Imagine you were stuck on a desert island for 18 months…
What books would you take?
This is the sort of delicious quandry I can daydream indecisively about for ages.
But a friend of mine, Olly Hicks, is departing in a few weeks to row round Antarctica. This lunatic, courageous, epic solo expedition will take about 18 months to complete. A while ago I promised I’md help out with his on-board ‘library’ (makes it sound like a relaxing cruise!). And so, in a bit of a rush last week, I delved into Amazon and ordered these books:
- – The Penguin History of the World: JM Roberts
- – Withnail and I; the screenplay (Andy‘s choice as this kept him entertained as he walked from London to Istanbul)
- – For Whom the Bell Tolls: Ernest Hemingway
- – The Unequalled Self: Samuel Pepys (Ben‘s choice)
- – Blackadder, the whole damn dynasty
- – East of Eden: John Steinbeck
I wanted books with substance, to keep Olly entertained and curious for those long, lonely months. What would you have chosen?
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller – Because it’s still interesting to read a 2nd time and figure out how all the pieces fit together.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy – because it’s an award-winning novel also about global warming.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel – Because what else would you want to read about when you’re trapped in a boat than a novel about another individual trapped in a small boat.
Damn, I was going to say Catch 22 as well, as a useful reminder that things don’t always have to make sense.
So maybe In Patagonis, by Bruce Chatwyn – for the same reason.
A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson.
ps – wish I’d bought him Papillon too…
I’d have to put ‘What am I doing here’ by Bruce Chatwin as number 1 on the list of desert island books. Then in no particular order, ‘The places inbetween’ by Rory Stewart, ‘Call of the Wild’ by Guy Grieve, and ‘The Sea Wolf’ by Jack London.
I’ll have to add a few of yours to my list for the next few months!
hi
My favourite on a deserted island would be ‘seven years in tibet’ by heinrich harrer.Its an epic account of his travels across the barren tibetan landscape.
no hesitation Gabriel garcia Marquez, 100 years of loneliness..
dont know yours by the way… ;)
As a lover of the desert I can identify with Wind, Sand and Stars. Wind In the Sahara by R V Bodley (grandson of the founder of the Bodlian Library) is a good read.
Depressed when watching the signature of the Treaty of Versailles, and seeing it as preparation for a Second World Was, Bodley stepped into a side room, Lawrence saw him and asked why he was in such a mood, and said ‘go and live with the Arabs’. This is the account of seven or eight years living in the desert in North Africa, your cup will always be half full after reading this – a wonderful account – and a book that has had a deep effect on my life.
‘Quiet for a Tuesday’ by Tom Sheppard – 2008 – an elderly desert explorer, alone in his Mercedes 4×4, confident to drive miles off the tarmac, alone for days on end (you might remember seeing the encounter with Michael Palin in Pole to Pole). An inspiration to go and do some extraordinary things, and a book (and some wonderful pics to boot) to read and reread…..
And yes – As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning – is a favourite – I gave a copy to Andy Dextrous – the guy who taught me to juggle – just before he set off for Spain – ‘for the man who showed me what my hands were for!!’
I’ve added the Bodley book to my Amazon wishlist…
Great stuff Matt – had a peek at the Hoy film with Macleod – you’re all mad, and filming a madman – but superb stuff. Climbing filming has reached new levels with the latest equipment, hats off to you all.
Thanks very much for the kind words Mike. It was an incredible trip, and I definitely had some experiences that I will never forget (particularly the 18 metre pendulum swing 320 metres above the sea!) I can’t wait to see the edited film!
Like the list you’ve put together there Al. The Ascent of Rum Doodle – pure class. For whom the bell tolls would definitely be in my top 10 too. I’ve been meaning to read As I walked out one midsummer morning for a while now so thanks for the reminder that I need to go and buy it!
Some of my favourites are William Dalrymple’s In Xanadu, Newby’s A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, and Jay Griffiths’ Wild which totally blew me away when I read it the other week.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy – an insight into Keralan life and beautifully poetic, I could read it again and again
I would have to include “The Life of Pi”
Strange book, but must be on the list.
Other than that I think you have a fairly complete list.
Focussing on travel related books, I’d have to go for:
1. A Walk in the Woods [Bill Bryson] – hilarious insight into a regular bloke doing the Appalachian Trail with a loose cannon for a friend
2. The Last American Man [Elizabeth Gilbert] – an outdoors legend
3. Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey [Göran Kropp] – it usually takes me about 6 months to read a book, but I was so mesmerised by this adventure I got through it in 2 days. A true legend, rest in peace.
Mountain Days and Bothy Nights by Ian Mitchell / Dave Brown – describes the “social” history of Scottish Mountaineering at a particular time.
Always a Little Further by Alistair Borthwick – again a bit of social history …but from a different point in time.
Both explain a bit of my own motivation for finding micro adventure in the hills and glens north of the river Clyde.
My Desert Island book would be an aptly named Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
He depicts his entrancement with the deserts of the American Southwest
The author has been compared to Thoreau which is an achievement in itself!
Good choice – it’s a good read, isn’t it.
Another one is ‘Three Men in a Boat’ by Jerome K Jerome. I’m currently swimming the length of the Thames in (very slow) stages and though this book may be old, it’s hilarious. Many of the passages still resonate – such as the description of camping in the rain and the joys (or otherwise) of going for a cold water swim in the morning.
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