THEY LIVED TO TELL THE TALE: TRUE STORIES OF MODERN ADVENTURE FROM THE LEGENDARY EXPLORERS CLUB
Edited by Jan Jarboe Russell
The Lyons Press
ISBN 1592289916

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Want a glimpse of the world as few have seen it before? In They Lived to Tell the Tale, members of the world-famous Explorers Club share their spectacular journeys from the depths of the world’s oceans to the canopies of the Amazon rainforest to the dark emptiness of outer space and all points in between. As you turn the book’s pages, you’ll climb the highest mountains, slog through jungle swamps, crawl into spider-infested caves, trek across vast deserts, and gasp in astonishment at the sheer audacity of your guides. All from the comfort of your own living rooms.

These adrenalin-filled moments in the lives of the world’s most death-defying scientists, researchers, anthropologists, and explorers redefines any preconceived notions we might have about what exploration is. Captured here is the modern adventurer whose aim has shifted from thrill seeking for his or her own sake to protecting national treasures, preserving the planet, and making discoveries that will benefit the whole of humankind.

These incredible firsthand accounts, ranging from the remarkable to the captivating to the bizarre, are sure to become a memorable part of exploration lore for generations to come.

Jan Jarboe Russell is a freelance editor and writer at large for Texas Monthly.
Stories included:
“A Bad Day at the Office” by Robert D. Ballard
“Encountering Darwin” by Daniel Bennett
“Thieves of Baghdad” by Matthew Bogdanos
“The Making of Iraq’s First Lady” by Mary Ann Smothers Bruni
“A Treetop Walk” by Edward Burgess
“Ah, Open Space” by Leroy Chiao
“Explorations In the Heart of Hell” by Piotr Chmielinski
“Finding the Oxford” by Barry Clifford
“Ghost Call” by Catherine Nixon Cooke
“The Running of the Boundaries” by Wade Davis
“North Greenland by Dog Team” by Lonnie Dupre with Karin Redmond
“Dictator or Democrat” by Ranulph Fiennes
“Flying Giant of the Andes” by Jim Fowler
“Elixir of the Spirit” by Robert “Rio” Hahn
“The Weather Prayer” by Scott Hamilton
“Big Heart on Baffin Island” by J. Robert Harris
“The Ghost Bird” by Bobby Harrison
“The Pass” by Doc Hermalyn
“On the Edge” by Alison M. Jones
“Disaster on Everest” by Kenneth Kamler
“Exit Strategy” by Lorie Karnath
“Living Opposite the Bear” by Kristin Larson
“Exploring Easter Island with Thor Heyerdahl” by John Loret
“Race to the Moon” by James A. Lovell
“Out on a Limb” by Margaret Lowman
“Journey to the Summit” by Bo Paret with Katie Trenkle
“The Leather Rope” by Robert McCracken Peck
“Retracing Alexander’s Footsteps” by Milbry C. Polk
“How Not to Take a Jungle Bath” by James H. Powell
“On Exploration” by Stefanie Powers
“Cloud Diving” by Johan Reinhard
“Almost Swept Away” by Faanya Lydia Rose
“Zen Adventures in West Papua” by Neville Shulman
“Himalayan Ibex Hunting in Pakistan” by Theodore M. Siouris
“Sea to Sea” by Andrew Skurka
“Escape from Darién” by Cameron McPherson Smith
“Siberian Expedition” by Mikael Strandberg
“Seven Miles Down in the Trieste” by Don Walsh
“A Crashing Bore” by Ralph White
“When Hell Freezes Over” by Brandon Wilson
“Exploring Myanmar’s Forbidden Wilderness” by Steve Winter with Sharon Guynup