Exploration Fawcett: Journey to the Lost City of Z Paperback – May 4, 2010

Wonderful read, much seeming if not first hand by the man himself, making this a great first hand source and account. Because of this the telling is linear, no bouncing back and forth in time and place. The story begins with his first assignment as a cartographer to help determine a boundary in South America, and then goes to other assignments doing same for others. A very good way into the book there start to be ethnographic and geo political, the in even smaller scale nuances that seem to provoke the author that there is 'something there' that academics of his time had not imagined. Amazing astute observations of the vile corruption of the times and inhumanity to man, with the native peoples always losing, struck me many times how unfunny (and how that still happens) because of resources and greed. So it is far more than a put this foot in front of the other Indiana Jones fiction - this person has a conscience and compassion, no two dimensional character here, and in many places almost advocates for intoxicating and .enlightening aspects of native tribes and peoples. So be prepared to learn a little if not a lot very unpleasant history regarding the rubber trade and South American slavery. There were many parts about this that I found very difficult to read and doubt Hollywood will include?Any way, the lost City of Z doesn't come into the book until maybe the final quarter? No mention at all until then. Keep in mind that historically what was happening in the archeological world with the Maya, Egypt, Babylon, Minoan Crete, the crazes, the times... who knows what? maybe a lost world?I found the book a compelling account of his thoughts, his times, his travels, interests, personality. It functions as an anthropological work while retaining honest there at the times adventure. The historical character and understanding you can gain into a small part of the South American 'games of money and thrones' and it's impact on today should not be minimized.Well worth taking the time to read on many levels.

I've read many books about and by explorers. I've come to realize that the most fanatical explorers are really a distinct breed. Most people are unwilling to sacrifice more than a smidgen of security, safety, and comfort to venture where few, if any, have gone before. True explorers are willing to sacrifice those things and sometimes much more in order to to discover something previously unknown, or in the pursuit of fame and wealth, or just to have the satisfaction of being the first. The motivations of explorers are as complex as their various personalities, but I perceive that they are all intensely driven in the pursuit of their exploration.Through the journals of Percy Fawcett, seasoned with the recollections and explanations of his son, the reader gets a ringside seat into the mind of this hard-core explorer. This isn't a gripping adventure tale, although the imagination can wander in contemplation of the adventures woven through Fawcett's narrative. Fawcett recounts his explorations with plenty of detailed descriptions about the hazards and hardships, but his observations are conveyed with an almost mundane tone. I suppose this tone is the result of the pragmatic and single-minded approach that Fawcett applied to his explorations. He starts first as a hired land surveyor, charged with helping define young Bolivia's national boundaries at the beginning of the 19th century. This introduction to the wild lands of the Andes and Amazon captures his fascination and curiosity. Rather than continue with more staid and better paid professional pursuits, Fawcett repeatedly returns to South America to travel by mule, horse, canoe, and foot traversing hundreds of miles of raw wilderness, using his surveying skills to augment his navigation through disorienting jungle forests. In reading this book, the context of the time period is crucial to understanding and appreciating the mind of the writer as well as the behavior of the people and cultures. Circumstances prevent Fawcett from providing a conclusion to his writings, but the mystery and tragedy of his final exploration leaves a profound impression without detracting from an appreciation for the insight to this particular fascinating explorer.

Very well written by his son from all his notes, letters, and research materials he produced when he was alive. Amazing what experiences this man had in his relatively short life. Recommend read for anyone interested in the real life on an explorer back in the early 1900’s.

Some may find it a little hard to get into because there's a lot of information Colonel Fawcett touches on, but for me it is the single most informative book that I myself have ever read.As a child I grew up expecting exploration to be like Indiana Jones, but my trips overseas taught me elsewise. Colonel Fawcett's book/journals only further illustrate my point because real life exploration is quite serious and dangerous, and often teaches you life lessons that you'll soon not forget. Some can be a choice of life & death.Fawcett's time spent in South America is something that I'd never heard of until only a few months ago and I learned of it simply by taking up a book and reading.

This is a great book, and even though it was transcribed and published in the 1950's it was for the most part written in the early 1900's. That being said, the language takes a bit of getting used to and this version is printed in smaller than normal print with lots of words on a page. The story itself is fabulous as are the descriptions from the South American Explorations. I highly recommend reading this book if you are interested in Fawcett, South America, or The Lost City of Z.

Brian Fawcett Shared His Fathers Notes (Lt. Col. P.H. Fawcett) 1925

I got it around Rs800. Excellent book and completely original book. If you like to read books from the genre, you'll definitely like this one.

Enjoying every minute of it

Bela obra sobre a a fascinante história desse explorador britânico e sua visão sobre a América do Sul.

I first read this book back in the 1970s , when my father, who had read it in the ‘50s suggested I read it. I was only 10 years old, but devoured it from cover to cover in a matter of days. Fifty years on, I have come back to it. It has lost none of its impact or charm. The descriptions of a world that existed a hundred years ago, are fascinating. Still more, the mystery of a city thousands of years old, never to be found. I am still fascinated by Fawcett’s theories on the antiquity of the pre-Incan cities. It lead me to the work of Graham Hancock. Moreover, the mystery of the fate of Fawcett himself adds to the deep sense of mystery and other- worldness that pervade this treasure of a book.If you enjoyed this, try Danger My Ally, by Frank Mitchell Hedges.