I have to give the Nile Guide blog credit. They made the bold move of posting an entry that is a list of the top 50 adventure books of all time. You know that everyone has their favorite and folks are chiming in with comments. (Including yours truly.)

There is a disclaimer that the books are listed in no particular order  and it even has a bonus list of adventure coffee table books. It’s an eclectic list that includes some fiction but mostly non-fiction with authors such as Twain, Hemingway, Kerouac and Abbey making the list. Of course “Into the Wild” made the list. Even though I don’t have praise for Chris McCandless, the book is an excellent investigation into the reasons for his journey.  A big surprise to me was to see Michael Palin on the list for his book “Full Circle”.  Images of Monty Python are dancing in my head.

What would I add to the list? Definitely ” A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson. His account of hiking the Appalachian Trail is hysterical and it’s a true account! I’d also add “Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons” by John Wesley Powell and “Through the Grand Canyon” by Ellsworth Kolb. Powell’s expedition explored a part of the west that was still essentially a blank spot on the US map and the Kolb’s 1911-1912 expedition brought the Green and Colorado Rivers to life with their account and photos of the journey.

I haven’t read all of the books on the list so I guess I have a lot of reading to do.

via: The Adventure Blog

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Urban Hermit [Book Review] (austinist.com)