Points Unknown is an anthology of 41 of the greatest adventure stories from the 20th Century. The stories cover a broad range of topics from exploration in the jungles of Borneo to ascents of Mount Everest to solo sailing circumnavigations. The stories are all excerpted from the original works. Read on for the rest of the review.

The collection of all these stories in one volume is the strongest aspect of this book. It is a fabulous reference for some of the greatest adventure narratives spanning 100 years. Some of the external works you will, no doubt, have already heard of (e.g. Sebastian Junger's "The Perfect Storm" ). You are bound to uncover some unknown jewels though. Some of my favorites incude: "Arabia Felix" (1932) by Bertram Thomas, an account of the first westerner to cross the most inhospitable desert on the planet in southern Arabia and "Into the Heart of Borneo" (1984) by Redmond O'Hanlon, described as being in the genre of "Bunglers Abroad".

In the end, the book is perhaps a bit too eclectic. It's hard to transition from Joshua Slocum sailing around the world alone at the beginning of the 20th century to an account of a modern lightweight expedition to Mount Everest. There is really no structure to the chapters although the table of contents claims to organize them in three sections: 1) Obsessions, 2) Idylls, and 3) Ordeals. I found myself just opening the book to random chapters and reading them without prejudice for their placement in the volume.

Even with these limitations, this book is worth checking out and it is recommended. The full table of contents is available at amazon.com . Take a look. I guarantee you will find at least one an adventure or adventurer you had never heard of.