Horizon
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king parrot Alisterus scapularis
kori bustard Ardeotis kori
Lapland longspur Calcarius lapponicus
lappet-faced vulture Torgos tracheliotos
little corella Cacatua pastinator
long-tailed duck Clangula hyemalis
long-tailed jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus
magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens
masked booby Sula dactylatra
mew gull Larus canus
mockingird Mimus spp.
mourning dove Streptopelia decipiens
mute swan Cygnus olor
northern bald ibis Geronticus eremita
northern flicker Colaptes auratus
northern masked weaver Ploceus taeniopterus
northern wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
ostrich Struthio camelus
oystercatcher Haematopus spp.
pale chanting goshawk Melierax canorus
parasitic jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
pelagic cormorant Phalacrocorax pelagicus
purple sandpiper Calidris maritima
red knot Calidris canutus
red-billed hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus
red-billed tropicbird Phaethon aethereus
red-footed booby Sula sula
red-necked avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae
rhinoceros auklet Cerorhinca monocerata
ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres
sanderling Calidris alba
sandgrouse Pterocles spp.
shearwater Puffinus spp.
short-eared owl Asio flammeus
snow bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
Somali sparrow Passer castanopterus
Somali yellow-backed weaverbird Ploceus dichrocephalus
south polar skua Catharacta maccormicki
southern boobook owl Ninox novaeseelandiae
spoon-billed sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus
strange weaverbird Ploceus alienus
superb starling Lamprotornis superbus
surf scoter Melanitta perspicillata
Swainson’s thrush Catharus ustulatus
swallow-tailed gull Creagrus furcatus
tawny frogmouth Podargus strigoides
Thayer’s gull Larus thayeri
tumbler pigeon Columba spp.
turquoise parrot Neophema pulchella
vermilion flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
vesper sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
waved albatross Phoebastria irrorata
wedge-rumped storm petrel Oceanodroma tethys
white-backed vulture Gyps africanus
white-cheeked pintail Anas bahamensis
white-faced heron Egretta novaehollandiae
white-headed buffalo weaver Dinemellia dinemelli
white-headed vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis
white-winged scoter Melanitta fusca
winter wren Troglodytes hiemalis
yellow-crowned night-heron Nyctanassa violacea
zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata
Plants
acacia Acacia spp.
Arctic willow Salix arctica
balsa tree Ochroma pyramidale
beech Fagus spp.
bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum
black cottonwood Populus trichocarpa
blackberry Rubus spp.
blue gum Eucalyptus saligna
Borassus palm Borassus aethiopum
bougainvillea Bougainvillea spp.
California sycamore Platanus racemosa
casuarina Casuarina spp.
creosote bush Larrea tridentate
domestic holly/English holly Ilex aquifolium
Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
dwarf willow Salix herbacea
European beachgrass Ammophila arenaria
evergreen huckleberry Vaccinium ovatum
fireweed Chamerion angustifolium
flame tree Brachychiton acerifolius
frangipani Plumeria rubra
ginkgo Ginkgo biloba
golden chinquapin Castanopsis chrysophylla
great hedge nettle Stachys chamisonis var. cooleyae
highland saxifrage Saxifraga rivularis
Himalayan blackberry Rubus armeniacus
jacaranda Jacaranda spp.
lantana shrub Lantana spp.
London planetree Platanus x acerifolia
manzanillo tree Hippomane mancinella
matazarno tree Piscidia carthagenesis
melaleuca/tea-tree Melaleuca glomerata
mountain avens Dryas spp.
muyuyo Cordia lutea
native dandelion Taraxacum ceratophorum
oleander bush Nerium oleander
orchid [Galápagos] Epidendrum spicatum
Oregon grape Mahonia aquifolium
Pacific madrone Arbutus menziesii
Pacific silver fir Abies amabilis
Pacific yew Taxus brevifolia
paulownia Paulownia spp.
pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea
pepper tree Schinus molle
peppermint willow Agonis flexuosa
purple saxifrage Saxifraga oppositifolia
red alder Alnus rubra
red elderberry Sambucus racemosa
red-flowering currant Ribes sanguineum
river red gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis
Russian thistle Salsola kali
salal Gaultheria shallon
salmonberry Rubus spectabilis
scalesia Scalesia spp.
Scotch broom Cytisus scoparius
sea grape Coccoloba uvifera
shore pine (lodgepole pine) Pinus contorta
Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis
smooth yellow violet Viola glabella
spinifex Triodia pungens
swamp paperbark Melaleuca spp.
toothbrush tree Salvadora persica
tuart Eucalyptus gomphocephala
weeping paperbark Melaleuca leucadendra
western red cedar Thuja plicata
white oak
Quercus spp.
wild strawberry Fragaria virginiana
woolly mullein Verbascum thapsus
yarrow Achillea millefolium
Queen Elizabeth Islands Overview
Galápagos Archipelago
Kenya
Australia
Antarctica
Acknowledgments
After I finished a book called Arctic Dreams, in 1986, I started to see more clearly the outline of a loosely related nonfiction project, a work I knew would take a good while to complete because, at the time, I lacked sufficient experience in the field to write it.
The initial research for this book was funded by the Guggenheim Foundation in 1987, under the title “The Shape of Time in Remote Regions,” and on five occasions by the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. I’m grateful to both institutions for their sponsorship. I also want to thank Richard Bangs of Mountain Travel Sobek for his early support in Africa; Polar Continental Shelf Program, Department of Energy, Mines and Resources Canada for their sponsorship on Skraeling Island; Bill Roberson at Inca Floats for his generosity in Galápagos; Ray Rodney at Wilderness Travel for support in Antarctica; Neil Keny-Guyer at Mercy Corps for their underwriting of travel in the Middle East and Central Asia; Matthew Swan at Adventure Canada for support in Greenland and the Queen Elizabeth Islands; Kasumasa Hirai for his hospitality and support in Japan; Hilary MacGillivray and Ivy O’Neal of Travel Dynamics for international travel; and Peter Shaindlin for his hospitality in Honolulu. I also want to thank Bobbie Bristol and Cheryl Young for offering me the Bernardine Kielty Scherman Residency Fellowship at the Macdowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire; Deb Ford for a residency fellowship at the Playa writers and artists colony at Summer Lake in central Oregon; and Michael Adams at the University of Texas at Austin, who awarded me the Dobie-Paisano International Residency Prize at a critical time in the final stages of work on Horizon. All three provided crucial space and time to write.
From the beginning I benefited from the unstinting support of Sonny Mehta, my publisher at Alfred A. Knopf. I started work on the book at Knopf with Elizabeth Sifton and, after her departure, continued to develop my ideas with Bobbie Bristol, with whom I published a collection of short stories, Field Notes: The Grace Note of the Canyon Wren, in 1994. When Ms. Bristol moved on from Knopf in 1997, I began work with Robin Desser, with whom I published a collection of essays, About This Life: Journeys on the Threshold of Memory, in 1998, and two short story collections, Light Action in the Caribbean, in 2000, and Resistance, in 2004. Robin’s patience with me during the years it took to research the book, to develop the perspective I believed it needed, and finally to actually write the book, was extraordinary. The intelligence and editorial acumen Robin brought to discussions of early drafts of the manuscript are only a part of the reason why she is regarded as legendary in American publishing. Working side by side with her was more than a pleasure. It defined for me what a collaborative effort with an editor should look like for a writer.
It’s unusual to be able to work with the same editor and publisher for so long, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have done so with Sonny Mehta and Robin Desser. I’ve also had the great fortune to work with Peter Matson, my agent of nearly forty years. His understanding of what I was trying to do as a writer always straightened out the road ahead for me, and his representation over the years has been impeccable.
This book is dedicated to Robin and Peter for their deep friendship and professional counsel over that time, but first to my wife, the writer Debra Gwartney. On many occasions, Debra set aside her own work to help me keep on schedule, particularly after my health began to fail in the final stages of writing.
The assertion that without Debra’s, Peter’s, and Robin’s support and advice this book would likely have gone no further than the stage of extensive note-taking is a sentiment easy to express but difficult to adequately underscore.
In addition to Polar Shelf, the Guggenheim Foundation, Mercy Corps, and the National Science Foundation, I want to thank Susan O’Connor for her financial support and her enduring friendship. Mags Webster at FORM in Western Australia, Richard Leakey in Africa, and Fatima Galani and her family in Afghanistan all helped greatly with logistics. My gratitude as well, on Ellesmere Island, to Peter Schledermann, Karen McCullough, Eric Damkjar, Eli Bornstein, and Hans Dommasch. Also to Robert McGhee. In Galápagos, gratitude to Steve Divine, Tui De Roy, Bill Roberson, Orlando Falco, Eugénio Moreno, the late Christine Gallardo, Jack Nelson, Bruce Barnett, and the late Karl Angermeyer. In northern Kenya, my thanks to Richard Leakey again, to Alan Walker, Kamoya Kimeu, Nzube Mutiwa, Onyango Abuje, Bernard Ngeneo, and Wambua Mangao. Also in Nairobi to the late Mary Leakey. In Australia, I’m grateful to Mark Tredennick, Petronella Morel, Pete Hay, Luke Davies, Mags Webster again, John Wolseley, Richard Brown, Bob Pidgeon, Peter Latz, Robyn Davidson, Annamaria Welden, Fred Myers, Loreen Samson, and to my Pitjantjatjara companions at Mutitjulu and my Warlpiri companions at Willowra for their accommodation. Gratitude as well to my other colleagues in the Pilbara, Paul Parin, Larry Mitchell, Bill Fox, and Carolyn Karnovsky. I also want to thank the organizers of the international literary festivals at Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, and Melbourne for providing transportation to Australia.
In Antarctica, I wish to express my indebtedness to Guy Guthridge, the late Jack Renirie, John Schutt, the late Peter Wilkniss, Paul Mayewski, Berry Lyons, Cameron Wake, Mark Twickler, Mike Morrison, Bruce Koci, Ted Clark, Diane McKnight, and Elle Tracy, and, at Graves Nunataks, to Ralph Harvey, Diane DiMassa, Nancy Chabot, Paul Benoit, and Scott Sanford. I also want to thank Captain Russell Bouziga for his friendship and instruction aboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer, members of his crew for their accommodation, and Skip Kennedy of the National Science Foundation, who introduced me to executives at Edison Chouest, the company that built the Palmer. Also in Antarctica, gratitude to my companions aboard the Hanseatic, the late Galen and Barbara Rowell, Will Steger, and my stepdaughter Amanda. And finally, thank you to my dive companions in Antarctica, Rikk Kvitek, Cathy Conlan, Diane Carney, Hunter Lenihan, Kim Keist, Brenda Konar, and John Oliver, all from Moss Landing Marine Labs in California. And Jeff Bozanic, the divemaster at McMurdo Base.
I want to thank John Beusterien for help in understanding the role of the perros de presa during the Spanish incursion in the New World, Dr. Noa Emmett Aluli in Hawai‘i for his guidance on Hawaiian history, Gregory Retallack for help identifying geological specimens, Desirée Fitzgibbon and Christine Wilson for their help with the Martin Bryant material, Stan Bettis for his help with the history of the Western Trader foray, and Cort Conley for alerting me to the existence of the Kølnæs site. My thanks also to Dennis Corrigan, the late Wally Herbert, and Dave Fross for their help at various points, and to my colleagues at Texas Tech University.
And gratitude to David Lindroth, for his wonderful maps, and to my colleagues in production at Knopf, Cassandra Pappas, Carol Carson, Rita Madrigal, and Andy Hughes. And to Annie Bishai.
My stepchildren, Amanda Woodruff, Stephanie Woodruff, Mary Woodruff, and Mollie Harger, have been a source of love, enthusiasm, and support throughout the process of researching and writing this book. I’m forever in debt to them.
In a project that unfolds across as many years as this one has, it is difficult to recall each moment in which the work was significantly inflected or illuminated by a conversation with someone. I would particularly like to thank, however, Neal Keny-Guyer, Don Walsh, Bill Roberson, Alan Walker, John Schutt, Jack Renirie, and Neill Archer Roan, the former director of the Bach Festival in Eugene, Oregon, who introduced me to Arvo Pärt. To the other people who provided interviews and support and should expect to see their names here, I apologize for the imprecision of my memory.
I would like to acknowledge the friends with whom I have tried
over the years to work through my ideas about landscape and culture, and such things as the difference between autobiography and memoir. These would include, first, my wife, Debra, who, in addition to writing, also teaches memoir; the writers David Quammen, Pattiann Rogers, John Keeble, the late Conger “Tony” Beasley, Rebecca Solnit, Jane Hirshfield, W. S. Merwin, John Freeman, Colum McCann, the late Brian Doyle, Julia Martin in South Africa, and Mark Tredinnick in Australia; Marion Gilliam, Chip Blake, and others at The Orion Society; and a long list of artists whose working lives and artistic endeavors I have found inspiring. These would include the photographers Stuart Klipper, Susan Middleton, David Liittschwager, Lukas Feltzmann, Mary Peck, Ben Huff, Frans Lanting, and Linda Connor; the painters Alan Magee, Tom Pohrt, and the late Rick Bartow; the ceramic artist Richard Rowland; the sculptor Tom Joyce; the book artist Charles Hobson; the filmmaker Toby McLeod; the biographer Jim Warren; the curator Emily Neff; and the composer John Luther Adams. In addition, my brother John Brennan; my good friends Frank Stewart in Hawai‘i and Richard Nelson in Alaska for sterling conversation and excellent insights; translators Gary Witherspoon, Anton Fraga, Joe Moll, the late Luis Verano, and B. Mokaya Bosire; Bill Wade, formerly the president of Arco, Will Rogers at the Trust for Public Land, Richard Harvey, M.D., my colleague on a long, around-the-world plane trip, and, for his many years of guidance, the Onandaga elder Oren Lyons. Also Pualani Kanaka’ole Kanahele for the example of her life.
My former assistant Zoë Livelybrooks provided extraordinary help in all phases of preparation of the manuscript. I’m greatly in her debt, and to Candice Landau as well, who helped in the final stages. My former assistants Emma Hardesty, Julie Polhemus, and Nancy Novitski all supported the work in its early stages, and I thank them for their help. Julie, Nancy, Zoë, and I fact-checked the entire manuscript. Anything we might have missed is my responsibility. Special thanks to Isabel Stirling for help with research.
In addition to these, my deep bow of respect to Davide Sapienza in Italy, Alberto Manguel in Argentina, Hans Jurgen Balmes in Germany, and Anne Collins in Canada. And profound gratitude to Julie Graff, M.D.; John Stacey, Ph.D.; Pam Schmid, R.N.; the Comanche/Chiricahua Apache healer Harry Mithlo; and my brother John Brennan, a traditional healer, for their ministrations and counsel.