His account of the Amazon and the Madeira near the beginning of the 20th century is fascinating, and his anecdotes about his time at the construction site are hilarious. He comes across as a modest man with an adventurous streak and a wonderful sense of humor. This book is a delight to read as a sheer travel adventure.

It is also the only easy-reading description I've encountered of what was then the sheer wilderness of much of Amazonia was like before it was opened up by the advent of airplanes and the construction of the Trans-Amazon Highway. Even now, much of Brazil's part of the Amazon basin is wild, but now one can get in and out of all but the most remote spots conveniently. In Tomlinson's day, a million square miles was still mostly unmapped and almost unexplored; reading this book is an easy way of learning what true wilderness was like.

I recommend it highly; it's one of my favorite books.

13 of 13 found the following review helpful:


A Great Armchair Adventure  Dec 08, 1999
When I first read this book six years ago, I was struck by its leisurely pace -- some readers in today's "now" technological age might find the text maddeningly slow -- but that is the delight in a book of this sort, written in 1912. Tomlinson's meditations, ruminations and wanderings are part of the larger adventure reflected in the times in which he took the "Capella" voyage. And, from these digressions come crisp, first-rate descriptions of the ship, its crew, and the surroundings. Even today, I can recall certain passages that still strike me in their clarity and precision (Ex: the huge, turbine arms of the Capella's engines whir and thump with "bird-like alacrity."). This book requires patience and indulgence, but is extremely rewarding for someone in this right frame of mind.

14 of 15 found the following review helpful:


Ordinary guy has exciting sea and river sailing adventure.  Sep 28, 1998
H M Tomlinson, a newspaper office employee, sets off on an adventurous and dangerous trip in a steamer in 1909. He is in for a wild winter Atlantic crossing that brought to mind A PERFECT STORM. This if followed by a medically risky and awesome adventure up the Amazon-with all the crew popping quinine and wrapping themselves in mosquito netting. The book was particularly enjoyably for me, in part because the author seemed so ordinary--he had read travel books and refers to them in the text, but he had a pretty ordinary day job. He also was just my grandfather's age and they both loved travel--and shared the family name of Tomlinson-a connection with some unknown, but now sort of knowable, British cousin. There was something of John McPhee's LOOKING FOR A SHIP in this book--the character sketches and the palpable heat of the tropics. But it does not have the tight focus of that work. There are parts of this book that had me roaring out loud in an airport waiting room. But, the man could have used an editor. When he was good he was very good. But this work might best be used as fodder for a good editor a la Mary Morris's wonderful MAIDEN VOYAGES.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Journey of a lifetime  Jul 07, 2003 By Diana K. Christopulos
I loved this book for its dramatic yet humorous portrayal of a sea voyage across the Atlantic and an exploratory trip up the Amazon River in the early 20th century. If you can handle long sentences, he is a wonderful writer. I will never forget the passage about the shrunken head!

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:


A cool, casual trip through a "green hell"  Aug 13, 2009 By VampireCowboy
Truly one of my favorite books of all time. His casual almost deadpan descriptions of the Amazon, the horrors of the rubber trade and the realization that the "civilized world" is but an outpost on the very fringe of always seething and always apathetic nature are illuminating and deeply enjoyable.

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