About this Book by Lamar Underwood 1. The Storm by Lafcadio Hearn 2. The River of Doubt by Theodore Roosevelt 3. Two Mountain Men by George Laycock 4. To Build a Fire by Jack London 5. The Great Unknown by John Wesley Powell 6. Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex by Owen Chase 7. An Adventure with a Dog and a Glacier by John Muir 8. Encounter with the Blackfeet by Osborne Russell 9. On Dangerous Ground by Lamar Underwood 10. The Open Boat by Stephen Crane 11. On the Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman 12. The Battle of the Marten and the Porcupine by Mayne Reid 13. Around the Horn by Richard Henry Dana Jr. 14. Love of Life by Jack London 15. Survival at Walden by Henry David Thoreau List of Sources

Fifteen gripping tales of determination, strength of mind, perseverance, and fortitude! Although survival is often taken for granted—something every human strives to achieve on a daily basis—it is just this everyday imperative that makes for the most exciting stories. When something goes wrong, when survival is threatened, often by something as simple and sudden as a boat overturning or a traveler losing his or her way, this is when the necessity of survival is no longer just another daily chore. This is when something so intrinsic as breathing or swallowing becomes the most essential need and the most sought after desire. Great American Survival Stories includes contributions from Jack London, Theodore Roosevelt, John Wesley Powell, Owen Chase, John Muir, Osborne Russell, Stephen Crane, Francis Parkman, Henry David Thoreau, Richard Henry Dana Jr., and others.