Kon Tiki Man

Traces the life of the Norwegian explorer, scientist, and anthropologist, examines and explains his scientific theories, and describes his explorations, including the Kon-Tiki and Ra voyages

In late 1936 explorer Heyerdahl set out from Norway for an island in the South Seas called Fatu Hiva. Eschewing the complications and corruptions of the civilized world, Heyerdahl planned to immerse himself in the "great anthropological mysteries" of Polynesia while living like a "primitive man . . . with keen instincts and all his senses alive." Circumstances conspired against Heyerdahl's idealistic notions, prompting him to return to Norway in early 1938. Yet his studies on the island helped give birth to the idea that Polynesia had been settled by people migrating by water from South America rather than from the west, as was commonly believed. Following Heyerdahl's voyage from Peru to Polynesia aboard the raft Kon-Tiki, this spirited volume highlights the explorer's attempt to prove his theory. The book also details his scouting, on subsequent expeditions, of "a link between cultures of Central America and those which had developed on the Nile, the Euphrates and . . . in the Indus Valley." Using extensive excerpts from Heyerdahl's own books, Ralling ( The Voyage of Charles Darwin ) has fashioned a stimulating chronicle of curiosity and wanderlust. Illustrated.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Part biography, part autobiography, this book, which accompanies a TV series on the life and work of the noted explorer and author, is intended to make Heyerdahl's scientific achievements accessible to the general reader. Profusely illustrated with photographs, the text includes many excerpts from Heyerdahl's diaries and published works and spans his life from his childhood in Norway to his present work in Peru. Heyerdahl's explorations in the Pacific, as well as his Ra and Tigris expeditions, are as engaging to read about as ever, and for that reason alone this book will have an audience. Ralling's writing, however, has the tone of promotional literature and underestimates the ability of general readers to draw their own conclusions about the material presented. Nevertheless, this book may serve as an introduction to those unfamiliar with Heyerdahl and his work.
- Joan W. Gartland, Detroit P.L.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.