Best of
Adventure

1897

Stickeen: John Muir and the Brave Little Dog


John Muir - 1897
    One day, Muir set out to explore a huge glacier during a blizzard. Stickeen--an aloof little dog belonging to a fellow traveler--insisted on going along. They become stranded on the glacier. The only way out was over a precarious ice bridge, dangerous for a man and almost impossible for a dog. When, amazingly, they both escape, Stickeen's aloofness is replaced by rapturous adoration for Muir. The author skillfully weaves Muir's own words, the illustrations are extraordinary, and the result is a classic.

Farthest North


Fridtjof Nansen - 1897
    Experts said such a ship couldn't be built and that the voyage was tantamount to suicide. This brilliant first-person account, originally published in 1897, marks the beginning of the modern age of exploration. Nansen vividly describes the dangerous voyage and his 15-month-long dash to the North Pole by sledge. An unforgettable tale and a must-read for any armchair explorer.

Farthest North: Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship Fram, 1893-96, and of a Fifteen Months' Sleigh Journey, Vol. 2


Fridtjof Nansen - 1897
    Nansen and Lieut. Johansen. The second of two volumes.

Among the Meadow People


Clara Dillingham Pierson - 1897
    Each chapter features the story of one animal in its daily activities and interactions with the other animals inhabiting the meadow. Ideally suited for children ages 5 to 7.

Farthest North: Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship Fram, 1893-96, and of a Fifteen Months' Sleigh Journey, Vol. 1


Fridtjof Nansen - 1897
    Beginning on board his boat, the Fram, which was deliberately driven into pack-ice off Siberia in order to drift north, Nansen and his companions later resorted to sleds and kayaks. Volume 2 describes the journey over the ice – setting out with 28 dogs, 3 sledges and 2 kayaks – and ends with an account of the return journey. (It also includes Captain Otto Sverdrup's report of the expedition.) The Fram served as a laboratory during its time in the Arctic, and Nansen eventually published six volumes of scientific observations. He later became Norwegian delegate to the League of Nations, directing humanitarian projects, and is famous for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 as well as for his polar achievements.

Historical Stories of American Pioneer Life - As Told in the Famous Leatherstocking Tales


James Fenimore Cooper - 1897
    They have all been adapted for the younger readers of America and are fabulous tales of pioneer life. The book is embellished with numerous original drawings in the text.