Theodore Roosevelt 
Through the Brazilian Wilderness 
The Classic Travelogue

‘Roosevelt has been able to add one more excellent volume to a list which is already a praiseworthy record.’ —
The New York Times

‘An exceedingly fascinating story of adventure. It is the best story … that the many-sided former president of the United States has produced.’ —
The Boston Transcript
Here is the tale of the famed conservationist and outdoorsman’s last great adventure, recounted in his own words. In a narrative that crackles with energy and enthusiasm, Theodore Roosevelt tells of the challenges and perils he and his companions faced during a 1913–14 expedition to a remote area of the Brazilian Amazon basin. Roosevelt, his son Kermit, and their crew set out to chart the nearly 1, 000-mile long ‘River of Doubt, ‘ in addition to collecting thousands of plant and animal specimens.

Written with the expertise and zest of a seasoned naturalist, Roosevelt’s account combines the thrill of scientific exploration with the suspense of harrowing dangers. Stalked by cannibals and menaced by wild animals, the crew was in constant jeopardy of drowning in the turbulent rapids. Overwhelming heat, food shortages, and a plague of insects hampered their progress, in addition to Roosevelt’s affliction with a life-threatening tropical fever. This real-life drama of courage and discovery will captivate historians and Roosevelt fans as well as modern-day explorers and lovers of adventure.

Table of Content

I. The Start


II. Up the Paraguay


III. A Jaguar-Hunt on the Taquary


IV. The Headwaters of the Paraguay


V. Up the River of Tapirs


VI. Through the Highland Wilderness of Western Brazil


VII. With a Mule-Train Across Nhambiquara Land


VIII. The River of Doubt


IX. Down an Unknown River Into the Equatorial Forest


X. To the Amazon and Home; Zoological and Geographical Results of the Expedition


 


Appendices


A. The Work of the Field Zoologist and Field Geographer in South America


B. The Outfit for Travelling in the South American Wilderness


C. My Letter of May 1 to General Lauro Müller


 


Index

About the author

In addition to serving as the 25th President of the United States from 1901-09, Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) was a hero of the Spanish-American War, a renowned reformer and conservationist, learned historian, and popular author. In 1906 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for conducting the negations that ended the Russo-Japanese War.