A Voyage Long and Strange

As he did in Blue Latitudes, Tony Horwitz mixes historical writing with travel journalism as he explores the earliest ventures into North America.

Horwitz is perhaps a bit disingenuous at first (is it really that much of a surprise that people landed here before the Mayflower) but his "debunking" of popular myth allows him to undertake an entertaining journey of discovery as he retraces the steps of the earlier exploration of the continent.

His well-researched capsule versions of the early travels, from the Vikings to the Spanish, from winners like Coronado to the astonishingly ill-fated Cabeza de Vaca, are breezy and readable, quick colorful capsules of what actually happened.

As a modern-day journalist, his strength appears to be quickly ingratiating himself with the folks he encounters. From tour guides to amateur historians to people he just happens to meet, Horwitz seems to be able to get them to open up and share points of view that are colorful and illuminating. These modern-day adventures in tourism bring the struggles and triumphs of the early adventurers into sharp relief.

It's all fun and informative and entertaining at the same time. A great way to get your pre-colonial history and see some interesting parts of America all at the same time.