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Turn right at Machu Picchu : rediscovering the lost city one step at a time /

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : Dutton, c2011.Description: 333 p. cmISBN:
  • 9780525952244
  • 0525952241
  • 9780452297982
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 985/.37 22
LOC classification:
  • F3429.1.M3 A43 2011
Summary: Traces the author's recreation of Hiram Bingham III's discovery of the ancient citadel, Machu Picchu, in the Andes Mountains of Peru, describing his struggles with rudimentary survival tools and his experiences at the sides of local guides.
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Item type Current library Home library Collection Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Standard Loan Hayden Library Adult Nonfiction Hayden Library Book 985.37/ADAMS (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 50610017282885
Standard Loan Priest Lake Library Adult Nonfiction Priest Lake Library Book 985.37 ADAMS (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 50610022285246
Standard Loan Spirit Lake Library Adult Nonfiction Spirit Lake Library Book 985.37/ADAMS (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 50610020936741
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Mark Adams has spent his career editing adventure and travel magazines, polishing hair-raising tales about the exploits of famous explorers. So his plan to investigate the allegations against Bingham by retracing the explorer's perilous path to Machu Picchu isn't completely far-fetched, even if it does require him to sleep in a tent for the first time. Along the way he finds a still-undiscovered country populated with brilliant and eccentric characters, as well as an answer to the question that has nagged scientists for generations: just what was Machu Picchu?

Includes index.

Traces the author's recreation of Hiram Bingham III's discovery of the ancient citadel, Machu Picchu, in the Andes Mountains of Peru, describing his struggles with rudimentary survival tools and his experiences at the sides of local guides.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

John's "martini explorer" comment had unnerved me a little--compared to Bingham, I was a white-wine spritzer explorer--so before committing to anything, I thought I should mention that it had been a while since I had slept outdoors. What came out of my mouth instead was "I might not be completely up-to-date on the latest tent-erecting methods." "That's all right," John said. "We'll need mules for a trip like this and the arrieros--the muleteers--can set up the tents. How do you feel about food?" "Sorry?" "You like cooked food?" John asked. I admitted that I did, in fact, have a weakness for victuals prepared over heat. Excerpted from Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Although Adams was an editor of adventure travel magazines (Outside and National Geographic Adventure), by his own admission he last slept in a tent as a teenager in his parents' yard. In this narrative of his trek through the Peruvian highlands and tropical forests he shares three stories. He writes of the Incas' encounter with the conquistadors and the ultimate collapse of their empire in 1572. The second arc is that of the Yale explorer Hiram Bingham III and his three expeditions in the early 20th century to Peru in search of the lost city of Vilcabamba-the last jungle capital of the rebel Inca state. The last, but certainly not least, is Adams's account of his own trip and the intrepid Australian guide and Peruvian handlers who got him safely to Machu Picchu and back. VERDICT This delightful travelog is reminiscent of Hugh Thomson's The White Rock and Tahir Shah's Trail of Feathers. Adams, both funny and insightful, is intrigued by Machu Picchu without seeming New Agey, and the characters he introduces are compelling. Recommended for adventurers and armchair travelers alike. [See Prepub Alert, 1/3/11.]-Lee Arnold, Historical Soc. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Journalist Adams, whose previous Mr. America was an entertaining rediscovery of the life of early 20th-century fitness guru Bernard Macfadden, explores the weird crevasses of American exploration. In this fascinating history/travelogue, Adams looks at the work of Hiram Bingham III, who became a national sensation after he "discovered" the ancient city of Machu Picchu in July 1911. To celebrate the centennial of Bingham's discovery, Adams attempts to follow Bingham's exact footsteps through the Andes Mountains of Peru, with two clear goals: to figure out "how Bingham had gotten to Machu Picchu in the first place" and, in the face of recent claims that he had illegally smuggled artifacts out of the country, to understand the broader story of Bingham's "all-consuming attempt to solve the mystery of why such a spectacular granite city had been built in such a spellbinding location." Adams successfully weaves Bingham's tales-as well as resuscitating Bingham's positive reputation and accomplishments-into his own description of difficult but often amusing travels with his companions, a rugged Australian survivalist and four local mule tenders, which climaxes with an amazing visual moment that happens only once a year at Machu Picchu on the morning of the winter solstice. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

This year is the centenary of Hiram Bingham's finding of Machu Picchu, which the Indiana Jones prototype touted as the final Andean redoubt of the Inca. After an editorial career spent sending travel writers to remote corners of the earth, Adams decided to assign himself the adventure of retracing Bingham's steps. Wryly recounting his learning curve of roughing it and getting along with his guide, crusty Australian John Leivers, Adams brings an amusing mixture of credulity and skepticism to his multistrand accounting of Machu Picchu--its contemporary look as a crowded tourist attraction; Bingham's theories about the terraced, mountaintop citadel; and subsequent ideas about the ruins fervently advanced by amateur and credentialed archaeologists alike. Weighing Bingham's accounts to figure out exactly what he had achieved (if not exactl. discoverin. Machu Picchu, Bingham sensationally publicized it), Adams fronts the history with entertaining descriptions of his badinage with Leivers about Bingham-associated sites. Retaining its mysterious aura, Machu Picchu will no doubt prove as alluring to modern readers as it did to Bingham. A well-embroidered portrayal.--Taylor, Gilber. Copyright 2010 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

Intent on undertaking an audacious open-air exploit, but lacking even rudimentary camping skills or basic gear, an adventure-travel writer recounts his unconventional trek to the mysterious Machu Picchu.Teamed with an irascible Australian guide and a group of Quechua-speaking mule tenders, Adams (Mr. America:How Muscular Millionaire Bernarr Macfadden Transformed the Nation Through Sex, Salad, and the Ultimate Starvation Diet, 2009) journeyed through the wilds of Peru to unravel the persistent puzzle surrounding the Lost City of the Incas: What was its purpose? The author deftly weaves together two story lines, each peopled with striking characters and astonishing landscapes. Told in alternating chapters, Adams details the life and times of Hiram Bingham III, the outsized early-20th-century explorer credited with "discovering" Machu Picchu, whose reputation has recently suffered due to an archaeological controversy. Overlaid on this extensively researched and entertaining historical framework is the author's humorous recounting of his personal and physical transformation during the demanding trek. Following one extremely strenuous hike, Adams confronted a vacation dilemma. He could either jump on a train or walk another six miles with his 60-pound pack filled with books. "This might be my only chance to hike like a serious adventurer, to carry my own pack like atraveler," he writes, "not heave it onto the luggage rack like atourist." Coupled with his keen eye for the absurd and his knowledge of the travel industry, the author gleefully remarks on the excesses of the increasingly commercialized adventure-travel business, while never hesitating to point out his own foibles.A funny, erudite retrospection offering more subtle and lastingrewards than the usual package tour.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Mark Adams is an American journalist and bestselling author. His work has appeared in numerous national publications, including: EPSN: The Magazine, GQ, New York and The New Yorker. His latest book is entitled Meet Me in Atlantis: My Obsessive Quest to Find the Lost City. He is also the author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu and Mr. America.

(Bowker Author Biography)

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