Richard Halliburton and the Voyage of the Sea Dragon

Richard Halliburton and the Voyage of the Sea Dragon PDF Author: Gerald Max
Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press
ISBN: 9781621905769
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Richard Halliburton (1900-1939), considered the world's first celebrity travel writer, swam the length of the Panama Canal, recreated Ulysses' voyages in the Mediterranean, crossed the Alps on an elephant, flew around the world in a biplane, and descended into the Mayan Well of Death, all the while chronicling his own adventures. Several books treat his life and travels, yet no book has addressed in detail Halliburton's most ambitious expedition: an attempt to sail across the Pacific Ocean in a Chinese junk. Set against the backdrop of a China devastated by invading Japanese armies and the storm clouds of world war gathering in Europe, Halliburton and a crew of fourteen set out to build and sail the Sea Dragon--a junk or ancient sailing ship--from Hong Kong to San Francisco for the Golden Gate International Exposition. After battling through crew conflicts and frequent delays, the Sea Dragon set sail on March 4, 1939. Three weeks after embarking, the ship encountered a typhoon and disappeared without a trace. Richly enhanced with historic photographs, Richard Halliburton and the Voyage of the Sea Dragon follows the dramatic arc of this ill-fated expedition in fine detail. Gerry Max artfully unpacks the tensions between Halliburton and his captain, John Wenlock Welch (owing much to Welch's homophobia and Halliburton's unconcealed homosexuality). And while Max naturally explores the trials and tribulations of preparing, constructing, and finally launching the Sea Dragon, he also punctuates the story with the invasion of China by the Japanese, as Halliburton and his letters home reveal an excellent wartime reporter. Max mines these documents, many of which have only recently come to light, as well as additional letters from Halliburton and his crew to family and friends, photographs, films, and tape recordings, to paint an intricate portrait of Halliburton's final expedition from inception to tragic end.

Richard Halliburton and the Voyage of the Sea Dragon

Richard Halliburton and the Voyage of the Sea Dragon PDF Author: Gerald Max
Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press
ISBN: 9781621905769
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
Richard Halliburton (1900-1939), considered the world's first celebrity travel writer, swam the length of the Panama Canal, recreated Ulysses' voyages in the Mediterranean, crossed the Alps on an elephant, flew around the world in a biplane, and descended into the Mayan Well of Death, all the while chronicling his own adventures. Several books treat his life and travels, yet no book has addressed in detail Halliburton's most ambitious expedition: an attempt to sail across the Pacific Ocean in a Chinese junk. Set against the backdrop of a China devastated by invading Japanese armies and the storm clouds of world war gathering in Europe, Halliburton and a crew of fourteen set out to build and sail the Sea Dragon--a junk or ancient sailing ship--from Hong Kong to San Francisco for the Golden Gate International Exposition. After battling through crew conflicts and frequent delays, the Sea Dragon set sail on March 4, 1939. Three weeks after embarking, the ship encountered a typhoon and disappeared without a trace. Richly enhanced with historic photographs, Richard Halliburton and the Voyage of the Sea Dragon follows the dramatic arc of this ill-fated expedition in fine detail. Gerry Max artfully unpacks the tensions between Halliburton and his captain, John Wenlock Welch (owing much to Welch's homophobia and Halliburton's unconcealed homosexuality). And while Max naturally explores the trials and tribulations of preparing, constructing, and finally launching the Sea Dragon, he also punctuates the story with the invasion of China by the Japanese, as Halliburton and his letters home reveal an excellent wartime reporter. Max mines these documents, many of which have only recently come to light, as well as additional letters from Halliburton and his crew to family and friends, photographs, films, and tape recordings, to paint an intricate portrait of Halliburton's final expedition from inception to tragic end.

Horizon Chasers

Horizon Chasers PDF Author: Gerry Max
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786426713
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Richard Halliburton was the quintessential world traveler of the early 20th century. In 1930, his celebrity equaled that of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Halliburton called himself a "horizon chaser" and recommended that one should see the world before committing to a routine. Not only did he live up to his ideal, but he was eager to write about his adventures. A prolific partnership with gifted editor and ghost writer Paul Mooney produced excellent work, and theirs became a close personal relationship. Sadly, Halliburton and Mooney disappeared at sea on March 24, 1939, along with the entire crew of Halliburton's Chinese junk Sea Dragon, as they attempted to cross the Pacific from Hong Kong to the San Francisco World's Fair. This biography records the life and adventures of Halliburton and Mooney, focusing--as no other Halliburton biography has--on the productive literary collaboration between the two. Drawing on the recollections of people who knew them both, the work discusses their backgrounds, the early years of their acquaintance, and their possible romantic relationship. Finally, their fateful journey to Hong Kong and the ill-advised voyage of the Sea Dragon is described in detail. A good deal of first-hand evidence is provided by William Alexander, Paul Mooney's best friend and designer of Halliburton's Laguna Beach house. Appendices contain seven poems by Mooney and facsimile letters, including one of praise written by Richard Halliburton to William Alexander. Never-before-published photographs are also included.

The Glorious Adventure

The Glorious Adventure PDF Author: Richard Halliburton
Publisher: New York, Bobbs-Merrill
ISBN:
Category : Mediterranean Region
Languages : en
Pages : 422

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Book Description


The Forgotten Adventures of Richard Halliburton

The Forgotten Adventures of Richard Halliburton PDF Author: R. Scott Williams
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1625852592
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
A biography of the charismatic world traveler whose daredevil exploits thrilled millions in the early twentieth century. Born in 1900, Richard Halliburton ran away from his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of nineteen to lead an extraordinary and dramatic life of adventure. Against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, Halliburton’s exploits around the globe made him an internationally known celebrity and the most famous travel writer of his time. From climbing Mount Olympus in Greece to swimming the Panama Canal and flying all the way to Timbuktu, Halliburton experienced and wrote about adventures that others never even believed possible. His youthful spirit and bohemian lifestyle won the hearts of millions, and this absorbing biography tells his story. “He was Marco Polo and Indiana Jones wrapped up in one, with P.T. Barnum’s flippancy and James Bond’s bravado, capped off by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s aristocratic good looks and manners.” —Smithsonian “A concise new biography [that] covers the life of a man of marvels.” —Memphis Magazine

The Royal Road to Romance

The Royal Road to Romance PDF Author: Richard Halliburton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Voyages and travels
Languages : en
Pages : 510

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Book Description


Overthrow

Overthrow PDF Author: Stephen Kinzer
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0805082409
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 415

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Book Description
An award-winning author tells the stories of the audacious American politicians, military commanders, and business executives who took it upon themselves to depose monarchs, presidents, and prime ministers of other countries with disastrous long-term consequences.

The Sea Dragon

The Sea Dragon PDF Author: Ruth Wolff
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1664192085
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
Richard Halliburton was the world famous adventurer who, in the 1920's and 1930's, thrilled his millions of adoring fans with tales of his daring exploits on his worldwide travels. He was one of the most popular and romantic figures of his time. THE SEA DRAGON is a novel about his last adventure – his attempt to cross the wild Pacific in a Chinese junk. Known for his daring adventures, Richard Halliburton had to hide the fact that he was gay. What drove Halliburton to his adventurous extremes is something which drives us all: the need to experience life to the fullest, to escape the bounds of the ordinary. Looking out over Hong Kong Harbor from Victoria Peak at sunset, Halliburton describes the force which drives him this way: "There's a feeling – do you know it? – when your pulse races and you can hardly catch your breath. All the slights and frustrations of your life are forgotten – and the world seems so full you could burst with pleasure and excitement. ... That's the feeling that I'm after. That's what keeps me going, time after time." He paused, looking out over the harbor, then continued: "Life closes in – so swiftly – and so often. We want to breathe free – but most of the time we can't."

Reminiscences and Memoirs of North Carolina and Eminent North Carolinians

Reminiscences and Memoirs of North Carolina and Eminent North Carolinians PDF Author: John Hill Wheeler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : North Carolina
Languages : en
Pages : 590

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Book Description


It's So Easy

It's So Easy PDF Author: Duff McKagan
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451606648
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
Musician Duff McKagan shares details about his life and career, discussing the creation and rise of Guns n' Roses, his struggle with alcoholism and drug addiction, his path to sobriety, and more.

I Am a Strange Loop

I Am a Strange Loop PDF Author: Douglas R. Hofstadter
Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
ISBN: 0465030785
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 544

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Book Description
Argues that the key to understanding ourselves and consciousness is the "strange loop," a special kind of abstract feedback loop that inhabits the brain.