No such thing as failure My life in adventure, exploration, and survival

David Hempleman-Adams, 1956-

Book - 2015

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Subjects
Published
New York, NY : Skyhorse Publishing 2015.
©2014
Language
English
Main Author
David Hempleman-Adams, 1956- (author)
Edition
First Skyhorse Publishing edition
Item Description
"A Herman Graf book".
Physical Description
xiii, 242 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 24 cm
ISBN
9781632207074
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

The author of this real-life adventure story has climbed the highest mountains on Earth's seven continents, summited Mount Everest using one of the most difficult routes, completed a solo trek to the Magnetic North Pole, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a hot-air balloon. Enough said? Apparently not: in this exciting memoir, Hempleman-Adams doesn't just recount his various adventures, he spends some time talking about what drives him, what makes him risk his life doing things most other people wouldn't even dream of doing, and how he conquers his fears. Armchair adventurers or, indeed, readers who have done some adventuring of their own should enjoy the book, but there is one caveat: the writing is a bit unpolished. Sentences run on a bit; paragraphs are longer than they need to be; things are said and then resaid. A rigorous final edit might have streamlined the book, but even with its stylistic imperfections, there's no denying the author has interesting stories to tell.--Pitt, David Copyright 2015 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

Though perhaps relatively unknown to mainstream readers, Hempleman-Adams (Toughing It Out; Walking on Thin Ice) might well be one of the greatest explorers and survivalists the world has known. He's the first person to achieve the Adventurers' Grand Slam by reaching the geographic and magnetic North and South Poles as well as climb the highest peaks on all seven continents (he's also flown the smallest open-air gas balloon across the Atlantic-in an open wicker basket-and set numerous altitude and air distance records). This self-penned overview of his life in adventure, while not constructed with the chilling narrative or dramatic compositional flair of, say, Jon Krakauer's books, is written candidly, with an authentic style that effectively captures his voice and allows access to such an epically accomplished figure. Elementally partitioned by backdrop-rock, ice, air-and told with a conversational, yet still satisfyingly technical flow, the author's accomplishments are revealed almost too cavalierly; though it is perhaps this cool modesty that humbles otherwise grand notions to begin with. VERDICT A quick, entertaining read for armchair travelers and expert adventurers alike.-Benjamin Malczewski, -Toledo-Lucas Cty. P.L., MI © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

An account of the British adventurer's global travels: hot-air ballooning across the Atlantic, walking across the poles and climbing the highest peaks.In his first book, Hempleman-Adams, the third British climber to complete the Seven Summits (the highest peak on each continent), proves a winning narrator of all of his feats, the numerous successes as well as the failures. Through both, he has experienced errors in orienteering and equipment mishaps, and he has been inches from death numerous times. His tale of one experience tumbles into the next, swiftly but not hurriedly. Most gripping is his account of walking solo and unsupported (without additional fuel or food) to the South Pole from the edge of Antarctica. He calls the South Pole "the most lonely place on earth" and writes of maneuvering the unpredictable, "constantly changing terrain" at the poles: shifting ice floes, avalanches and crevasses. He also chronicles how, after walking all day in snow and temperatures hovering around minus 40 degrees Celcius, his GPS indicated that he covered fewer than two miles. Hempleman-Adams shares straightforward tales of persevering through the harshest natural elements a person can face. Though some readers might expect it, the author does not deliver a treatise on transferable lessons of leadership or making the most of life. A good way to approach the book would be three different readingsone each for the "Rock," "Ice" and "Air" sections. The author believes that ballooning is technical and cerebral, but he is cheekier about his mountain-climbing and polar treks. "I'd never tell any of the fraternity to their faces," he writes, "but perhaps you don't have to be terribly clever to climb, or attempt polar challenges." Solidly entertaining. Always looking for new challenges (perhaps sailing next?), he assures readers that he will "keep [them] posted" about his adventures to come. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.