A Splendid Savage

The Restless Life of Frederick Russell Burnham

By: Steve Kemper

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Frederick Russell Burnham's amazing story resembles a newsreel fused with a Saturday matinee thriller. One of the few people who could turn his garrulous friend Theodore Roosevelt into a listener, Burnham was once world famous as "the American scout". His expertise in woodcraft, learned from frontiersmen and Indians, helped inspire another friend, Robert Baden-Powell, to found the Boy Scouts. His adventures encompassed Apache wars and range feuds, booms and busts in mining camps around the globe, explorations in remote regions of Africa, and death-defying military feats that brought him renown and high honors. His skills led to his unusual appointment, as an American, to be chief of scouts for the British during the Boer War, where his daring exploits earned him the Distinguished Service Order from King Edward VII.

After a lifetime pursuing golden prospects from the deserts of Mexico and Africa to the tundra of the Klondike, Burnham found wealth, in his 60s, near his childhood home in Southern California. Other men of his era had a few such adventures, but Burnham had them all. His friend H. Rider Haggard, author of many best-selling exotic tales, remarked, "In real life he is more interesting than any of my heroes of romance."

Among other well-known individuals who figure in Burnham's story are Cecil Rhodes and William Howard Taft as well as some of the wealthiest men of the day, including John Hays Hammond, E. H. Harriman, Harry Payne Whitney, and the Guggenheim brothers.

Failure and tragedy streaked his life as well, but Burnham was endlessly willing to set off into the unknown, where the future felt up for grabs and values worth dying for were at stake. Steve Kemper brings a quintessential American story to vivid life in this gripping biography.

©2016 Steve Kemper (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Great book!

worth it he lived a great life you're there rhe whole time with him for the ride

Fascinating man whose contributions still resonate today.

The research, the pace, the accounts and tales, all contribute to a very entertaining and educational book. This man’s life isn’t just fascinating, it’s also highly inspiring. Moreover, Burnham’s positive contributions can still be seen and felt today. Simply extraordinary.

An Amazing Character and Story

Burnham, lived an incredible life. Yet this is the first I’ve ever heard of him. Well written and read. Highly recommended.

The definitive biography of one of the greats

This wonderfully-performed reading of this biography is a must-listen!
Bernham is one of a rare breed, seldom seen in any era. Truly one of the great men of American history (and beyond), his life story is filled with daring adventure, virtue and honor, and faithful devotion to duty and family.

Well done

Great character. Well researched and told. What a complex person who reflected the times. Warts and all.

A great love story also.
Doug Haas