Dear Students,

I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and later studied Journalism at Michigan State University. But in those early years I went to Lexington Elementary School. The school had a nice library. When I was about your age I was very interested in reading books about adventure. Especially the adventure of diving for sunken treasure, exploring old shipwrecks, fishing for large sharks, mountain climbing, traveling to exotic places in the world. I read as many books as I could find about these things.

When I grew older, I never stopped reading about what I like most. Soon, those books led me into the real life adventures I loved. In time I mountain climbed, dived for sunken treasure, became an underwater photographer, sport-fished for large sharks, sailed and lived aboard my own sailboat in the tropics, traveled across Europe and halfway to Africa on a motor scooter. I skied the Alps in Switzerland, backpacked into North Africa, met many famous treasure hunters and scientists including Captain Jacques Even Cousteau. I lived in France, Italy, North Africa, Switzerland and Spain and was befriended by the Nobel Prize-winning author, Ernest Hemingway during the Running of the Bulls at Pamplona. Best of all I wrote magazine articles and books about all my adventures and got paid for them. Writing not only became my lifetime profession but it helped me pay for more such adventures.

Today, I am still writing and adventuring and I love it! Nothing is impossible if you believe strongly enough in it. You can do anything you want in the world. Reading is your magic carpet to accomplishing these goals. Read, and follow your heart where it leads. If you do this, you will discover that it will not only lead you to your goals, but also to your most valuable treasure of all--happiness.

Good luck!

Robert F. Burgess

Books for the Adventurous Mind