Camps and Trails in China

by Roy Chapman Andrews, Yvette Borup Andrews

The object of this book is to present a popular narrative of the Asiatic Zoölogical Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History to China in 1916-17.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1918

About the author

Roy Chapman Andrews was an American explorer, adventurer and naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History. He is primarily known for leading a series of expeditions in China in the early 20th century into the Gobi Desert and Mongolia. The expeditions made important discoveries and brought the first-known fossil dinosaur eggs to the museum. His popular writings about his adventures made him famous.

Reviews

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am actually listening to the audio edition but it isn't listed as an available format here in Goodreads.


Narrators are not satisfactory. I am getting used to the scratchy voice of the old man who narrates. My problem is the speed at which the man and woman both narrate. They neglect to pause at a new paragraph which makes it hard to follow because they switch topics too fast. I think the male is getting better as the book continues or maybe I am just getting accustomed to his speech.
Although Roy was a scientist, he has a very artistic, but not irritating, descriptive quality.
As I hear about how many beasts they trap, shoot and kill, I am reminded of reading about how many Teddy Roosevelt and his son, Kermit (no kidding), killed in South America 1913-1914.


Because of the year, 1916, and the attitudes about animals and killing them for sport and scientific research, I have to try not to focus on the negative feelings I have about the lack of concern in killing so many animals.
Then there is the Caucasian Centric, better than everybody attitude is VERY present here. The word "coolies" is used frequently. The Chinese and others often have their intelligence and appearance disparaged.
He does make an interesting point about how different cultures feel about time and distance and how to measure it.

later
later
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http://roychapmanandrewssociety.org/r...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cha...

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roy's descriptions of the beauty of the countries and locales he visited were sometimes very well done, very sensitive. But it became tedious to hear only about all the different animals they shot and killed and trapped and killed. I try to remember that this was the 1920s and they were trying to get lots of exhibits for the museum and I guess they didn't know any better then. I did learn about some animals that I never heard of before. The Saiga, a very weird guy with a big head and horns, one of the fastest land animals. But it is becoming endangered and I can tell you, Roy Chapman Andrews shot way more than his share of these critters.

I would have liked to hear more about how they saved the pelts or bones and kept them from rotting on a two year journey. Did they travel with them the whole way or did they acquire a certain quantity and then ship some back to the US or what.
I am fascinated by this character and will read another book by him.

[Samson Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traveling back then was wild. He hires 40 different Asians in every little town he passed through. The real life Indiana jones. The field notes are interesting. The animals they hunted and taxidermy were many. It’s also cool that his wife was there and her notes on the culture were neat.

[Vooh Eheve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Authentic raw in the field arrogant white supremacist Indiana johns

[Jere Houser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative book and well written to also be entertaining. Andrews headed many expeditions for the New York Museum of Natural History. His expeditions made many very important discoveries.

[globulon]

Pretty awful...