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Review by Roger Bishop
When we think of "National Geographic," most often we think of the photographs. Often stunning, they transport us at a glance to faraway lands or to interesting places at home. Yet throughout its illustrious 109-year history Geographic's first order of business has been its stories. These accounts are eloquently written, combining mood, sounds, texture, information and first-hand experience "in the field" that photographs cannot convey. The writing has been done by an exceptional group that includes Alexander Graham Bell and Theodore Roosevelt, Maya Angelou, Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Charles Lindbergh, Jane Goodall, Paul Theroux, David Remnick and Diane Ackerman, to name only a few.
From this cornucopia of riches, numbering over 80,000 articles, Charles McCarry, long a contributor and for seven years Editor-at-large of the magazine, has selected and edited an outstanding anthology, "From the Field: A Collection of Writings from National Geographic." It is fair to say that there is not a page in this book that will not in some way engage and entertain you.
McCarry points out that contrary to the impression that the magazine is about places, the focus from very early has been on "people -- strange people, naked people, quaint people, brave people, eloquent people." But this does not mean that we do not learn about the lives of chimpanzees from Jane Goodall's work or about Dian Fossey's experience with mountain gorillas. And Diane Ackerman's beautifully crafted report on the squirrels in her backyard is one of my favorite pieces in the entire book. Whether she is writing about her "squirrel gymnasium," which her subjects figured out in half an hour, or about the squirrel's tail ("The tail is an all-purpose appendage: a balance pole, a scarf on cold days, a semaphore flag. Indeed, the name 'squirrel' comes from the Greek for 'shadow tail.' "), the reader follows with delight.
Sir Edmund Hillary's account (as related to Beverley M. Bowie) of his ascent of Mt. Everest in 1954 and Commander Robert E. Pearcy's essay on his disputed claim to have discovered the North Pole in 1908 are among the best known public achievements featured here.
This collection of more than 75 selections has something for everyone. Adventure, suspense, human interest -- you name it, it's in here.
©1997, ProMotion, inc.
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