"One of the great adventures of our time." --"Life" "Am going to cross Pacific on a wooden raft to support a theory that the South Sea islands were peopled from Peru. Will you come? . . . Reply at once." That is how six brave and inquisitive men came to seek a dangerous path to test a scientific theory. On a primitive raft made of forty-foot balsa logs and named "Kon-Tiki" in honor of a legendary sun king, Thor Heyerdahl and five companions deliberately risked their lives to show that the ancient Peruvians could have made ...
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"One of the great adventures of our time." --"Life" "Am going to cross Pacific on a wooden raft to support a theory that the South Sea islands were peopled from Peru. Will you come? . . . Reply at once." That is how six brave and inquisitive men came to seek a dangerous path to test a scientific theory. On a primitive raft made of forty-foot balsa logs and named "Kon-Tiki" in honor of a legendary sun king, Thor Heyerdahl and five companions deliberately risked their lives to show that the ancient Peruvians could have made the 4,300-mile voyage to the Polynesian islands on a similar craft. For three months, the bold young men made their way across the pacific at the complete mercy of the ocean. They encountered storms that threatened to tear their raft apart, whales large enough to sink them in the blink of an eye, and sharks ready to feast on any man unfortunate enough to fall overboard. In the true spirit of adventure, they held on until finally making landfall on a remote Polynesian island, proving Heyerdahl's theory possible after all. On every page of this true chronicle--from the actual building of the raft through all the dangerous and comic adventures on the sea, to the spectacular crash landing and the native islanders' hula dances--each reader will find a wholesome and spellbinding escape from the twenty-first century.
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Add this copy of Kon-Tiki to cart. $4.96, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1983 by Pocket Books.
Add this copy of Kon-Tiki to cart. $23.00, good condition, Sold by Robin Books rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Kingston, ON, CANADA, published 1983 by Pocket Books.
Add this copy of Kon-Tiki to cart. $34.03, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1950 by Pocket Books Inc.
A good idea to see the movie (2013) and read the book.
William D
Dec 1, 2011
Not again !
Now i see why i didinot read this book in High School. Good info but hard to stay focused.
Sister
Jul 14, 2007
from Peru to Polynesia on a balsa raft
See what can be done with some balsa wood and a lot of dedication. Take a cruise across the Pacific from Peru to Polynesia that proves a previously scorned theory that the peoples of the Pacific isles came from the Americas. This 100 day adventure will teach you about the sea and the power of blessings. Set sail with the international crew of six!
jeffrylunch
Apr 8, 2007
THE epic journey of the 20th century
It would be hard to estimate the impact of this story on the imaginations of many an adventurist soul in the 50+ years of its publication.
Anthropology meets daring sailing expidition. In an era purporting the sanctity of the scientist's laboratory as ultimate authority, Thor Heyerdahl and his scandinavian crew give life to his dream and prove that the larger world is the laboratory we live in.
This account of 103 day crossing the Pacific ocean on a balsa-log raft is a must read, not just for adventurists or sailors, but for anyone with a dream.