The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons (Penguin Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: John Wesley Powell
Creator: Wallace Stegner
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy Used: $6.39
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Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 87356
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0142437522
Dewey Decimal Number: 979.13
EAN: 9780142437520
ASIN: 0142437522
Publication Date: May 27, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
One of the great works of American exploration literature, this account of a scientific expedition forced to survive famine, attacks, mutiny, and some of the most dangerous rapids known to man remains as fresh and exciting today as it was in 1874.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 Cornerstone of Southwestern history December 4, 2008
John Wesley Powell wrote one of the finest dedications that's ever been written when, as a very old man, he penned thanks to the men, dead many years, with whom he'd explored the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. Those moving words alone intimate the power and excitement awaiting this epic adventure.
Powell's writing is so factual that you have to strain at the words to get a real sense for the incredible dangers that Powell and his men faced. One crew member abandoned early on, and three who gave up just before the expedition's end were killed before ever getting out of the wilderness. Their deaths have been blamed on Mormons or native Americans. Starvation, drowning, and accidental death of every variety threatened the crew at every step of their three-month odyssey.
This trip down the primeval, untamed, terrible Colorado River and the first ever exploration of the Grand Canyon, all done by a one-armed Civil War veteran, ranks perhaps as the literary starting point for the opening of the Southwest. The etchings in the book and the grandeur of the scenery described by Powell are extraordinary.
 Outstanding from cover to cover. August 28, 2008
I started reading this book while on vacation in Mexico and was enthralled from the moment I picked the book up.
The writing style is a tiny bit hard to digest in the beginning, but clears up and gives you a very thorough, easy to follow narrative of the Colorado.
The drawings in the book give you an insight into what they sw along the way, and made the book a truly great read.
This Should Be The 1st Book You Read on The Grand Canyon August 3, 2008
Although this one-armed Major from the Civil War has a tendency to marginalize the dangers, turmoil, and strenuous labor that was required to forge the uncharted waters of the Grand Canyon in 1869, you definitely "get it". His descriptions are more of a nuts and bolts account, never waxing poetic nor adding philosophical banter. Through trial and error, they learned how to read the geology and how they could predict what may lie ahead by the types and angles of the strata that formed the river's edge. However, knowing what was ahead only added to the tension and they still had to make crucial last minute decisions, sometimes too late. I was totally enthralled with this adventure and couldn't put the book down.
A must for every Grand Canyon River Rafter July 31, 2008
After I've been down the Colorado through the Canyon 3 times and after having read Stantons "Colorado River Controversies", I had to read the original Diary of Powell. This guy, though daring, did not stick fully to the truth in his diaries, but the descriptions are overwhelming and I loved every word. After all, he was still a youngster in those days - a daredevil. We seem to forget this, as we only know the picture of him in his old days. But I like his guide Sumner better.
How can you rate such a classic?
 Bold Explorer July 14, 2007
I got this book to read while I was rafting the Grand Canyon. It was well worth it. John Wesley Powell's description of his unbelivable expedition helped me put into words the spectacular scenes that makes up the Grand Canyon. I recommend this book to anyone who is considering traveling down the Colorado River.
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