Arctic Dreams--Barry Lopez

I like everything Barry Lopez writes, but this one speaks directly to me just like Lopez's Of Wolves and Men does. I spent a lot of time in Alaska, fell in love with mountains, enjoy reading about explorers and the Arctic, and sense a lot of the same things about this majestic landscape that Lopez does. Having been in Alaska during the construction of the pipeline I know that the things and people he describes are true. He writes of the stress of change and the loss it entails very well. What most amazed me was the section on Frederick Church, a 19th century artist, and the description of arctic light. It will amaze you to.

A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush--Eric Newby

This book is for people who want to read about Afghanistan and mountain climbing, enjoy travel narratives, or like humorous books. Somehow this one satisfies all these desires. Newby works in a fashion design house in London when a friend decides they should go climbing in Afghanistan. After four days of climbing practice in Wales they set out by automobile, and of course, half the fun is getting there. Besides the climbing in Wales a scence I will never forget is the main character diving into the sewage channel somewhere in Persia in a vain attempt to locate a child who is feared drowned (and who turns up not soon after). And a last encounter with a famed explorer and doctor, Thesiger, is fascinating as well as funny.