Tombs, Travel, and Trouble (Resnick Library of Worldwide Adventure)

Rating:
Summary: Jungle Fever
Review: I picked up a hard copy first edition of this at the Strand in NYC. This is the type of book I love. Well written adventure in a world that has passed. What has also passed is book quality. The edition I have is so solidly put together, someone will pick up same in 2070 and no doubt enjoy this book as much as I did. A testament to the hardware and software . The 20 and 30s period was at the cusp of when the jungles of Malaysia, Panama, and Brazil were not yet overly intruded upon by the outside world. Lawrence's sense of humor in the many situations ultimately demonstrate his respect for the locals and locale (but his being a "boss" on these expeditions hides that a bit). Incidences of death amongst colleagues, porters, and now rare wildlife (there are few tiger hunts here that are bit sad)are too easily put aside. But on a one off basis there are some great moments with the West Pointer in Panama, the irresponsible American kid taken along to the Philippines, the hardships of the overweight archeologist up the Amazon, the tiger encounter in Malaysia and more. I laughed aloud many times. This balances the distress one gets on a de-capitation or two and depletion of Sumatran rhinos. An excellent read. Some of the situations tie out so wonderfully here that one wonders about some creeping fiction. I have found though that travel done right leads one into situations that can not be made up. Lawrence, I keep my doubts in check.

Rating:
Summary: Jungle Fever
Review: Lawrence Griswold's account of his travels in South America and southeast Asia in the 1920s and 30s is as endearing as it is ridiculous. Much in the same manner as the geographers and historians of the ancient world, his narrative walks the fine line between epic real-life experience and absurd, cliched hyperbole. The result is an entertaining tale of faraway places in a time when the world was a little less accessible, and political correctness had not yet been invented. Griswold's unflappable persona in the work coupled with his descriptions of the people he meets along the way provides most of the humor, as well as the ridiculousness of several of the situations in which he and his traveling companions find themselves. The anecdotal and episodic nature of the book means that it is not a whole unit overall, but Griswold does an excellent job of finishing his creation with flourish: the tale of the Komodo dragon and the castor oil.

Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Work of Ridiculous Self-Importance
Review: Lawrence Griswold's account of his travels in South America and southeast Asia in the 1920s and 30s is as endearing as it is ridiculous. Much in the same manner as the geographers and historians of the ancient world, his narrative walks the fine line between epic real-life experience and absurd, cliched hyperbole. The result is an entertaining tale of faraway places in a time when the world was a little less accessible, and political correctness had not yet been invented. Griswold's unflappable persona in the work coupled with his descriptions of the people he meets along the way provides most of the humor, as well as the ridiculousness of several of the situations in which he and his traveling companions find themselves. The anecdotal and episodic nature of the book means that it is not a whole unit overall, but Griswold does an excellent job of finishing his creation with flourish: the tale of the Komodo dragon and the castor oil.

Rating:
Summary: Real life Indiana Jones and his true tall tales.
Review: Our all-American adventurer friend, Lawrence Griswald takes his archaeology passion to the jungles of Central and South America where he meets with killers, traps and really big snakes. Then, off to Indonesia to be the first to capture the deadly living dinosaur: the Komodo Dragon. If these 20's and 30's Indiana Jones adventures are to be believed, then Griswold was the greatest explorer ever. Otherwise, he's the greatest story spinner ever. Either way, who cares. Watch out for the chapter called "Thirst!"