Near Death on the High Seas: True stories of disaster and survival

As William F. Buckley Jr. writes in the foreword, humans' capacity for exposing themselves to loneliness and fear "makes possible great adventures of the human spirit."

In this volume, Cecil Kuhne has gathered some of the most gripping adventure stories ever written, focusing on sailors' love affairs and battles with the sea. Steven Callahan's harrowing log of being lost for 76 days near the Canary Islands opens the volume with "viciously cold waves and strange creatures lurking below the churning surface." Other takes include Thor Heyerdahl's "Kon-Tiki" and John Rousmanier's "Fastnet, Force 10." After reading these stories, you'll understand why people risk all to experience the indifferent terror -- and beauty -- of one of Earth's most powerful forces. (Vintage Books, $14.95)