The Book of Gallant Vagabonds presents a captivating account of the bizarre but idealistic lives of true wanderers who left everything behind to go and explore the world. Here you will see stories of the adventures of: John Ledyard, the American explorer, and adventurer who considered walking around the globe; Belzoni, the Italian explorer and a prominent archaeologist of Egyptian antiquities; Edward John Trelawny, the British biographer, novelist, and explorer; Thomas Morton, the friendly Elizabethan who founded the colony of Merrymount; Arthur Rimbaud the poet the French poet who became a tradesman, and James Bruce the well-built Scot who grew to be a great lord in Abyssinia. The narratives presented are real and precise but are so unusual that they might sometimes sound like fiction.
The American writer Henry Beston writes with a lucid narrative and a cheerful, vivid style. It is a light-hearted volume, written to delight the passive readers and fill them with excitement. This work is a must-read for all traveling and adventure enthusiasts.