Ernest Shackleton (A&E Biography)

Rating:
Summary: A BIO AS APPEALING AS ITS SUBJECT AND TV SHOW!
Review: Like the TV series on which they are based, the series of
"Biography" books are accessible approaches to the men and
women on whom they focus. (They are also a great marketing idea.
Give that boy/girl a raise!) Each volume is written by a
well-known and/or respected author; "Ernest Shackleton" was penned by George Plimpton, who traveled across Antarctia aboard an icebreaker to better capture Ernie's spirit for this bio. The books are pithy and pleasing, highlighting and spotlighting (in concise detail) its subject, and not shrinking away from controversy or scandal. The photos are terrific; the layouts are done in that appealing, yet not over-the-top, DK style. Think of these books as printed soundbytes that are as interesting and insightful and welcome as their small-screen counterparts.

Rating:
Summary: Great Photos But Tainted Text
Review: My high opinion of the TV show "Biography" and of DK books dropped after I read this annoying book. As the book's promotion says, George Plimpton chronicles his 2002 trip to Antarctica and interweaves personal comments with text about Shackleton's incredible story. The problem is Plimpton's comments and photos of himself refect self-absorption and often are irrelevant to Shackleton's amazing story. In a bizarre move, Plimpton fails to mention the book "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing -- which is the "bible" of the Shackleton story -- but he mentions lesser works. The excellent photos in this book prompted me to give it two stars instead of one.