Nine books included in 'National Geographic's Adventure Classics' series

For the past week or so, I’ve been reading “The Worst Journey in the World” by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, an awesome adventure book that in 2004 was named the top book on National Geographic’s list of 100 Best Adventure Books.

I’m about 400 pages into this book, and my mind has already turned to thoughts of the No. 2 book on NG’s list, “The Journals of Lewis and Clark.”

Last night, I found myself searching Amazon.com for a suitable copy of this adventure classic and stumbled upon a series of books that I’d never heard of before, the “National Geographic Adventure Classics” series.

This series consists of only nine books, but they’re good ones. Here’s what the good folks at NG had to say about the series.

“National Geographic Adventure Classics presents classic tales of exploration in new editions,” the editors of the series said. “Titles include first-hand accounts of Captain Cook's final South Sea's voyages, narratives of Hiram Bingham's trek that resulted in the discovery of Machu Picchu, and Mark Twain's satirical account of a roung-the-world trip.”

What follows is a complete list of books in the series as well as a few words from NG’s Web site about each book:

- The South Pole: A Narrative History of the Exploration of Antarctica: Drawing on the extensive archives of the National Geographic Society, this book tells the story of the discovery and exploration of Antarctica through the memoirs, letters, ship's logs, and diary entries of the great Antarctic explorers.

- The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons: This book is legendary pioneer John Wesley Powell's first-person account of his crew's unprecedented odyssey along the Green and Colorado Rivers and through the Grand Canyon. A bold foray into the heart of the American West's final frontier, the expedition was achieved without benefit of modern river-running equipment, supplies, or a firm sense of the region's perilous topography and the attitudes of the native inhabitants towards whites.

- Journals of Lewis and Clark: At the dawn of the 19th century, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked on an unprecedented journey from St. Louis, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean and back again. Their assignment was to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory and record the geography, flora, fauna, and people they encountered along the way. The tale of their incredible journey, meticulously recorded in their journals, has become an American classic. This single-volume, landmark edition of the famous journals is the first abridgement to be published in at least a decade.

- Tomb of Tutankhamen: This book stands as Howard Carter's only record of his extraordinary discovery. Abridged from the original three volumes, this National Geographic Adventure Classics edition features 25 black-and-white photos taken at the time of the excavation, as well as a map of the Valley of the Kings and the tomb. This classic adventure tells the story of a journey that may never be repeated—a trip back through 3,000 years to discover the life—and death—of a pharaoh.

- Mark Twain’s Following the Equator: In 1895, Mark Twain took a whirlwind, round-the-world book tour that he documented in this rollicking book. A true classic of travel writing, this book give you the chance to see the world through the eyes of America's most unique and intriguing author. Twain's tour took him from Australia to Bombay to Johannesburg and resulted in an evocative and highly unique American portrait of 19th-century travel and customs.

- The Last Voyage of Captain Cook: John Ledyard sailed with Captain Cook, ran a fur-trading company with John Paul Jones, and crossed Russian Siberia when it was still a vast expanse of white marked ''unknown'' on a map. His tales of adventure captivated contemporaries like Thomas Jefferson and earned him the nickname ''the American Marco Polo.'' These never-before-collected writings of this legendary explorer are the only in print and a perfect addition to the National Geographic Adventure Classics library.

- The Cruise of the Snark: In 1906, Jack London set out from San Francisco with his wife and two crewmembers on a voyage across the Pacific. London knew little about navigation, and his schooner, the Snark, possessed numerous defects, including a tendency to leak. His account of this extraordinary trip is charming and fascinating by turns, and a wonderful display of his eye for poetic and ironic details. Navigating more by feel than by skill, London visited Hawaii, the Marquesas, Tahiti, and the Solomon Islands. The Cruise of the Snark is saturated with London’s enthusiasm and sheer love of adventure.

- The Silent World: Before becoming the man who introduced us to the wonders of the sea through his beloved television series, Jacques Cousteau was better known as an engineer and the inventor of scuba. He chronicled his early days of underwater adventure in The Silent World—a memoir that was an instant, international bestseller upon its publication in 1954. Now, National Geographic presents a 50th anniversary edition of this remarkable book, allowing readers to once again travel under the sea with Cousteau during the turbulent days of World War II.

- 20 Hrs., 40 Min., Our Flight in the Friendship: Commemorating the 75th anniversary of her first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, 20 Hrs., 40 Min. reintroduces Amelia Earhart—one of the most fascinating figures of the 20th century&151;to a new generation of readers. Using expanded entries from her flight book—written in pencil in the dark—Earhart relates the story of how she became connected with the Friendship flight and what she wanted to accomplish, which included earning recognition for women aviators. Earhart's irrepressible voice, 20 Hrs., 40 Min. is a refreshing glimpse into this icon's remarkable spirit of adventure.

In the end, how many of these books have you had the chance to read? What did you think about them? Which did you like or dislike? Let us know in the comments section below.