Product Description

The author of A Wolverine Is Eating My Leg and Pecked to Death by Ducks gives new meaning to the words "going to extremes" in this exhilarating--and frequently hilarious--collection of adventure travel writing. "Cahill . . . (writes) with the precision ofJohn McPhee and Joan Didion tempered by a Monty Pythonesque sense of the absurd."--San Diego Union-Tribune.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #249996 in Books
• Published on: 1996-04-02
• Released on: 1996-04-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Adventure travel writer Cahill's latest collection of essays brings a quirky sense of the absurd to his often offbeat encounters.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Literate adventure writing may seem a contradiction in terms, but Cahill has produced this rare beast for our enjoyment. A columnist for Outside and contributor to Rolling Stone , Geo , etc., Cahill acknowledges the indifferent art that characterizes this genre with his tongue-in-cheek title. But, in fact, Cahill has written articulate, entertaining, and occasionally humorous pieces based on adventures ranging from parachuting to exploring jungles. His work is more in the mold of George Plimpton than of Raiders of the Lost Ark ; his "common man" approach definitely provides the human interest. Not indispensable, but economical, quality nonfiction for reading interests often poorly served. David J. Panciera, Westerly P.L., R.I.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap
The author of A Wolverine Is Eating My Leg and Pecked to Death by Ducks gives new meaning to the words "going to extremes" in this exhilarating--and frequently hilarious--collection of adventure travel writing. "Cahill . . . (writes) with the precision ofJohn McPhee and Joan Didion tempered by a Monty Pythonesque sense of the absurd."--San Diego Union-Tribune.

Customer Reviews

Not as happy when finished
I have read another book by Cahill; Pecked to death by ducks, wich I found funnier and more positive, more upbeat. The stories in this particular book are longer and not as happy. There's more doom (the turtles, it's heartbreaking!). Although Cahill is a happy madman as ever and a good writer of stories like this, my own goal with reading this book was to have a few good laughs and a smile on my face when finished. But I wasn't smiling to much, after all those grim stories of what people are doing to their own environment. This is of course the hard thruth, but it was not what I was hoping for when bying this copy...

"Cahill has perfected the art of the short travel essay"
One of my favorites. Author of Pecked to Death By Ducks and A Wolverine is Eating My Leg, Cahill, a founder of Outside Magazine, has perfected the art of the short travel essay. There are man-eating sharks, dangerous cave diving, eating cheese in a yurt in Mongolia and all sorts of ridiculous first hand escapades all over the globe. He is brilliant and brilliantly funny. Perfect travel book to take along on a trip. If you want to learn how to write, read Cahill and pay close attention to his introductions and conclusions.

For the Vicarious Adventurer
Cahill's writing is somewhat of an acquired taste. This is a compilation of outdoor stories which do not always seem self contained - some missing context, some missing closure. And they are not necessarily adventures in the conventional sense, as stories may focus on nature, archaeology, sociology, etc. While the book cannot be construed as an outdoor reference, there is good information (ex. "wisdom" of cave diving). Some stories hit the vicarious adventurer's sweet spot. The author is at his best in this book when relating his experience caving in Kentucky, engaging the reader with educational content (ex. barometric effect on air flow), spectacular descriptions(ex. lightening igniting bat guano), and hair raising suspense (ex. getting lost in a maze of passages). Not all of the stories held an equal level of interest for me, but they are short enough to peruse and ponder as time permits.