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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
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Location: Punta Banda
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Here you go, Paulina...Some Walter Nordoff history you may or may not be aware of. His spirit is your neighbor in punta Banda.
http://users.lmi.net/bblackie/nordhoff/mexico.html
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
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Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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It is not out of print.
Edit to add
It is a terrific book.
[Edited on 6-1-2009 by bajajudy]
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Osprey
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Location: Baja Ca. Sur
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Jimmy Smith and I discussed the book at length. Several times during our talks I pointed to passages in the book where I had given information to the
author to "flesh out" parts which were blanks to him. I redden a little in the jowl when I say without by "fill ins" the book may have been little
more than Mexican science fiction.
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
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Location: Lytle Creek, CA
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Mood: In love!
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You really are an old bird! 
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
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Wow Dennis, thanks for that link.
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
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Location: Sunset Beach
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Mood: Just dancing through life
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Neal
Humble is as humble does! I totally enjoyed the fiction even as I knew it to be just that.........Jimmy put me onto it also.
Didn't realize that the bird was that old.
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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vacaenbaja
Senior Nomad
Posts: 640
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The Journey of the Flame
Here is another old book that beckons back to the days of
antiquity of Baja Calif. It is a historical novel of sorts full of old myths and legends. The common thread between this
book, "The Long Walk to Mulege" and "Camp and Camino"
is the traveling El Camino Real on foot and with the ever
present Mule/Burro/Donkey. Each of these books show
many examples of how adapted thse animals are to the baja environment. More so than horses which require much food and water. I wonder if Mike
Younghusband who is now attempting a 1000 mile baja treck of his own with his "DON-KAY"
has read these books? It is interesting to note that the most
difficult part of the trail for all three books seemed to be that
area between G.Negro and San Ignacio where I imagine
many less fortunate have died of thirst in their attempt to cross that dry plain.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by vacaenbaja
Here is another old book that beckons back to the days of
antiquity of Baja Calif. It is a historical novel of sorts full of old myths and legends.
The common thread between this book, "The Long Walk to Mulege" and "Camp and Camino" is the traveling El Camino Real on foot and with the ever
present Mule/Burro/Donkey.
Each of these books show many examples of how adapted thse animals are to the Baja environment. More so than horses which require much food and water.
I wonder if Mike Younghusband who is now attempting a 1000 mile Baja treck of his own with his "DON-KAY"
has read these books?
It is interesting to note that the most difficult part of the trail for all three books seemed to be that area between G.Negro and San Ignacio where I
imagine many less fortunate have died of thirst in their attempt to cross that dry plain. |
Thanks for posting this... It is a fun book to read, albeit a tad hard to follow the old style wording used. While fiction, The Journey of the Flame
is all based on true places and true events in Baja history... I recall only the town of San Jose del Cabo was changed in name for the book... I will
have to review!
Mike has completed his 1,147 mile walk, by-the-way...
Here are the three books:
Journey of the Flame c1933:
The map inside:
Close up of the southern half:
Camp and Camino in Lower California c1910
Long Walk to Mulege (in 1921) c1980
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Paulina
Ultra Nomad
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When Don Jimmy Smith had a sleep over at our casa in Punta Banda, he told me that The Journey of the Flame was one of his favorite books. I picked up
a copy as soon as I could, and enjoyed the entire read. It's a good book.
Thanks again Don Jimmy, and could you ask the Big Guy to grant us a little sunshine this weekend, we've got some baja-ish chores to do and could use a
break from the rain.
P>*)))>{
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
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Mood: In love!
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When the book came out in 1933, it was a well deserved bestseller. Early editions of the book showed the author as Antonio de Fierro Blanco who was
later identified as the pseudonym of Walter Nordhoff, who was from a famous family of authors. The details of the journey over the El Camino Real are
authentic.
The following writeup is from:
http://www.heydaybooks.com/literature/the-journey-of-the-fla...
The Journey of the Flame
Walter Nordhoff; Foreword by Rebecca Solnit
On the night of his 104th birthday, Don Juan Obrigón—tall and straight, with hair still flaming red—prepares to tell his life story to assembled
relatives and guests. The story he will tell describes his travels as a boy of twelve in 1810, when he accompanied the Spanish viceroy of Baja
California from the southern tip of Baja California to Monterey.
The Journey of the Flame is that rare treasure, an artfully imagined work of fiction that is based on meticulous research and brings life to the study
of history. Here are the manners, textures, and tones of Spanish California, transcending all stereotypes. A slow ride through exotic territory the
book is rich in leisurely pacing and dense detail that truly capture another time and reveal another world.
Considered a masterpiece of California literature by an entire generation of historians, geographers, and literary critics, The Journey of the Flame
has been long out of print but is now available in a new and beautifully designed California Legacy edition.
About the Author
Walter Nordhoff (1855—1937) had a mining engineering degree from Yale, and worked as a European correspondent for the New York Herald before moving
west to manage fifty thousand acres of his father’s land in Baja California, the area that inspired The Journey of the Flame. Nordhoff’s father,
Charles, was also a writer, whose work includes travel guides and books on religion and slavery, and Nordhoff's son, Charles Bernard Nordhoff,
coauthored the the Mutiny on the Bounty trilogy.
Edit: The book has been reprinted and is available for $14.95
[Edited on 3-26-2011 by Neal Johns]
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Neal Johns
Walter Nordhoff (1855—1937) had a mining engineering degree from Yale, and worked as a European correspondent for the New York Herald before moving
west to manage fifty thousand acres of his father’s land in Baja California, the area that inspired The Journey of the Flame.
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He lived right here in Punta Banda.
Jeeezo...I didn't notice the age of this thread. 
.
[Edited on 5-12-2013 by DENNIS]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Nice job Dennis, but is there a new link for this as the one from 2009 no mas trabaja... Gracias!!
[Edited on 5-12-2013 by David K]
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