I was a big fan of Tony Horwitz's other works and this new offering did not fail to disappoint. He is able to weave history and humor into a volume that is hard to put down. It should be on every high school history students' reading list (or college for that matter). As our nation continues to struggle with its identity in the modern era, this book gives a foundation for where and how it all began. Anyone even remotely interested in travel and history will be entertained by this well researched tome.

Half history, half travelogue. The history covered in this book is pretty much ignored by our educational system which focuses on the pilgrims of 1620 while the much earlier explorations and settlements are generally ignored. This book helps fill those holes.

During the author's travels as he researches these histories, he meets a number of fascinating characters who add color and interest to the narrative.

The conclusion of the author is that myth always trumps facts. Our creation story is based on the myths surrounding the pilgrims and ignores the facts of earlier explorations.

Having just read " Cities of Gold " which covered in great details the spanish exploration in the Southwest U.S., I enjoyed reading more about East Coast Voyages of discovery. The author uses an easy and often humorous way of describing the events. In short it is an easy to read and informative bookA Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World

great research and well written. Our children should be doing this history reviews, if not through this book then through other text books. It is time to change our view of North American History.

I have been a fan of Mr. Horwitz ever since "Confederates in the Attic". He brings a human element to history, and has a wonderful ability to make an otherwise droll subject in a lesser author's hands, come to life. In this book he shares insights on a part of American history that gets little attention, unless you go looking for it. I enjoyed it very much.

This is a really good audio book for folks that have an interest in history, especially early North American History.

The Conquistadors were the savages, not the naturals.

And I still prefer Turkey even if the first Thanksgiving wasn't in Plymouth!

This at least shows the fact that the origins of the USA's civilization is in the South. Spanish-speaking St. Augustine in Florida was the first European settlement, in 1565. The first-ever democratic elections in America were held in the Jamestown colony in 1607, etc. Because the North won the Civil War, they have written the history text books, which make it sound like Plymouth Rock was the cradle of the American nation. When in fact, the beginings of African-America were already one year in the past when the Pilgrims landed in New England, as African indentured servants landed on the Virginia coast in 1619. I am please to find Horwitz revealing the truth about this. I have not gotten there yet, but I am assuming he also credits the existence of the United States to the charity and patriotism of a Jew named Hayem Salomon; this man was an immigrant in New York from Poland, who bacame the wealthiest man in the Anglo-American colonies before 1775. Without his dedication and pocket book Continental Congress would not have had the resources to finance the Revolutionary War. In the middle of the 1780s, Salomon died penniless in a poor flat in New York. Congress never paid him back the vast fortune he contributed. But in recent years Congress did authorize the issue of a postage stamp bearing his likeness.

A really interesting look (and at times very funny) at the odd blank spot in American history between Columbus and Jamestown, especially odd since so much actually happened during that time; Coronado, Soto, the first European colony in the US at Fort Caroline (founded by French Huguenots and now Jacksonville, which was founded later after the colony was massacred by the Spanish). Also very thoughtful at times about a nation's memory and why we revere the jerks at Plymouth Bay Colony rather than any of their predecessors (who weren't exactly saints either).

For those who loved Confederates In The Attic, Tony Horwitz once again travels back into time, following the paths of Vikings, conquistadors and settlers. The main theme is the black hole Americans have of the time between Columbus and the Pilgrims, a not insignificant period of 128 years in which much occurred. Names like Coronado and DeSoto were just names in history books to many people, even well educated ones like Horwitz himself.

Horwitz writes about the historical misconceptions and other tidbits of this time which surround not only the explorers (Ponce de Leon was not in search of a fountain of youth, he never set foot in St. Augustine either) but also the natives (many Indian societies were scattered and loose confederations by the 16th century as opposed to their greater, more prosperous nations in centuries previous).

Some interesting moments in the book:

- Horwitz rightly condemns the lack of proper historical presentation in our time, for example St. Augustine turned into a Ponce de Leon theme park complete with pirates and the new pox of dumbed-down history, ghost tours.

- Regardless of the cruelty and single-minded gold mania of the conquistadors, Horwitz marvels at how they managed to march through inhospitable regions like the desert southwest and the swampy southeast. As for the atrocities they committed, there are many examples here. Still, Horwitz speaks to defenders of their legacy as well.

- Interesting modern day people and places abound: The Kansas Swedish Lutheran town situated at the Spanish Catholic Coronado's furthest exploration north. How the flooding of the Mississippi over the decades destroyed once-prosperous towns like Arkansas City, now a near-vacant settlement. The chaos of the modern Dominican Republic.

- The squandered legacy of the Vikings who failed to make inroads into the New World.

- The first Indian who met the Pilgrims spoke English and asked for beer. The Pilgrims weren't close to being the first people to settle on the east coast of the U.S.

Much more here, written in Horwitz's generally objective and inquisitive style. His trips to historical spots give a lot of modern day perspective. As with his other books, his visits to such places are met with either genuine interest or indifference.

Most of all, Horwitz engages the reader, regardless of political leaning. Contrast this to a book like Assassination Nation by Sarah Vowell, which could have been an excellent book but is poisoned by her bitter partisan rants. For all we know Horwitz could share a similar political viewpoint but he keeps an even-handed approach in this book.

The "truth" about America's origins is uncovered in interesting storytelling fashion. At times it reads like page turner. It might broaden a reader's viewpoint but it will make "little difference", because "...Myths didn't just trump fact; they helped create it." If you have played (or know about) rounders and tried to explain it's connection to baseball to almost any baseball fan you know the author is "right" about that. But that is not necessarily a bad thing it keeps our "foundation" stable and thus strong.

I heard Mr. Horwitz speak a few years ago. He mentioned that he was working on a book about the travels of De Soto. In the source section of this book, he mentions that he enough research on De Soto for three volumes. I suspect that he originally intended to have a book dedicated solely to De Soto and his travels, similar to Captain James Cook in Blue Latitudes. As the book developed, he and his editors thought it best to expand it to the breadth of discovery of North America. The result is somewhat a jumble. There is not the continuity you find in his other books. Chapter to chapter cover different subjects, and are disjointed. He tries to tie it together in a unified theme in the last chapter, but it does not really work.

The initial sections about Vineland and Columbus are a drag to get through. Instead of the usual observations about the current cultures and attitudes of the areas explored, these chapters mainly complain about the bugs, weather, crowds, or lack of crowds. The chapters in the Dominican Republic suffer, I think, because he does not know Spanish. He was not able utilize his greatest gift; effortlessly engaging in conversation with the local population, making them feel comfortable and unthreatened, and capturing their unguarded feelings and reflections.

The sections about Roanoke and Jamestown are the best in the book. These have the good balance between recounting the history and modern reflections that made his other books so great.

Never the less, I would recommend anyone read this, or any of Horwitz's books.

This is a great overview of the period that starts with the Vikings settling un the east coast of Canada until the arrival of the Mayflower and the "pilgrims". It is well narrated odyssey that is both interesting and educational. The author immerses the listener in a world that we have perhaps forgotten even though its remains are still visible today. You will look at the continental US and all of America different after going through this book.

Excellent and prompt service. Delivered to Ireland within days in mint condition. Thank you Amazon.

Horwitz spends three years traveling to the sites of early explorers and settlers who were in the Americas 100 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Plymouth Rock or PR was long considered the birthplace of America, Horwitz shows that other places, especially Florida, can easily claim the title.

Tony Horwitz asks the very simple question - "What happened in North America between Columbus and the Pilgrims?" - a 128 year interlude that seems strangely ignored - and then searches out the answer. Along the way he also searches out where, why, and by whom it is still remembered. A very funny book as a bit of travel writing (think Bill Bryson) and slice of present day Americana, and a very solid primer on the explorations and settlement of North America before the Pilgrims came and claimed to be the first.

It's not quite as good as Horwitz's book "Confederates in the Attic" - but that book sets a very high bar indeed. (If you've never read it, read that one first.) But a solid and enjoyable effort all around.

The serious weakness in the book is first suggested in the grossly inaccurate colored map on the inside cover of the book. The map and text show Cabeza de Vaca's route as beginning in Texas (rather than Florida)and running through central Texas (rather than norther Mexico). Cabeza de Vaca's route has been extensively covered by well documented historical and archeological studies over the past thirty years with no one faintly suggesting the route identified by the author's map and narrative. The same comment is made regarding the map and narrative regarding the route of De Soto who spent more time west of the Mississippi than he spent east of the river, including the extensive one-year journey to the southwest to try to march overland to Mexico.I understand the interest in making the story and voyage long and strange, but this could have been accomplished within the context of well established academic studies that abound.

This book offers a look at what really took place from the Vikings to the Mayflower.
At times serious and other time humorous. well done and easy and too fast reading.

I greatly enjoyed this book. While being scholarly sound, it is easy reading. It is the kind of book a teacher of history should embrace.

It's been written before that Tony Horwitz "makes history fun". I couldn't agree with that statement more. I've read all of his novels and have been captivated by each of them. His travel writings literally take the reader along on the journey, and the inter-twinings of the past with the present unravel the historical mysteries he explores in a sometimes hilarious light.

I haven't finished "A Voyage Long and Strange" as of yet. I've been reading it very slowly as if it were a reward I need to earn first. I don't want it to end. I really can't get enough of Horwitz's writing. I sincerely hope he's at work again on his next novel.

I came to Horwitz, like many others, through Confederates in the Attic : Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War, which had special resonance to me personally because of my birthplace roughly equidistant from Gettysburg and Antietam just north of the Mason-Dixon line, a dividing line that was always the near horizon (to the north or south) the first 40 years of my life before I moved deeper into the old Confederacy (Raleigh, NC).

I followed him to the South Pacific and around the world on the Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before he sailed in the wake of Captain James Cook, a subject (extreme voyages of discovery involving years off the map and far from the measured time of family, news, and career) which I find endlessly fascinating in an age when we say "call me when you get there" before a 30 minutes trip to the store.

This time, Horwitz comes home, taking on the discovery of America, which of course resonates with American readers nationally as well as personally. And I have rated all three of these books the highest honor because of his unique ability to concisely recap the historical significance of the events and place, then interweave the attitudes and actions of the descendants (sometimes familial, sometimes historical) of those events and places in our day. So this book isn't about who discovered America, and how, and why, but about how we today think, believe, feel, talk, and act about the who, the how, and the why.

That Horwitz does so with an almost gentle ability to befriend and pull from complete strangers their most genuine thoughts and reactions, and is able to report them with humor and (usually) without rancor, is another key component of what makes his books so successful. I hesitate to use the word gentle, for he proves his personal bravery and chutzpah numerous times throughout the course of his books; gentleness is not always meekness, as Horwitz demonstrates here by challenging unfriendly people (Native Americans closed to outsiders), taking uncharted paths (getting lost deep in the Dominican Republic in search of Columbus), and tackling unknown and extreme challenges (a sweat lodge in Newfoundland).

As always, Horwitz does so with his patented light blend of popular history, but provides roots for deeper research in his notes on the sources and extended bibliography of primary and secondary materials. His research is always detailed and well synthesized into his writing, and I have found myself with two reactions to each of his books: noting sources for further reading I need to do, and referring to the road atlas or web sites to find if such wondrous and crazy places as Horwitz describes really do exist.

Perhaps that is the real secret to his success--he takes the places we live in and look past every day, and makes us look at them with fresh eyes and amazement at the great, insignificant and sometimes silly things that have happened there, and how they have focused our eyes and shaped what we see.

Some sources I have previously read and reviewed that extend Horwitz's history:

1421: The Year China Discovered America tells a tale that Horwitz explicitly leaves out in the interest of keeping his book to manageable length: the intriguing possibility that the Chinese also discovered America before Columbus (with this catalog of pre-Columbian "discoverers", one pictures a fully populated continent whose coasts are dotted with earlier immigrant arrivals thumbing their noses at laggard Columbus!).

The Last Voyage of Columbus: Being the Epic Tale of the Great Captain's Fourth Expedition, Including Accounts of Swordfight, Mutiny, Shipwreck, Gold, War, Hurricane, and Discovery carries the Columbus story from the beginning Horwitz outlines to its mostly painful conclusion.

Amerigo: The Man Who Gave His Name to America gives more background on this mystery man who is accorded naming honors on the continent into which Columbus crash-landed.

Brutal Journey: The Epic Story of the First Crossing of North America is the full account of Spanish surviver De Vaca's astounding journey across the Southwest, one of Horwitz's points of reference that sound too bizarre to be true.

The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World, Carlos Fuentes literary and illuminating take on Spanish-American history is referenced in the source notes and bibliography.

Searching for Virginia Dare: A Fool's Errand is one writer's account of an attempt to resolve the "Lost Colony" mystery.

Savage Kingdom: The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America provides more details behind John Smith's leadership and flaws in this 2007 accounting of Jamestown history (too new to be in Horwitz' bibliography).

I hated to see this one end...just mesmerizingly interesting... I learned so much...a gem of a read ! Now what to read next that doesn't pale in comparison? Sigh...

At first I had my doubts about purchasing this book, but I'm very glad I did. It is an excellent read from start to finish.

Tony Horwitz has hoisted the sails full mast in this very readable and investigative work on rediscovering America's beginnings.

For generations many of us have been duped into believing that Columbus discovered America and the Pilgrims were the first to settle this land. So, what did actually happen before Plymouth in 1620?

The author painstakingly traveled thousands of miles in the footsteps of the Vikings (circa 1000AD), Columbus (1492), the early Spanish conquistadors Ponce de Leon, de Vaca, de Soto and Coronado (1513-1542), the unsuccessful attempt of Fort Caroline by the French during the 1560's which lead to the eventual founding of America's oldest settlement St. Augustine by the Spanish, the failed English colony at Roanoke during the 1580's and culminating with Jamestown (1607) and Plymouth (1620).

What makes this approach to history a fun read is Horowitz' interviews with the hundreds of local people from the Northeast, to the Southeast, to the Southwestern areas of the United States. People certainly have their own opinions about their immediate environs and it shines through.
As stated in the final pages...oftentimes myth trumps fact in history. Embellishment and fabrication make for an intriguing story to fit one's own views.

Tony Horwitz has hoisted the sails full mast in this very readable and investigative work on rediscovering America's beginnings.

For generations many of us have been duped into believing that Columbus discovered America and the Pilgrims were the first to settle this land. So, what did actually happen before Plymouth in 1620?

The author painstakingly traveled thousands of miles in the footsteps of the Vikings (circa 1000AD), Columbus (1492), the early Spanish conquistadors Ponce de Leon, de Vaca, de Soto and Coronado (1513-1542), the unsuccessful attempt of Fort Caroline by the French during the 1560's which lead to the eventual founding of America's oldest settlement St. Augustine by the Spanish, the failed English colony at Roanoke during the 1580's and culminating with Jamestown (1607) and Plymouth (1620).

What makes this approach to history a fun read is Horowitz' interviews with the hundreds of local people from the Northeast, to the Southeast, to the Southwestern areas of the United States. People certainly have their own opinions about their immediate environs and it shines through.
As stated in the final pages...myth trumps fact in history. Embellishment and fabrication make for an intriguing story to fit one's own views.

As a student of American history and prehistory for many years, I had to read this book after reading the reviews! Am I glad that I did...... The Spanish presence is underreported in North America though that has been changing as sites are discovered and archaologically investigated. Few know that Jamestown Fort was built not in response to any Native American threat but rather because of a potential Spanish threat. This book is well researched and highly readable taking the reader on the stark trek of historic reality debunking the "nice" stories that we learned from school textbooks. I also purchased Mr. Horwitz's One for the Road and am reading that book as I write this review. I have had his Confederates in the Attic in my library for several years which I originally purchased since I have met the reenactor on the cover on several occasions. That is the next book on my reading list. Kudos to Tony Horwitz, his books are worth joining him on his trips of discovery.

Like the author said "None of us were taught this stuff".. refreshingly conversational and interesting history lesson about the 100 years that are a missing link in our American History lessons. If you like history, this is worth the read

Tony Horwitz says that he set on the course of researching and writing A VOYAGE LONG AND STRANGE because of his own ignorance of not really knowing what happened between Columbus's landfall in the New World in 1492 and the landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock in 1620. Generations of children come away from school believing the Pilgrims were the first at everything and everything was really cozy with the Indians at the first Thanksgiving. A visit to what looks like a dimpled potato or, as a tourist is overheard to remark, "The Plymouth Pebble," ignited curiosity about the old stories. Off went Horwitz on his own voyage long and strange.

I came to this history not quite as ignorant as Horwitz. I vacation at the Outer Banks, so I know about the Lost Colony (1587). In my baby boomer education at a progressive public school, I soaked up the stories of the Conquistadors explorations in search of riches. I partly grew up around in the vicinity of old missions in California, I've read DEATH COMES TO THE ARCHBISHOP, which places rogue European priests in the southwest almost since Columbus, and Nancy Marie Brown's recent THE FAR TRAVELER, about the Vikings, in addition to books on archeology and other histories for general readers. While I may have been ahead of Horwitz at the get go, he ended up with a lot of surprises for me, not the least of them in his contemporary travels of the historical sites.

This is a thumping good read; I could not put it down to which people who know me will testily attest. Horwitz is a fine writer and knows where and how to go for a story. He does have a penchant for the self-punishing adventures---he endures a Native American Indian sweat lodge, excruciating Caribbean heat, and hefty chain mail at a 16th century re-enactment in Florida heat, all for his art and knowledge. He is often funny, but the truth that emerges is not. In his research and travels, we find the roots of many of our society's contemporary divides and preoccupations. Though he never says it exactly, I find the truth he uncovers has very ancient roots: the Conquistadors arrive wearing armor and helmets and wielding brutality straight out of Roman and Medieval Europe; the ethos of might is right is out of those times, too. Modernity may have propelled Columbus but it took a back seat once he arrived this side of the pond. It took a long time for colonists to learn how to live on this continent, which took different skills than it required to live in Europe; and, apparently, we're still figuring it out.

This book tells the same old tale of Spanish,exploration and conquest of
the Americas,in this case North America.The Spanish arrived,on U.S. shores and the native peoples,basically gave their food,land,woman oh forgot their souls to the Spanish at all cost to the detriment of their own self preservation.Nonsense!!!! or should I say commonsense!!!!

One day the true story of a diverse explanation and experiences of both sides of the isle,will be told.The Spanish explores,looking for opportunity and adventure.Native people,intrigued and aware of the danger dealing with forighners on their soil.

In my opinion,the author streches out facts and adds his on spin to a complex story.Where the author got his facts? no clue.

This book will become a book,you leave in the cellar for dust to collect, if it is that lucky, or stuck in a wharehouse do to notackers,waiting to be used as kiddling out on the reservation.

This is a fascinating account of the history of so-called explorers and discoverers of the Americas and their self-centered approach to discovering, conquering, exploiting and colonizing the new world. It is funny at times and very easy to read. I recommend it highly to anyone who wants to unpack basic assumptions commonly held from Columbus discovering America (he never set foot in America) to the "first Thanksgiivng," to the reason African slaves were imported. Wonderful!

This book is the latest in a series of excellent historical/adventure books by the great writer, Tony Horwitz. He tells a great story and you realize at the end of the book that you've learned more about history than you ever learned in school. I've read every Horwitz book and can highly recommend them all. Blue Latitudes is so good its stupid. Confederates in the Attic is a hoot. This new book is just wonderful as well. Its definitely on my book shelf!

This book was a joy to read and is second only to "Confederates In The Attic" in quality. The chapters that most stand out for me are the ones that deal with Hernando de Soto. Before reading this book, I was aware in a general sense the de Soto had been harsh to the native Americans he meet. But the scale of his atrocities was not something I knew about until reading this book. I guess that only 5% of high school graduates in the US would even know who he was. Anyway this book is highly recommended.

This is probably the most fun I have had reading history in a long time. It has the factual history of long-forgotten, early European explorers in North America. The facts are interspersed with a very amusing travelogue in which the author follows the paths of the explorers. You will find yourself saying over and over "I didn't know that". Did you know that the Spaniard, Coronado reached Kansas in the early 16th Century and found native grass so tall, that people could become fatally lost in it. This time span of North American history from the Vikings, to Plymouth and Jamestowne (11th to 17th Century) is an important and much overlooked period. I read a lot of history and this is just a breath of fresh air.

I have been waiting for this book and I wasn't disappointed. Tony Horwitz has an uncanny ability to make history fun! I plan on sending this book to friends and family who still believe the many myths of history. Keep up the good work, Tony!

Another interesting book historical travelogue by Horwitz as he looks and resteps the paths of the early explorers and settlers of America and looks at what the sites are like today. Horwitz's starts each subject with readable, well researched historical summaries as he personally visits the sites and attempts to accurately follow their trail in the present day world and while trying to solve the mysteries along the way. What is unique about Horwitz is that he interviews local historians, park rangers, qualified historians and authorities on the subject including the local folk who have their own insight and opinions, adding the local flavor. That's the attraction of Horwitz's style, he gives you the interesting history and its controversies with a touch of humor as he also meets some interesting characters while running into some unique situations. And he dosen't just see the easy tourist stop such as when he went looking for the remains of an Indian village he unexpectedly ends up in a swamp, requiring a hasty retreat. He gets the real history and quite often the local legends are challenged, most aggressively in historical St. Augustine where the alleged fountain of youth is peddled right next to authentic historical sites. The author starts with an initially under whelmed visit to Plymouth Rock that has been suggested as the historical start of America but he then follows the first paths of all the known first Europeans to make it to American from the Vikings in Newfoundland, Columbus, Conquistadors (from Cortez, Desoto to Ponce de Leon), the French in Florida, the Spanish in St. Augustine, the late coming English in Roanoke Island, Jamestown and Plymouth Rock returning again where his travels started. Following the conquistadors seems the most trying aside the Columbus and the heat in the Caribbean, but you will find Horwitz's travels quite interesting particularly if you not only enjoy history but also actually standing on sites of historical significance, regardless what urban development has done in the present. Fortunately, much of the country that Horwitz encounters is either remote or reasonably protected. I particularly enjoyed reading of the extended travels of Desoto who continued to chase the dream of gold that he could never find, for four years! Exploring endless unknown interior of America while his troop strength eroded and his forcefulness with the Native Americans became weaker and more aggressively challenged until he becomes the victim. Horwitz provides appropriate attention to the most depressing aspect of American history, the harsh treatment of Native Americans that seems most severe by the Conquistadors but it reoccurs with the English settlers as well. The exposure of the white man's diseases to the natives and its devastating impact is astonishing virtually eliminating complete tribes literally easing the Pilgrim's ability to settle in pre-cleared Indian lands. The failed Roanoke colony's abandonment is fascinating as always but many other early soldiers, slaves, hunter and etc. were left behind with no knowledge of what happened to them as well and the author tells you about them. Aside from the history summarized or seen first hand, Horwitz provides nicely detailed descriptions of the towns and people he meets, the various places he stays, that obviously vary in quality, even a sweat lodge in Newfoundland that almost does him in. Entertaining and quite frequently Horwitz's rye sense of humor and observations give you a chuckle. In closing, his references are nicely detailed so if a subject fascinates you, you have the resource to read more. With his references, I found an excellent book, the right book, on Desoto's relentess and devastating exploration.

Another interesting book historical travelogue by Horwitz as he looks at who the early explorers and settlers were in America, what they found, what they were like and what the sites are like today. Horwitz's starts each subject with readable, well researched historical summaries as he personally visits the sites of these explorer/settler and in the case of the explorers, attempts to follow their trail in the present day world and while trying to solve the mysteries along the way. What is unique about Horwitz is that he interviews local historians, park rangers, finding legitimate historians and authorities on the subject that may include the local folk who have their own insight and opinions, adding the local flavor. That's the attraction of Horwitz's style, he gives you the interesting history and its controversies with a touch of humor as he also meets some interesting characters while running into some unique situations as any historian tourist can appreciate like inadvertently looking for the remains of an Indian village while unexpectedly ending up in a swamp, requiring a hasty retreat. He makes a great effort in getting the real history and quite often the local legends are challenged, probably most aggressively in historical St. Augustine where the alleged fountain of youth is peddled right next to authentic historical sites. The author starts with an initially under whelmed visit to Plymouth Rock that has been suggested as the historical start of America but he then follows the first paths of all the known first Europeans to make it to American from the Vikings in Newfoundland, Columbus, Conquistadors (from Cortez, Desoto to Ponce de Leon), the French in Florida, the Spanish in St. Augustine, the late coming English in Roanoke Island, Jamestown and Plymouth Rock returning again where his travels started. Following the conquistadors seems the most trying aside the heat in the Caribbean, but you will find the history and Horwitz's travels quite interesting if you not only enjoy history but also actually standing on t sites of historical significance, regardless what urban development has done in the present. Fortunately, much of the country that Horwitz encounters is either remote or reasonably protected. I particularly enjoyed reading of the extended travels of Desoto who continued to chase the dream of gold that he could never fine as years went by as he explored the endless interior of America while his troop strength eroded and his forcefulness with the Native Americans became weaker and more aggressively challenged as falls victim far away from home after several years of isolated exploration. Horwitz provides appropriate attention to the most depressing aspect of American history, the harsh treatment of Native Americans that seems most severe by the Conquistadors but it reoccurs with the English settlers as well. The exposure of the white man's diseases to the natives and its devastating impact is also quite astonishing virtually eliminating complete tribes literally easing the Pilgrim's ability to settle in pre-cleared Indian lands. The failed Roanoke colony's abandonment is fascinating as always but many other early soldiers, slaves, hunter and etc. were left behind with no knowledge of what happened to them as well and the author tells you about them. Aside from the history summarized or seen first hand, Horwitz provides nicely detailed descriptions of the towns and people he meets, the various places he stays, that obviously vary in quality, to the sweat lodge he encountered in Newfoundland that literally just about cooked him, all are very entertaining and quite frequently Horwitz's rye sense of humor and observations give you a good chuckle. In closing, his references are nicely detailed so if a subject fascinates you, you have the resource to read more. With his reference. I found an excellent book, the right book, on Desoto's amazing extensive travel and misdeeds that costs his life along with not only his men but many Indian lives.

When a history book describes Plymouth Rock as looking like a "fossilized potato" and Florida's capitol building as "The Big D...," you know you're in for something unusual. Having gone to college in Tallahassee, I can attest to the reasons for the capitol's nickname -- its "towering shaft flanked by gonadlike domes," as author Tony Horwitz puts it. He writes with equal wit throughout "A Voyage Long and Strange," a smart, funny book that skewers traditional views of our nation's past. I couldn't put it down.

The book explores the lusty, violent period in American history between Columbus and Jamestown. Horwitz embarks on a journey of his own, exploring the modern-day places where our country began. Along the way he uncovers some strange truths -- Columbus never saw or set foot on any land that became U.S. soil; Pocahontas was only 10 years old when she met John Smith and they were never romantic; Ponce de Leon was looking not for the Fountain of Youth but rather gold, just like so many others. The overall picture is cruel, hilarious, messy, unfair and always fascinating.

Over a dozen maps and many historical black and white illustrations are scattered through the book.

Here's the chapter list:

Part 1: Discovery
1. Vinland: First contact
2. 1492: The hidden half of the globe
3. Santo Domingo: The Columbus jinx
4. Dominican Republic: You think there are still Indians?

Part II: Conquest
5. The Gulf Coast: Naked in the New World
6. The Southwest: To the Seven Cities of Stone
7. The Plains: Sea of grass
8. The South: De Soto does Dixie
9. The Mississippi: Conquistador's last stand

Part III: Settlement
10. Florida: Fountain of youth, river of blood
11. Roanoke: Lost in the lost colony
12. Jamestown: The captain and the naturals
13. Plymouth: A tale of two rocks

Who could have guessed that history (and current events) could be so much fun. Horwitz, whose previous triumphs have included books about Civil War reenactments, travels in the Middle East, and a retracing of Captain Cook's voyages in the South Pacific, turns his gimlet eye on the first European forays into the New World. "Washing up" in Plymouth, Massachusetts one day on a New England road trip, he buys a beer at the Myles Standish Liquor store, beds down at the William Bradford inn, and then mocks (in his mind) the clueless tourists at Plymouth Rock. But as he mulls over his experience, he realizes how little (even as a history major) he knows about the origins of the land that became America. The rest, as they say, is history, and history of a most witty and enlightening kind. Who knew, for instance, that Juan Ponce de Leon came to Florida looking for gold and slaves like everyone else, and not for the Fountain of Youth? or that the man for whom the DeSoto touring car was named was a butcher of unequaled savagery? The first feast in the New World that might appropriately be called Thanksgiving took place in St. Augustine and probably consisted of a stew of salt pork and garbanzo beans. (And there is some contention between Floridians and "the powdered wig" states over who should get credit for the national holiday.) A Voyage Long and Strange is a ball of laughs and a veil of tears--the offhand executions of women and children play out in the same text as deliberations upon whether moose is kosher and whether one should ride the "Trolley of the Doomed" in St. Tourist Trap, Florida. Horwitz goofs some stuff up--he thinks Mormons believe themselves to be descendants of the Nephites--but on the whole this is a fascinating, impossible-to-put-down look at where we came from and what we have become.

No Manufacturing costs, no Distribution costs, no Whatever costs - words from Jeff himself. Why does this book cost $5.50 more than the hard-cover? Is this a precursor of tomorrow's pricing policy?

Some of my favorite books are those in which the authors recreate historical voyages. Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki and Ra journeys, Colin Tubrin's pilgrimage along the Silk Road, Dayton Duncan's re-tracing the Lewis & Clark path: I love reading that stuff. And now Tony Horwitz has contributed to the genre with his A Voyage Long and Strange, a book in which he "roams the annals of early America" (p. 7). Readers who remember his Confederates in the Attic can well imagine the insight with which Horwitz explores the history of the New World's discovery and the wry sense of humor he brings to his personal rediscovery of ancient routes.

Horwitz set out to explore all the points in the New World "discovered" and described by early explorers. Focusing on the three categories (that frequently, in reality, overlapped) of discovery, conquest, and settlement, Horwitz narrates the history of, for example, Coronado's search for the Cities of Gold (pp. 134-164) or the settlement of Roanoke's "lost colony" (pp. 293-325), and interweaves in the narration accounts of his own travels over Coronado's route and his exploration of the Carolina peninsula where the lost colony once flourished. The mixture makes for exciting reading, lending a contemporary vitality to the historical descriptions.

I was especially intrigued by Horwitz's account of the Spanish exploration of the New World (chapters 5-9). It's as good a short account of the conquest of the southeastern coastal regions, the southwestern deserts, and the plains west of the Mississippi, as any I know. Chapter 9, which deals with de Soto's rather aimless trek north of what today is Louisiana into Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas--which Horwitz describes as "wandering blind, deaf, and mute in the middle of the continent" (p. 255)--is particularly interesting.* It really does underscore just how much of a leap into the unknown the early visitors to the New World were making.

All in all, an interesting read with a good bibliography and several helpful maps. Highly recommended.
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* While trying to recreate de Soto's confused ramblings, Horowitz makes his way to Arkansas City, where he's been told he'll find de Soto's coffin. But Horwitz discovers he's been on a wild goose chase. As a city elder tells him, "Young man, I do believe you've been led on. Just like those Spanish, always chasing their gold" (p. 259). In more ways than one, then, Horwitz walked in the early explorers' shoes.

Upon a visit to Massachusetts, Tony Horowitz is awed when he sees Plymouth Rock; not out of it being grand sort of an American Gibraltar, but to realize it is not much more than a pebble. As one child points out, the Pilgrims must have had small feet to land on that rock. Tony reflects on what he knows about American history only to draw major blanks for over a century and half; from Columbus until Jamestown. What frightens Tony is that he graduated with a history degree. Thus he vows to track the story of the European explorers who traveled American even before Columbus. Starting with the Vikings and following with the French and Spanish, Tony tracks those who came before Jamestown.

With a nod to Mr. Wuhl's HBO special Assume The Position, Tony Horowitz goes on a reverent journey tracing the paths traveled by European explorers between 1492 and 1607. On his trek, Mr. Horowitz meets many people with a differing interpretation of events like the Spanish (St. Augustine was founded forty-two years earlier than the Plymouth Rock landing) came before the Pilgrims so America should celebrate Thanksgiving with Chili. This is a fun travelogue as Mr. Horowitz' enthusiasm and energy add to the enjoyment; quoting Mr. Wuhl: "I shit you not".

Harriet Klausner

A delightful historical narrative! And quite refreshing in this age of disinformation.

While our public schools continue their relentless rewriting of history to fit the agenda of special interest groups (such as the criminal protection lobby's removal of firearms from image of Washington crossing the Delaware), it's good to come across a book based on open-minded research. Turning the conventional pattern completely backwards, Horwitz seeks information and then forms conclusions. That approach made this book a "keeper." In fact, Horwitz deftly defrocks a long list of myths, half-truths, and utter fabrications that are almost canonical today.

He defies another convention by staying on topic. If you've been offended by books the author uses to segue into political side issues, you'll be pleased at Horwitz's not doing that.

Tony Horwitz follows the centuries-long European discovery of the new world. This discovery didn't, as popular myth holds, start at Plymouth Rock. Nor, as we are told during Thanksgiving each year, did European settlement begin with the Pilgrims. In fact, those folks didn't call themselves Pilgrims--that's a label fabricated for them in much later times.

The discovery, exploration, and settlement occurred in fits and starts. It was more stumbling and bumbling than it was heroic conquest. And it was more often brutal than it was noble.

While reading this, I frequently laughed aloud. Horwitz has a knack for keeping things lively with quips, barbs, and acerbic wit. His own adventures while visiting the many places discussed in the book sometimes produced situations that were farcical enough for a few chuckles. At other times, the people he ran across were, themselves, hilarious. As entertaining as it is, the real value of this book its actual information. Horwitz doggedly pursued answers to questions, and while that pursuit provided ample basis for comedy, it also provided answers that are worth knowing.

In some cases, that research didn't provide an answer but merely proved the official propaganda wrong. There are some things we simply do not and cannot know. When a work purports to be nonfiction and yet has answers to everything, you can be fairly confident that work isn't reliable. Horwitz voyage produced some frustrations for him and left unanswered many questions that would have been nice to have answered. The fact he doesn't just plug in an answer he likes makes me fairly confident this work is reliable.

This book is about 400 pages long and contains 15 maps.

The Prologue explains why Horwitz embarked on this quest. Despite his extensive background in American history, there were large gaps. And he got to thinking about this. He shares some of those thoughts in the Prologue.

This book is divided into three Parts:

1. Discovery.
2. Conquest.
3. Settlement.

Part One consists of four chapters, one each for Vinland (mostly Lief and related Eirickssons), 1492 (Columbus, et al), Santo Domingo (Columbus again), and Hispaniola (lots of laughs and oddball characters).

Part Two devotes five chapters to the conquest. Each chapter covers a separate geographic area: Gulf Coast (an assortment of Spanish explorers, dandies, and conquistadors), Southwest (to the seven cities of stone), the plains (the sea of grass that seemed to swallow up many explorers and potential settlers), the South (De Soto does Dixie), and the Mississippi. On that last one, I have always wondered how this river got such an ungainly name. Horwitz reveals the answer.

Part Three contains four chapters, each of which provides insight into the settlements in St. Augustine (and other Florida places), Roanoke (and other Virginia places), Jamestown, and Plymouth, respectively. The chapter on Plymouth rips apart several myths, including the many that surround the Thanksgiving holiday.

The source notes and bibliography are extensive, which would be expected of a book that is this well-researched. What those reference don't reflect is the sheer footwork Hortwitz did. And I don't mean figuratively. He actually walked where these explorers, conquerors, and settlers walked. He visited sites, spoke with other researchers, and interviewed people who had starkly different views of what occurred.

All of this research contributed to a credible work that is also quite funny in places.