- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Phoenix; New edition edition (10 Jan 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0753813173
- ISBN-13: 978-0753813171
- Product Dimensions: 19.7 x 12.9 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
428,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #34 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Central & South America > Brazil > Amazon
- #51 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Central & South America > Peru
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
With its rich pre-Hispanic heritage, the Andes and the Amazon, recent years have seen Perú welcoming more than its fair share of adventure tourists. Trial of Feathers tells of Tahir Shah's intriguing journey to uncover what lies behind the remarkable "birdmen" legends--from textiles of ancient cultures from Perú's Atacama Desert showing flying men; and accounts of a 16th-century Spanish monk who stated that indigenous people were able to fly. Travelling in areas overrun by tourists, and then into remote parts of the Amazon, Shah book throws up an unexpectedly powerful mystical heart even in the midst of what is now a familiar country. The climax and focal point is Shah's journey up a remote tributary of the Amazon in search of the Shuar people, who are believed to be descendants of the Atacameño peoples who gave rise to the legends.
No stranger to the magic of distant countries--his previous book, Sorcerer's Apprentice, confronted the magicians of India--Shah's own "flight" leads him to persuasive explanations of both the legends of aviation and of Perú's most mysterious phenomenon, the Nazca Lines. Both erudite and entertaining, Trail of Feathers is a timely book. In writing about secrets from an apparently well-worn destination, Shah restores something of the mystery of distant places in an age when it is possible to believe that most things are seen and known. --Toby Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
.... with him, on the road. You check in to the most horrible hotels imaginable, eat the most disgusting food and travel through the strangest landscapes. When you think you've had enough and you can not bear it any more, out of nowhere you meet a wonderful person who tells you a good story or carries out an unimaginable act of kindness. Incredible insights into the Peruvian culture, beliefs and peoples. Trail of Feathers is the third of his travel books and as I was finishing it, I was already looking forward to the next book. Fantastic.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Dear Reader, If you have just now come across Tahir Shah, then do yourself a favour, and read his other books first. Start with BEYOND THE DEVIL'S TEETH, progress to SORCERER'S APPRENTICE, and then plunge into this wonderful book. The author takes real risks in his quest to locate the "Birdmen of Peru." It is an excellent account of an element of Peruvian society now under threat from "modern" commercialism and religious evangilism. Tahir puts his money where his mouth is, in a very real way, as will be evident as you read the book. This book is a serious study, but also has the Author's trademark humour and compassion in abundance.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Tahir Shah's last book, 'Sorcerer's Apprentice', was the most original travel narrative on India ever written. It must have been a hard act to follow. But with 'Trail of Feathers', Shah has written another classic, blending his considerable eye for detail with a fondness for the surreal. No straight forward 'A to B' traveller, Shah takes us deep into the Amazon in the company of a Vietnem vet on the trail of the legendary birdmen of Peru. Along the way, he feasts on guinea pig, meets shrunken head hunters and seeks out mysterious shamans who reveal to him the secrets behind the legends of primitive flight. So far, my favourite book of the year.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
cheapest holiday I took !
has all been said before - the guy is simply a genius travel writer read four of his books now none have disappointed makes you want to get out of this gray country inspirational
Published 9 months ago by Mr. Rwg Loram
Another fascinating book from Tahir Shah
I've been looking forward to this coming out in paperback, being curious to know the origin of the legend of the flying men of Peru. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2002
You'll weep with laughter!
Trail of Feathers is the funniest, most original travel book I have ever read. This book should come with a box of tissues to wipe your eyes, as they stream with laughter.
Published on 12 April 2001
A Truly Brilliant Book
Tahir Shah is one of the bright new lights in the travel writing genre. Trail of Feathers, and Sorcerer's Apprentice before it, will become classics. Read more
Published on 12 April 2001 by alicesmith@hotmail.com
The Trail of Wonder
If you haven't read Tahir Shah's work, you've missed the funniest, most original travel writer for years. Read Trail of Feathers and roll back with laughter!
Published on 12 April 2001
A most remarable book
Trail of Feathers is the kind of book which comes along very seldom: it's insightful, hilariously funny, and touched with genius.
Published on 12 April 2001
Wings Aloft
This really is a cracking book... delving deep into the mysterious folklore and rich cultural heritage of Peru. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2001
This is the crazy Peru I know!
I have just come back to England after living for five years in Peru, a year of which I spent in Iquitos. So I was curious to read anything about my recent 'home. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2001
Men with Wings
Leonardo da Vinci was sketching men with wings at the same time that the Incas were supposedly 'flying over the jungle like birds'. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2001
Feathered Flight
Trail of Feathers is a rich blend of travel narrative, humour, personal insight and solid research. It is a book which will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers, and is the kind of... Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2001
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