Most Popular Books by Robert Kurson

In his critically acclaimed bestseller Shadow Divers, Robert Kurson explored the depths of history, friendship, and compulsion. Now Kurson returns with another thrilling adventure–the stunning true story of one man’s heroic odyssey from blindness into sight. Mike May spent his life crashing through. Blinded at age three, he defied expectations by breaking world records in downhill speed skiing, joining the CIA, and becoming a successful inventor, entrepreneur, and family man. He had never yearned for vision. Then, in 1999, a chance encounter brought startling news: a revolutionary stem cell transplant surgery could restore May’s vision. It would allow him to drive, to read, to see his children’s faces. He began to contemplate an astonishing new world: Would music still sound the same? Would sex be different? Would he recognize himself in the mirror? Would his marriage survive? Would he still be Mike May? The procedure was filled with risks, some of them deadly, others beyond May’s wildest dreams. Even if the surgery worked, history was against him. Fewer than twenty cases were known worldwide in which a person gained vision after a lifetime of blindness. Each of those people suffered desperate consequences we can scarcely imagine. There were countless reasons for May to pass on vision. He could think of only a single reason to go forward. Whatever his decision, he knew it would change his life. Beautifully written and thrillingly told, Crashing Through is a journey of suspense, daring, romance, and insight into the mysteries of vision and the brain. Robert Kurson gives us a fascinating account of one man’s choice to explore what it means to see–and to truly live.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The riveting inside story of three heroic astronauts who took on the challenge of mankind’s historic first mission to the Moon, from the bestselling author of Shadow Divers. “Robert Kurson tells the tale of Apollo 8 with novelistic detail and immediacy.”—Andy Weir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian and Artemis By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the Moon by President Kennedy’s end-of-decade deadline, and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the Moon—in just four months. And it would all happen at Christmas. In a year of historic violence and discord—the Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy, the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago—the Apollo 8 mission would be the boldest, riskiest test of America’s greatness under pressure. In this gripping insider account, Robert Kurson puts the focus on the three astronauts and their families: the commander, Frank Borman, a conflicted man on his final mission; idealistic Jim Lovell, who’d dreamed since boyhood of riding a rocket to the Moon; and Bill Anders, a young nuclear engineer and hotshot fighter pilot making his first space flight. Drawn from hundreds of hours of one-on-one interviews with the astronauts, their loved ones, NASA personnel, and myriad experts, and filled with vivid and unforgettable detail, Rocket Men is the definitive account of one of America’s finest hours. In this real-life thriller, Kurson reveals the epic dangers involved, and the singular bravery it took, for mankind to leave Earth for the first time—and arrive at a new world. “Rocket Men is a riveting introduction to the [Apollo 8] flight. . . . Kurson details the mission in crisp, suspenseful scenes. . . . [A] gripping book.”—The New York Times Book Review

Recounts the 1991 discovery of a sunken German U-boat by two recreational scuba divers, tracing how they devoted the following six years to researching the identities of the submarine and its crew, correcting historical texts and breaking new grounds in the world of diving along the way. Reprint.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY CHICAGO TRIBUNE • A thrilling adventure of danger and deep-sea diving, historic mystery and suspense, by the author of Shadow Divers Finding and identifying a pirate ship is the hardest thing to do under the sea. But two men—John Chatterton and John Mattera—are willing to risk everything to find the Golden Fleece, the ship of the infamous pirate Joseph Bannister. At large during the Golden Age of Piracy in the seventeenth century, Bannister should have been immortalized in the lore of the sea—his exploits more notorious than Blackbeard’s, more daring than Kidd’s. But his story, and his ship, have been lost to time. If Chatterton and Mattera succeed, they will make history—it will be just the second time ever that a pirate ship has been discovered and positively identified. Soon, however, they realize that cutting-edge technology and a willingness to lose everything aren’t enough to track down Bannister’s ship. They must travel the globe in search of historic documents and accounts of the great pirate’s exploits, face down dangerous rivals, battle the tides of nations and governments and experts. But it’s only when they learn to think and act like pirates—like Bannister—that they become able to go where no pirate hunters have gone before. Fast-paced and filled with suspense, fascinating characters, history, and adventure, Pirate Hunters is an unputdownable story that goes deep to discover truths and souls long believed lost. Praise for Pirate Hunters “You won’t want to put [it] down.”—Los Angeles Times “An exceptional adventure . . . Highly recommended to readers who delight in adventure, suspense, and the thrill of discovering history at their fingertips.”—Library Journal (starred review) “A terrific read . . . The book gallops along at a blistering pace, shifting us deftly between the seventeenth century and the present day.”—Diver “Nonfiction with the trademarks of a novel: the plots and subplots, the tension and suspense . . . [Kurson has] found gold.”—The Dallas Morning News “Rollicking . . . a fascinating [story] about the world of pirates, piracy, and priceless treasures.”—The Boston Globe “[Kurson’s] narration is just as engrossing as the subject.”—The Christian Science Monitor “A wild ride [and an] extraordinary adventure . . . Kurson’s own enthusiasm, combined with his copious research and an eye for detail, makes for one of the most mind-blowing pirate stories of recent memory, one that even the staunchest landlubber will have a hard time putting down.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “The two contemporary pirate-ship seekers of Mr. Kurson’s narrative are as daring, intrepid, tough and talented as Blood and Sparrow—and Bannister. . . . As depicted by the author, they are real-life Hemingway heroes.”—The Wall Street Journal “[Kurson] takes his knowledge of the underwater world and applies it to the ‘Golden Age of Piracy’ . . . thrillingly detailing the highs and lows of chasing not just gold and silver but also history.”—Booklist “A great thriller full of tough guys and long odds . . . and: It’s all true.”—Lee Child

Synthesizing all that is delightful and delicious in Three Stooges films, this cookbook contains 75 zany recipes inspired by the Stooges plus quotes and 60 original photos.

Piráti, skuteční lovci pokladů a jeden sen. A navíc je to všechno pravda... Dobrodružný thriller vyprávějící skutečný příběh dvou lovců pokladů, Johna Chattertona a Johna Mattery, kteří jsou ochotni riskovat vše pro to, aby našli potopenou pirátskou loď jménem Zlaté rouno – loď, které velel jeden z nejslavnějších pirátů všech dob, Joseph Bannister. Kromě samotného faktu, že nalezení lodi by znamenalo teprve druhý, 100% identifikovaný vrak pirátské lodi v historii, je ve hře i obrovské množství zlata, které by se mohlo v útrobách vraku nacházet. Jde o jedinečný, vzrušující příběh o lidské touze a odvaze překonávat překážky a nebezpečí na cestě za svým snem. „Skvělý thriller o drsných chlapech a velkých snech... a navíc je to všechno pravda .“ – Lee Child, autor bestsellerů

En la tradición de Mal de altura de Jon Krakauer , Tras la sombra de un submarino, clásico imprescindible de la no ficción narrativa, es el relato verídico de la increíble aventura de dos buceadores, John Chatterton y Richie Kohler, que arriesgaron sus vidas para resolver un gran misterio histórico. En el otoño de 1991, encontraron a menos de cien kilómetros de la costa de Nueva Jersey los restos de un submarino alemán de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y huesos humanos enterrados bajo décadas de sedimentos acumulados. Ningún historiador, experto, incluso gobierno, tenía idea de la existencia de este vestigio de la guerra. Junto con un equipo de buzos de élite, los dos amigos emprendieron una búsqueda de siete años para resolver este enigma histórico y honrar la memoria de los desaparecidos. A medida que sus vidas se desmoronaban bajo la presión de una obsesión compartida, sus inmersiones en el gran azul se volvieron cada vez más atrevidas, hasta que se dieron cuenta de que buscaban algo más que la identidad de un submarino perdido y su tripulación sin nombre. « Tras la sombra de un submarino no es solo un apasionante relato de aventuras, sino también una historia de persistencia tenaz y amistad creciente. Kurson capta vívidamente el peligroso mundo del buceo y la competencia y camaradería que unen los propios buceadores.» The Wall Street Journal «La prosa adrenalínica de Kurson te arrastra.» The New Yorker La historia real de dos submarinistas que lo arriesgaron todo para resolver un gran misterio de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

‘Als je van piraten houdt, laten we dan afspreken in New Jersey.’ De beller was John Chatterton, een van de hoofdpersonen in mijn boek Schaduwduikers. De laatste keer dat ik Chatterton had gesproken was ruim een jaar geleden, maar zijn diepe stem herkende ik onmiddellijk. ‘Wat voor piraten?’ vroeg ik. ‘Zeventiende eeuw. Caraïbische Zee. Het echte werk.’ Schatjagers van bestsellerauteur Robert Kurson is een avonturenverhaal vol gevaar, spanning en diepzeeduiken. Het vinden van een piratenschip op de bodem van de zee is het moeilijkste wat er is. Maar de gedreven duikers John Chatterton en John Mattera zijn bereid alles te riskeren om de mysterieuze Golden Fleece te vinden, het zeventiende-eeuwse schip van de beruchte piratenkapitein Joseph Bannister. De schatjagers hebben de kans geschiedenis te schrijven, maar dan moeten ze eerst de wereld over, en levensgevaarlijke vijanden en weerbarstige ambtenaren overwinnen. Pas als ze leren denken en handelen als een piraat, zal het lukken om te gaan waar nog geen schatjager is geweest... 'Actie en avontuur op het land en in de zee - meer kun je niet wensen. Robert Kurson verhoogt de inzet met een reeks raadsels en een vloot kleurrijke personages. Dit is een geweldig vakantieboek!' Michael Connelly 'Schatjagers is een fantastisch boek. Dit is een waargebeurd Schateiland, inclusief roekeloze, halfgekke schatgravers tegen een levendig Caraïbisch decor - een onvergetelijk verhaal. Douglas Preston

Vietnamese edition of the story recounting the adventure of professional divers searching for sunk ship from Second world war... Vietnamese translation by Nguyen Dinh Khoi.

Vietnamese edition of Robert Kurson's Rocket Man, retelling the story of Apollo 8's thrilling adventure to the moon's orbit and back to earth... Vietnamese translation by Nguyen Binh Thanh and Thoi Ngoc Tuan Quoc.

De waargebeurde belevenissen van twee Amerikaanse sportduikers die in 1991 voor de kust van New Yersey een Duitse U-boot met 56 bemanningsleden uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog ontdekten waarover nergens informatie te vinden was.