This guy should be in the conman hall of fame. He passed himself off as an airline pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer, passing the test for the bar on his third try, all the while passing bad checks.

Eight people die during ill-fated climb. Krakauer's first person account includes historical info concerning previous climbs.

Survivors resort to cannibalism to survive.

Ordinarily a science fiction writer, Simmons switches to the adventure genre here. Two ships stuck in the ice near the North Pole are plagued by a magical polar bear. Throw in a little Eskimo mythology, and this makes for a fine read.

The first man to break the sound barrier.

National Geographic Adventure chose this as one of the ten best adventure books of all time.

An American Jew Horwitz shows visits the Middle East after the Invasion of Kuwait. His adventures include attending the Ayatollah Khomeni's funeral. Most of his interviews are with the "man on the street."

One of the most amazing journeys in history. De Vaca and three other survivors traveled 5,000 miles across America, enduring torture, slavery, cannibalism, and murder as well as committing their own share or torture and enslaving others along the way.

Before the Civil War, Samuel Clemens was a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi.

Twain went AWOL from the Confederate army to try his luck in the gold fields, but he discovered gold as a newspaper columnist instead.

This is a problematic book in some respects. Apparently it is a fictionalized account of an Australian walkabout. When I read it, I didn't know that. I don't think it should detract from the worth of the book.

The sailboat race is intense.

The sinking of the Titanic as it really happened. Much more interesting than the goofy movie.