Against the Odds The Incredible Struggles of 20 Great Adventurers

Meet the adventurers who have tried, failed and succeeded against the odds!

Some of the greatest adventurers of all time have once failed. Many more have had to overcome great hardships to pursue lives of adventure.

Hand-picked by Alastair Humphreys, this compilation retells the extraordinary journeys undertaken by adventurers who have tried, failed and succeeded against the odds. These men and women have ventured into space, oceans, deserts and jungles and inspired Alastair's own adventures. They may do the same for you too.

A book full of hope and the power of self-belief and determination.

“We often hold a very narrow ideas of what ‘success’ means. We think that if we don’t reach a certain outcome, then we’ve failed and wasted our time. But in these chapters, you are going to read of changed plans leading to greater happiness, of personal disaster opening the door to wonderful experiences, of lessons learned from compromising, and even occasions when mere survival is triumph enough.” – Alastair Humphreys

Alastair Humphreys is an English adventurer, author and motivational speaker. Over a four-year period he bicycled 46,000 miles around the world. He was a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012. He is responsible for the rise of the idea of the microadventure - short, local, accessible adventures.