Annotated Bibliography
History
This isn't half of the good history books I've read, but for some reason I
can't think of any more off the top of my head at the moment.
Steven Ambrose
- Undaunted Courage
This is a recent description of the Lewis and Clark expedition that apparently
includes a fair amount of new information never before published for the
general public. It includes lots of excerpts from their journals. It brings
the expedition alive; very interesting and easy to read.
Anne Frank
- Diary of Anne Frank
This is amazing. Without realizing it, Anne Frank wrote a great novel in her
diary, one day at a time. I was not expecting to get swept up in her life
heart and soul, her joy and sadness, family problems and childish dreams.
Benjamin Franklin
- Autobiography
Old Ben'll make anyone feel like a lazy dullard. He's the archetypal
all-American self-made man. He methodically went about everything from what he
ate to how he conducted incidental conversations. He has a great sense of
humor, and (apparently) he really enjoys talking about himself. (Although to
his credit, he was writing to his son and had no idea his letters would end up
published as an autobiography.)
John McPhee
- Encounters with the Archdruid
Jon McPhee, a famous journalist, tells first-person of three trips he went on
with Sierra Club ex-president, David Brower. One trip includes Floyd Dominy as
well, as they all float down the Colorado River before Glen Canyon was drowned.
(Dominy was largely responsible to the Glen Canyon Dam, and Brower said that
allowing the canyon to be flooded was the greatest mistake of his life -- the
tension could be cut with a knife!) Well worth reading.
Mark Reisner
- Cadillac Desert
Don't read this book if you don't like being so pissed off you can't sleep at
night. I've talked to people who should know and they've told me that Reisner
is reasonably fair. He has a superb chapter on the fascinating story of how
the LA aqueduct was built, and there's another great chapter devoted to Floyd
Dominy -- a fascinating intelligent man, may he rot in hell for flooding the
Glen Canyon all the same! It is long but extremely interesting cover to cover.
Watkin Tench
- 1788
Watkin Tench tells of the original settlement of Australia from first person.
It is fascinating, entertaining reading.
Tom Wolfe
- The Right Stuff
This is the entertaining and interesting history of supersonic flight and
sending men into space. The characters involved are extremely colorful and
amusing.
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