Preface<br > The choice of books qualifying for the classification "epic tales"<br >in my title was difficult and， in the end， highly personal， though a<br >majority of those chosen were almost automatic; they could hardly<br >have been omitted. Advice on inclusions came from many sources，<br >both actual and armchair travelers. Scores of works were considered<br >before a final consensus was reached. Among those left out--perhaps<br >saved for a second volume--were the following:<br > Charles Doughty， Travels in Arabic Deserts<br > Julian Duguid， Green Hell<br > George Featherstonbaugh， Excursion through the Slave States<br > Harry Franck， Vagabonding down the Andes<br > Peter Freuchen， Arctic Adventure<br > Sven Hedin， Through Asia<br > William Hudson， Naturalist in La Plata<br > Samuel Johnson， Iourney to the Hebrides<br > T. E. Lawrence， Seven Pillars oI Wisdom<br > Anne Morrow Lindbergh， North to the Orient<br > David Livingstone， Missionary Travels<br > Alexander Mackenzie， Voyages lrom Montreal<br > Douglas Mawson， Home ol the Blizzard<br > Alan Moorehead， White Nile and Blue Nile<br > Frederick Olmsted， The Cotton Kingdom<br > Robert F. Scott， Voyage oI the Discovery<br >