Amazonia, 1907 : outside the circle of civilization
(Book)

"Originally serialized in the New Orleans Times- Democrat as Far from the Beaten Track: Explorations and Advenutes of Lee Williams in the Wilds of South America, from June 18 to September 17, 1911. It has been substantially edited and annotated by Don E. Roberts for publication as Amazonia 1907: Outside the Circle of Civilization" - title page verso

"The true story of two young men with one ambition: "to descend the Amazon from its beginning." It was a feat that no one before them had claimed./After six years of prospecting for gold in South Africa, 31-year-old Lee Williams sails to South America in pursuit of adventure. A long horseback trek across the highlands of Argentina brings him to La Paz, Bolivia, where he meets James Orton, an Englishman and, like himself, "an experienced victim of the wanderlust."/Their expedition begins without fanfare high in the mountains of southern Perú. Day after day, as they follow the Urubamba River into the depths of endless rain forest, the trappings of civilization vanish behind them. Along that river, they will dine with plantation owners and, weeks later, beg an Indian woman for a bite of food. They will build a raft and drift peacefully one day, then cling to it for life the next. They will encounter the savagery of rubber barons and slave traders, but also the humanity of the people they call "savages."/As they near their journey's end, they will imagine the acclaim that awaits them. But their story will take a tragic turn and have a far different ending." -- provided by publisher