rambali, Paul, In the cities and jungles of Brazil. Holt and Company, 1993. 981 RAM

Tracing back the abundant miseries of Brazilians, Rambali goes from third world megalopolis to virgin rain forest, where he is confronted with hard and perhaps irreconcilable truths about our drive to build cities, and our romance with the jungle.

Rees, Lucy, The maze: through hell to hope. Bantam Press, 1995. 979.1 REE

The story of both a remarkable physical journey and a quest for spiritual enlightenment, on horseback across the ancient and dramatic landscape of northern Arizona, with its immense horizons, red rock canyons, scorching deserts and diamond blue skies.

Sepulveda, Luis, Full circle : a South American journey, Lonely Planet, 1996. 980 SEP

Full circle describes a journey `without fixed itinerary' into the heart of South America by a compulsive traveller, political exile and best selling Chilean author. Winner of the 1996 Astrolab Etonnants Voyagers award for the best work of travel literature published in France.

Sparkes, Graeme, Beyond Tijuana: a journey through Latin America. Text publishing, 1995. 972.8 SPA

Graeme and his partner Tania spent a year travelling north through Latin America. This enthralling account of their journey takes the reader through lush, rain-soaked jungles, across arid deserts and into the chaotic life of the region's cities.

Stewart, Lucretia, The weather prophet: a Caribbean journey. Chatto & Windus, 1995. 972.9 STE

A fascinating and timely exploration of the Caribbean. Travelling by slow boats heedless of schedules, tiny island-hopping planes and disco-taxis juddering with amplified rap music, Lucretia wandered from Trinidad to Montserrat.

Theroux, Peter, Travelling LA: a tour of the Rainbow City. Norton, 1994. 979.494 THE

A grand tour of Los Angeles which takes the reader right to the physical heart of the world's most complex and diverse metropolis.

Townsend, Chris, Walking the Yukon : a solo trek through the land of beyond. Ragged Mountain Press, 1993. 971.91 TOW

The story of a 1,000 mile trek through one of the world's last great wildernesses following the footsteps of the Klondike goldrushers.

Velthuizen-De Vries, Michele, Pedalling unknown paths. Book Guild, 1995. 973 VEL

The vivid account of a fourteen month journey covering 16,000 miles and thirty two states which will be an inspiration to anyone who has ever thought of travelling USA by bicycle.

Wangford, Hank, Lost cowboys: from Patagonia to the Alamo. Gollancz, 1995. 980 WAN

A long journey from Argentina through to Mexico in search of the legacy of the cowboys. Hank met them all and heard their stories, discovering in the process a rich vein of myth, folklore and unexpected truth.

Waterman, Jonathan, Kayaking the Vermillion Sea: eight hundred miles down the Baja. Simon & Schuster, 1995. 972.2 WAT

Exhilarating and lyrical, filled with images of death, beauty and adventure, this epic journey depicts the past and present of a legendary body of water - the 800 mile Baja Coast of California.

Wheeler, Sara, Travels in a thin country : a journey through Chile. Little Brown, 1994. 983 WHE

An eventful journey in a country which does not easily lend itself to a lone woman with two carpet bags who wishes to travel from the top to bottom, from the driest desert in the world to the frozen wastes of Antarctica.