Hi Jolly, Ho Jolly, twenty miles a day, by golly

I have just finished reading the best book in the UNIVERSE. Seriously. This book--The Aztec Treasure House by Evan S. Connell--is FANTASTIC. It's a collection of nonfiction essays on all sorts of topics--from Amundsen and Scott to the Etruscans to Mesa Verde. And all the pieces are beautifully written. I've been quoting it to anyone who would listen for the last two months. (I was busy, and I wanted to savor the read.) Here, I'll give you an example: "It is well known that scholars fight like spiders in a bottle over the interpretation of artifacts and crumbling parchment, and medieval Norse explorations have particularly excited their testiness, making it almost impossible for an ignorant reader to know which gray eminence to believe." (From "Vinland Vínland"). Exquisite.
Go out and buy this book. Check it out from the library. Buy three copies (one for you, one to lend, and one as insurance for when your copy falls to bits). It is wonderful. It gets Mary's highest rating, and a personal recommendation to Dan and Remington.