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The rivers ran east
written by Leonard Clark
Studio : Funk & Wagnalls
by Funk & Wagnalls
Publisher : Funk & Wagnalls
Released : 1961
Availability : This Item is currently Not Available
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 26 reviews)
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Product Description |
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Long out of print, this is a riveting firsthand account of Leonard Clark’s search for the legendary lost Seven Cities of Cibola — reputedly home to enormous reserves of gold — in the rain forest east of the Peruvian Andes. A former U.S. Army intelligence officer, Clark is joined on his expedition by Inez Pokorny, a gutsy, multilingual female explorer. Their treacherous journey includes encounters with head-hunting Jivaro Indians, man-eating jaguars, 40-foot-long anacondas, poisonous plants, and shamanistic healers. Against the odds, Clark and Pokorny reach their destination, but nearly starve to death trying to transport sacks of gold out of the dense tropical foliage. |
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Think J. Peterman parody |
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This may be the funniest book I have ever read, precisely because it doesn't try to be funny, but reveals an incredible, good-natured imagination. The reviewer who is a biologist and worked in the Orinoco hit this on the head, "mishmash" is the right word. An incredible collection of odd facts, phrases, trivia, all woven together in a hilarious account. Anyone who has actually been in the rain forest in South America, which includes me on several occasions, knows this is pure hokum. Few animals are ever seen, and mostly it'd dark, green and quiet. But what makes this book so great is how much is going on every few lines--snakes are poised to strike, jaguars snarl, natives threaten. But it's all in fun and this really does beat Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe and rivals Lord of the Ring for sheer fantasy enjoyment. |
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Great Story |
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It's one of the best books I have ever read! The author is very eloquent, and you get the feel of traveling along on this incredible adventure. Just sit back and watch the pages fly by. |
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Sizzling with adventure |
Whether fiction or not, Leonard Clark's supposed exploits into western Americancivilwaria is a wild and exciting venture which reads like an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel.
His personal secret mission was to locate the fabled El Dorado with incomprehensible riches but due to heavy governmental scrutiny of gold seekers coupled with the political unrest of country boundaries, he went under the guise of seeking ethnobotanicals.
Clark's dangerous undertakings took him into the heart of dense jungle and tangled vegetation, thwarting every imaginable task at hand. From jaguars, venomous snakes and crocodiles down to the relentless flies and chiggers that inhabit these inhospitable environs there is never a dull moment. His escapades with the head-hunting tribes of the rainforest are charged with excitement.
Again, how much of this is actually credible is not my place to say. However, the book will keep you on the edge of your seat.
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The Rivers Ran East: |
I found an old original copy of this book in my step-fathers library in Adelaide Australia that I was going through after he passed on. Some time later I sat down to read it.....what a book! couldn't put it down for a minute. It has everything you want in a good book. You can actually hear and smell the jungle, what! and with fast paced action! just had me out of breath reading it! Best of all, it is actual adventure! nothing arrogant about it, nor was it into boring chatter of any kind to eat up pages and thicken the book.
No! it was a pack full of wonder in itself, and, let your imagination go wild!....I brought a copy to share with my brother as a retirement gift. So many people these days forget, that not long ago the world was a very different place. |
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Best book I ever read!! |
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I bought a copy of this (in hardback) about 45 years ago as a gift for my then fiance. He had heard about it and was so excited about getting a copy. I then made the mistake of loaning it to someone and they did not return it. I then tried to order it, but it was out of print. Several years ago I was able to get a paperback copy. I WILL NOT LOAN THIS ONE OUT. I have read it several times and enjoy it each time. I am in the process of ordering "A Wanderer Till I Die". I would recommend this book to anyone (except someone who is afraid of snakes, bugs, etc.). |
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