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| Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft | 
 enlarge | Author: Thor Heyerdahl
Publisher: Pocket
Category: Book
List Price: $5.99
Buy New: $0.01
You Save: $5.98 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (58 reviews)
Sales Rank: 93973
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.1 x 1
ISBN: 0671726528
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.09164
EAN: 9780671726522
ASIN: 0671726528
Publication Date: May 1, 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Thrilling Adventure (with a small, sad commentary added) April 20, 2002
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
As a youngster, I watched the documentary of this amazing story and was immediately hooked on it. A few years later, I read the book and was enthralled. Dr. Heyerdahl's ultimate 'field study' to prove that ancient peoples could cross vast stretches of ocean held my attention from beginning to end; I read the entire book in just a couple of days. Heyerdahl's other works such as "Fatu-Hiva," and "Aku-Aku" are also rousing stories of his real-life exploits. However, it is "Kon-Tiki" which retains the best spirit of adventure and human endeavor, and thus remains my personal favorite.
As the above title states, there is a sad note to include in this review: I learned yesterday (4/18/02) that Dr. Heyerdahl died of a brain tumor at age 87. May he rest in peace.
A Thrilling Adventure (with a small, sad commentary added) April 18, 2002
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
As a youngster, I saw the documentary of this amazing story and was thrilled from the start. Soon thereafter, I read this book entirely in three days, completely enthralled in the narrative. Dr. Heyerdahl had proven his skeptics wrong, demonstrating how an early civilization (in this case, the Native Americans of Peru) could cross the Pacific on a raft to populate what is today Polynesia. Based on the Peruvian legend of the hero Kon-Tiki (later deified) who successfully built and sailed a similar raft many centuries ago.
I have since read other Heyerdahl authored works, including "Fatu-Hiva" and "Aku-Aku." Although they too are extremely rousing, I personally feel a greater spirit of adventure in this story, hence it is my favorite.
As mentioned in the title, there is one sad commentary to make: on the day of writing this review (4/18/02), I learned that Dr. Heyerdahl died of a brain tumor at age 87. May he rest in peace.
True Fiction November 10, 2001
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
The events that occur in the book I read, Kon-Tiki, seem so fantastic and unbelievable that if you didn't know any better, you'd swear they were made up. It is a book written by a world-renowned archeologist, Thor Heydrahl, about his real-life adventure. To prove his theory that a long-extinct race in South America was actually descended from a people that came from, and then later returned to Polynesia, Heydrahl set out on a remarkable journey. He, along with five others, made a raft out of balsa logs, and without using metal of any form, sailed thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean. Their adventures and struggles, both on and off the raft, combine to make an incredible tale of knowledge, bravery, and luck.
Reawaken the hardy adventurer in you, answer this books call September 9, 2001
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book is for the voyeur that wants a window into the lost age of adventure, those years before 1940. The book is rightly regarded as one of the greatest accounts of real life adventures ever written. It paints exhilarating, vivid pictures of risk taking, and of the human hunger for adventure and desire to return to experiencing life through ones primal instincts. This book is about survival, a chase, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. It sets The Sea against Man, thin odds against practical ingenuity, conventional academic thought against independent, irreverent, defiant thinkers. Reading about the author's 4,000-mile journey across huge expanses of treacherous ocean brings out the would-be adventurer in the reader. The adventurers' single mindedness and determination against all odds and in the face of nay saying experts (who condemned the journey from the start as foolish, and said their voyage never would or could succeed), sets an inspiring example of how determination and perseverance can lead to accomplishing what self-appointed experts and nay Sayers declare impossible. During their voyage the author and his team pushed the boundaries and commonplace notions of what is possible. The author in part wants us to understand that not all seemingly adventurous fools and are so foolish; that determination can see one across barren, stormy oceans, be they real or metaphorical. On completing the book, all that remains is for the reader to respond to its heed, to push ones own limits to their edge. In a corporate world where too often money is the primary force in leading us to act, where the value of an activity is measured by its potential financial payback, it is refreshing to be reminded of other motivations for action, and of other rewards. The ultimate reward of this book is that it can reawaken in the reader a primal instinct to pursue, instincts which often seems irrelevant or far away in our modern, comfortable lives... this book also reminds the reader of how to dream and the virtues of following dreams. The book serves to remind us of how, why, and where to find adventure ... personally, I walked away from the book exhilarated, and convinced that anything is possible, should I choose to look beyond conventional thought or lifestyle and reach for the stars. ***** Highly Recommended.
Courage, comrades, an idea, and the ocean December 31, 2000
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
Kon-Tiki starts with an idea, conceived during Heyerdahl's stay on a South Seas island researching his doctoral thesis: could Polynesia have been colonized by trans-Pacific emigres from the pre-Colombian cultures of South America?A true scientist, Heyerdahl isn't satisfied with deciding "yes" - he must test the theory! In the hands of a lesser man this would have produced a musty old thesis collecting dust on the back shelf of an anthropology library. Instead, Heyerdahl marshals five friends of heroic spirit, acquires 9 giant balsa wood logs and some other supplies, and within a few months he sets sail from Peru to cross the Pacific. Drinking fresh water stored in hollowed-out bamboo shafts and eating fish that leap aboard the raft, they make their way across the ocean, well knowing that despite the advanced radio technology of 1936, their chance of rescue in the event of mishap is nil. The only sea book I can think of to rival this for sheer interest and adventure is Verne's "20,000 Leagues under the Sea," - a fantasy. Heyerdahl's work is true, and his heroic heart shines through in every word. His love and reverence for the ocean and the primitive culture he sought to imitate, combined with his scientific clarity of exposition, make it a joy to read and will instill the sea-lust into even the most devoted landlubber. I think everyone ought to read this book, for sheer pleasure, and as an example of what can be done with stout heart, clear head, and good will. I recommend it to you without any reservation.
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