cover image Survivors: True Tales of Endurance

Survivors: True Tales of Endurance

. Simon & Schuster, $26 (463pp) ISBN 978-0-7432-4547-0

True stories dealing with""human courage and perseverance in the face of mortal danger"" have enthralled readers for generations, and this volume attempts to bring together some of the""most exciting, moving, and inspiring pieces ever written"" on the subject, from the years 1528 to 1973. Letterman, who has worked as a literary agent, editor, translator and bookseller, does succeed, as this is a comprehensive anthology containing some of the best-known writings on adventure. There are sections from Antoine de Saint Exupery's Wind, Sand and Stars; passages from first mate Owen Chase's journal of the demise of the whale ship Essex; and selections from James A. Lovell's account of his Apollo 13 flight. Although most of the entries (a good number of which are excerpted from much longer works) do deliver drama, not hearing the entire story may leave some readers feeling unmoved. Nonetheless, it's a stirring collection that could inspire inquisitive minds to seek out full texts. Maps.