Osa and Martin: For The Love Of Adventure

by Kelly Enright

Overview

'sa and Martin tells the story of legendary filmmakers and adventurers 'sa and Martin Johnson, who, from the 1910s through the 1940s, brought the jungles of Africa and the South Pacific to millions of Americans on reel after movie reel. All the while, 'sa did her best to create a home for them in the wildest of places. But beyond their work, equally if not more fascinating is their relationship to each other. Instead of living predictable lives, 'sa and Martin were always seeking the next daring exploit. 'sa did not simply accompany her husband on his explorations—she was the heroine and the heart of those adventures. "I have had the right sort of woman to take along with me into the desert and jungle," said Martin. "If ever a man needed a partner in his chosen profession, it has been I. And if ever a wife were a partner to a man, it is 'sa Johnson." Back in America, Martin found respect among the scientific community and was even offered membership in the world-famous Explorers Club. 'sa became one of high society's most admired women, respected for her intrepid spirit as well as her inimitable fashion sense. Both became influential voices in the field of wildlife conservation. In 'sa and Martin, Kelly Enright brings this amazing couple fully to life. She chronicles their journey from a honeymoon among cannibals to safari camps in lion country. In doing so, she captures the true spirit of two people who explored and delighted in the world around them as that world, in turn, transformed them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762763603
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2011
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Kelly Enright, who holds a PhD in American History from Rutgers University, is the author of Rhinoceros and America’s Natural Places: Rocky Mountains and Great Plains.

Table of Contents

Preface vi

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Martin's First Adventure 1

Chapter 2 Honeymoon with Cannibals 33

Chapter 3 Taking Aim at Africa 73

Chapter 4 Living in Paradise 134

Chapter 5 Safari Skies 179

Chapter 6 Osa Alone 198

Bibliography 211

Index 215

Editorial Reviews

"Historian [Kelly] Enright showcases the careers of 'sa and Martin Johnson, explorers, wildlife-movie pioneers, and inseparable adventure seekers.. .. The couple's delight and happiness in living the life they made for each other shines through."—Kirkus ReviewsPraise for Kelly Enright's previous book, Rhinoceros: "Like its predecessors, this volume alternately informs, delights, moves, and astonishes. Success here owes as much to author as to subject. The former, a cultural and environmental historian, acquits herself admirably, distilling fact from fiction, employing supple and incisive prose, and trailing casual acumen in her measured wake."—Atlantic

From the Publisher

Historian Enright (America's Natural Places: Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, 2009, etc.) showcases the careers of Osa and Martin Johnson, explorers, wildlife-movie pioneers and inseparable adventure seekers.

At the age of 16, Osa walked out of the 1909 popular lecture and photo display put on by Martin Johnson in Chanute, Kan., after his return from the South Seas. She thought the show was ugly and repulsive, but the two hit it off and, within a month, they had married. On Osa's initiative, they took the lecture on the vaudeville circuit to raise money for joint explorations in the South Seas. She never lost this ability to act decisively, which many times saved her husband's life. Sharing their lives, they revisited the South Seas, and then followed up with three visits to Kenya before returning to the South Seas again. Except for an Explorers' Club membership, which Osa, as a woman, could never attain, the two were inseparable until Martin's tragic death in a plane crash in 1937. During their adventures, Osa and Martin pioneered using movie to record wildlife in their natural habitat, and their films remain a source of documentation for studies of wildlife today. The couple traveled and filmed in a time of transition, while the British were establishing preserves like Serengeti and ruthlessly clearing wildlife from areas designated for settled agriculture. Osa continued after Martin's death, writing books for adults and children, and her groundbreaking TV series Big Game Hunt.

The couple's delight and happiness in living the life they made for each other shines through.

Kirkus Reviews