tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885774624200184490.post7227754278056605889..comments2024-02-27T11:43:23.516-08:00Comments on Arctic Book Review: Polar HayesRussell Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023313195827310776noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885774624200184490.post-207578593349889712009-08-18T22:33:31.566-07:002009-08-18T22:33:31.566-07:00I have an issue with Mr. Dore's criticism that...I have an issue with Mr. Dore's criticism that Kane`s expedition is already well covered elsewhere:<br /> <br />"Wamsley’s attention to detail is always impressive...... The detail is unnecessary.... because this expedition is so well covered elsewhere...."<br /><br />I feel that Wamsley's description of Kane's Second Grinnell Expedition reads more like a good historical novel, with dramatic twists, juicy details and fore-shadowings that for me became a page turner, partly because I was learning all kinds of things that had never been revealed before and because (for a change) the participants are allowed to speak with their own voices. Wamsley deftly quotes from diaries, and rare correspondence so that as a reader I felt I was more like a bird on someone`s shoulder as events unfolded rather than a student bent over a desk. Because Wamsley intersperses quotes from an hitherto undisclosed diary by Kane, including unknown or neglected observations by Carl Peterson, William Godfrey, and Issac Hayes I formed a much deeper appreciation for the difficulties of the expedition, including proof of the near-incompetence of Kane as an expedition leader. In my opinion, Wamsley`s detailed narration brings to life the Second Grinnell Expedition in a way that is unique, pedagogical and entertaining. I have been reading this book in bed, which is to me the highest criterion for the enjoyment of a book. It`s a lengthy book, but it`s not a tome.BJARNE TOKERUD BOOKSELLERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08514105454865359427noreply@blogger.com