The devil may care Fifty intrepid Americans and their quest for the unknown

Review by Booklist Review

The U.S. has produced a lot of well-known adventurers: Lewis and Clark, Buffalo Bill, Daniel Boone. But, for every familiar name, there are handfuls of lesser lights, people who made their mark and then, rather unfortunately, slipped into obscurity. People such as Simon Kenton, the Kentucky fellow whose exploits rivaled those of Daniel Boone; John Sutter, the gold-rich philanthropist who was also a noted deadbeat; Hannah Duston, whose escape from an Indian raiding party in 1697 made her a legend; William Walker, the lawyer/physician/journalist who proclaimed himself president of Nicaragua a century and a half ago. Brave, flamboyant, and, in many cases, possibly nuts, these larger-than-life adventurers and heroes helped give America its flavor, its spirit, its ambition. It's about time somebody celebrated them, or at least reminded us they existed. These biographical essays do just that--and do it with style and readability, too. --David Pitt Copyright 2003 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Travel writer Horwitz (Blue Latitudes, etc.) combed through 18,000 biographies of "men and women who have contributed to the shaping of America" from the American National Biography to select 50 for this captivating survey of some of America's most colorful (and in some cases, forgotten) characters. Arranged chronologically from 1490-1939, these portraits convey "a sense of the narrative sweep of adventure in America." Highlights include the story of Hannah Duston, who was taken hostage after her child was murdered during an Indian attack in Massachusetts in 1697. She later escaped by scalping nine of her captors and became a New England legend, as "a symbol of feminine strength and assertiveness... [and] of the destructive power that Puritans believed was behind the feminine mask." Daredevil Samuel Patch could be considered the founder of extreme sports for his death-defying jumps, in the 1820s, off of Niagara Falls and into various other "swirling torrent[s]." Idealistic and eccentric Albert Pike embodied what Horwitz found so fascinating about many of his choices: "the conflicting impulses of the American character... twinned within the same [person]." Pike, a gifted writer and lawyer, became an ardent defender of Indian rights, winning multimillion-dollar settlements for local tribes, yet he may also "have written the ritual of the Ku Klux Klan." Horwitz has taken pains to include many women, minorities and non-native-born Americans, and the book is richer for it. Carefully selected, these brief but cogent portraits are written with humor, grace and a deep appreciation for the contributions of these largely unknown individuals. Photos, illus. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by Library Journal Review

Question: what do Railroad Bill, Ishi, Grizzly Adams, John Colter, and Marie Dorion have in common? Besides having an entry in the massive American National Biography (ANB), their lives were marked by adventure, daring, and risk. Horwitz (Blue Latitudes; Confederates in the Attic) culled 50 stories from the ANB using a very broad definition of adventure. He deliberately omitted famous adventurers like Daniel Boone and Sacajawea and only included a few household names whose stories surprised him. Found here are missionaries, fur trappers, tramps, showgirls, scholars, and soldiers. For example, Railroad Bill stole, hijacked a train, evaded search parties, and after his murder became a folk hero for Southern blacks, his story immortalized in song. Dorion served as an Indian interpreter in the 1810s for fur-trapping companies in the western United States. Horwitz briefly introduces each biography and finishes the volume with a list of sources and further readings. The narratives are incredibly interesting and truly addicting. All libraries, especially those that already own ANB, will definitely want to purchase this gem.-Margaret Atwater-Singer, Univ. of Evansville, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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