The Sea and the Jungle

This 1912 travelogue was journalist Tomlinson's first book; he later became a successful British novelist. The book is a record of his thoughts as he leaves middle-class life to board a freighter, cross the Atlantic, sail up the Amazon and tributaries, hike and ride through the jungle, and come out alive. The appalling conditions of the time are vividly portrayed. Narrator Spencer sounds like a laid-back David Brinkley, somber with traces of irony and weariness. The book is more for readers of biography and history than those of suspense and adventure. D.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine