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From Publishers Weekly
Proceeding
chronologically from ancient Africa to space age pioneering, this
illustrated volume contains tales of exploration selected by author and
conservationist Hanbury-Tenison (The Oxford Book of Exploration) for
their "epic quality" and "impact through the ages." In entries no more
than five pages long, readers travel along such well-known routes as
St. Paul's trek from Jerusalem to Rome, Marco Polo's 5,600 mile journey
across Asia, the voyages of Columbus, Magellan's ill-fated global
circumnavigation, Lewis and Clark's exploration of the American West,
Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic and the first
manned mission to the moon. Along the way, there's a tale of
52-year-old scientist Maria Sibylla Merian facing the considerable
dangers of Surinam; the meeting of Stanley and Livingstone in the heart
of Africa; and the undersea exploration of improbably life-sustaining
lava seams. Included among the triumphs are tragic journeys such as the
1838 Trail of Tears, and the legions of sea captains who fought
unsuccessfully to find the Northwest Passage. Each overview is
accompanied by plenty of full-color photos, illustrations and maps, and
occasionally bolstered by telling quotes, including this from
balloonist Bertrand Piccard in 1999: "The way the public sees it is
this. If we ... don't succeed in our mission we are incompetent. But if
we do succeed it's because anyone could have done it." This
well-packaged drama will provide students and armchair historians ample
opportunity to correct those assumptions. 420 illustrations, 331 in
color.
Book Description
The
adventurous stories of the greatest explorers in history, illustrated
with hundreds of evocative portraits, photographs, paintings, and maps.
Marco
Polo, Ferdinand Magellan, David Livingstone, Amelia Earhart, Neil
Armstrong: these are some of the greatest travelers of all time. This
book chronicles their stories and many more, describing epic voyages of
discovery and exploration, from the extraordinary migrations out of
Africa by our earliest ancestors to the latest voyages into space.
In
antiquity, we follow Alexander the Great to the Indus and Hannibal
across the Alps; in medieval times we trek beside Genghis Khan and Ibn
Battuta. The Renaissance brought Columbus to the Americas and the
circumnavigation of the world. The following centuries saw gaps in the
global maps filled by Tasman, Bering, and Cook, and journeys made for
scientific purposes, most famously by von Humboldt and Darwin. In
modern times, the last inhospitable ends of the earth were
reached—including both poles and the world's highest mountain—and new
elements were conquered.
Here are human stories of great triumph
and success, but also of terrible hardships, tragedy, and astonishing
courage in adversity. An incredible team of contributors—from
distinguished historians and writers to travelers and explorers—bring
firsthand experience to the journeys and places they describe.
The
contributors include Robert Ballard, Barry Cunliffe, Ranulph Fiennes,
Pen Hadow, John Hemming, Robin Knox-Johnston, Christopher Ondaatje, and
Simon Winchester. 398 illustrations, 320 in color.
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