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The Great Explorers
Penetrating biographies written by a group of distinguished travel writers, broadcasters, and historians reveal the lives, motives, and passions of forty major explorers in history. It has always been mankind’s gift, or curse, to be inquisitive, and through the ages people have been driven to explore the limits of the worlds known to them―and beyond. Here are the stories of forty of the world’s greatest explorers from Europe, America, Asia, and Australia. These are men and women who changed our perception of the world through their courageous adventures.
Organized thematically, the book opens with the oceanic journeys of five hundred years ago, when the great era of recorded exploration began. The following sections look at The Land, Rivers, Polar Ice, Deserts, Life on Earth, and New Frontiers.
Many of these explorers recounted their journeys in vivid firsthand accounts; others were superb artists or photographers. The book features quotes from their journals and reports, and it is illustrated with paintings, photographs, engravings, and maps, so that we can experience their adventures through their own eyes and in their own words.
Featured explorers Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, James Cook, Lewis and Clark, Richard Burton, Samuel de Champlain, David Livingstone, Roald Amundsen, Gertrude Bell, Alexander von Humboldt, Yuri Gagarin, and Jacques-Yves Cousteau. 150 color and 54 black-and-white illustrations
Organized thematically, the book opens with the oceanic journeys of five hundred years ago, when the great era of recorded exploration began. The following sections look at The Land, Rivers, Polar Ice, Deserts, Life on Earth, and New Frontiers.
Many of these explorers recounted their journeys in vivid firsthand accounts; others were superb artists or photographers. The book features quotes from their journals and reports, and it is illustrated with paintings, photographs, engravings, and maps, so that we can experience their adventures through their own eyes and in their own words.
Featured explorers Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, James Cook, Lewis and Clark, Richard Burton, Samuel de Champlain, David Livingstone, Roald Amundsen, Gertrude Bell, Alexander von Humboldt, Yuri Gagarin, and Jacques-Yves Cousteau. 150 color and 54 black-and-white illustrations
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2010
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357 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 16, 2024
Annddd…FINISHED! Absolutely outstanding; even those "boring old explorers" I learned back in middle school - Lewis & Clark, Champlain, Magellan, etc. - were fascinating to read about in this excellent collection.
Some real heroes here, including several unknown to me like Heinrich Barth, (who was so impressive that I've already ordered A Labyrinth of Kingdoms: 10,000 Miles through Islamic Africa, the only biography in English on this brilliant, compassionate and far-too-little-known explorer of Muslim Africa); as well as some genuine assholes, such as Nikolay Przhevalsky (he of "horse" fame, but otherwise a run-of-the-mill wildlife-slaughtering asshole) and Hernando de Soto (an exceptionally racist indigenous-people-slaughtering sonuvabitch). But in general, a broadly commendable group, even if many of them either died in the field or spent their lives pursuing unattainable goals, (Lhasa, source of the Niger, non-existent Northwest Passage, Australia's non-existent inland sea, etc.)
As with all such books, a huge number of "who knew?" facts here. For example:
Includes a number of my favorites (Younghusband, Wallace, Shackleton, Burton, Humboldt, Cousteau), but also is introducing me to an equal number of folks I've never heard of - Ney Elias, Thomas Baines, James Bruce, Wally Herbert, Marianne North, Gino Watkins, and many more. Sweet!
Some real heroes here, including several unknown to me like Heinrich Barth, (who was so impressive that I've already ordered A Labyrinth of Kingdoms: 10,000 Miles through Islamic Africa, the only biography in English on this brilliant, compassionate and far-too-little-known explorer of Muslim Africa); as well as some genuine assholes, such as Nikolay Przhevalsky (he of "horse" fame, but otherwise a run-of-the-mill wildlife-slaughtering asshole) and Hernando de Soto (an exceptionally racist indigenous-people-slaughtering sonuvabitch). But in general, a broadly commendable group, even if many of them either died in the field or spent their lives pursuing unattainable goals, (Lhasa, source of the Niger, non-existent Northwest Passage, Australia's non-existent inland sea, etc.)
As with all such books, a huge number of "who knew?" facts here. For example:
* By the time Lewis & Clark reached the Pacific, the local Chinookian tribes had already had so many dealings with traders and sailors that they knew and used the phrase "son of a bitch"ORIGINAL REVIEW: Another great find from McKay Used Books in Manassas ($2 "like new"), and a great nightstand book where I can read 1-2 brief explorer bios before going to sleep.
* That same Clark went on to serve several presidents in setting up the government's Indian Affairs offices, but ultimately was a key player in Andrew Jackson's horrendous "Indian removal program;" while that same Lewis killed himself just three years after completing their trans-continental expedition
* The Native American "Mississippian culture" (which I had also never heard of) covered much of the U.S. from around 800-1600 CE and had striking similarities to the Mesoamerican cultures of Central America; but following exposure to the Spanish adopted their horses and a then-possible nomadic lifestyle, leading to the "Plains Indians" that later American settlers encountered centuries later
* Isambard Kingdom Brunel - another name I have only heard of recently, but then in multiple circumstances. First and weirdest, Sting wrote a song about him on his 2013 album "The Last Ship;" and then I heard of him again not long ago…I forget where. But then he's mentioned briefly in this book for having taken Alexander von Humboldt under the Thames in a diving bell! Not a lot of famous 19th century engineers, but Brunel was apparently a real standout - so should probably learn more about him as well.
Includes a number of my favorites (Younghusband, Wallace, Shackleton, Burton, Humboldt, Cousteau), but also is introducing me to an equal number of folks I've never heard of - Ney Elias, Thomas Baines, James Bruce, Wally Herbert, Marianne North, Gino Watkins, and many more. Sweet!
February 16, 2020
En rigtig drengerøvs-opslags/kaffebordsbog med 25 korte (og lidt overfladiske) indslag om de største opdagelsesrejsende i verdenshistorien (Colombus, Magellan, Amundsen osv.). Samtidig er der et eklatant fravær af min barndomsfavorit Marco Polo, og kun 2 kvinder (som blev kendt for botanik og arabisk poesi) har man fundet værdige til at komme med i de berejstes selskab. God oversigtsbog til at falde i søvn til og drømme om fantastiske eventyr, men uden at man virkelig når at lære at kende den enkelte person i dybden.
December 20, 2013
too much like a text book. just a little bit of information about the different explorers
August 10, 2021
Edited by Robin Hanbury-Tenison, explorer and conservationist, this is a compendium of the lives and achievements of 40 of the greatest explorers of our planet and beyond over the centuries. Divided into bite-sized chapters of 3-5 pages each edited by a different writer with sections covering the oceans, Continental landmasses, deserts, polar wastes, the great rivers (but strangely not the mountains), an insight is given into the personal qualities of the great explorers - their tenacity, endurance, perseverance, resourcefulness and curiosity. Their motivations are also revealed, from the early seeking of riches and the glory of empire and conquest to the age of scientific discovery, the missionaries and the exploration of the boundaries and limits of our planet and mankind’s ability to endure. Thus we encounter the brutality of the conquistadors, the gallant gentlemen geographer-spies of the great game and the fearlessness of the Arctic explorers. We meet Cook, Columbus, Da Gama, Magellan, Amundsen, Livingstone, Stanley and Gagarin as well as a host of lesser known names. Sadly omitted are Scott, Shackleton, Mallory, Darwin and TE Lawrence; the shortlist is also Anglo-heavy and short on women. A map to accompany each chapter would have been a thoughtful inclusion.
Notwithstanding, every reader will find some nuggets of new knowledge about our wonderful planet and those who opened up its secrets to us over the centuries herein, as well as cues for further detailed reading.
Notwithstanding, every reader will find some nuggets of new knowledge about our wonderful planet and those who opened up its secrets to us over the centuries herein, as well as cues for further detailed reading.
July 13, 2019
THE GREAT EXPLORERS is a carefully-selected compendium offering brief biographies of some of the most famous explorers in history. This slim volume is arranged by terrain, with sections covering river, sea and land explorers, as well as other areas. Each section contains a brief introduction before the biographical sections, none of which are particularly long. They're fact-based accounts from a number of diverse modern-day writers, each of whom appears to be something of an expert in his or her field judging by the contributor section at the back.
The main criticism of a book like this is that it's simply too short. You learn a bit about an interesting character like, say, Sir Richard Burton, but are left wanting so much more. Think of this as a taster session, then, an introduction to luminous figures whom you'll invariably want to learn more about after encountering them (in particular, I was left wanting to read their own exciting-sounding accounts). At least there's a further reading section for anyone entranced by what they've encountered here.
The main criticism of a book like this is that it's simply too short. You learn a bit about an interesting character like, say, Sir Richard Burton, but are left wanting so much more. Think of this as a taster session, then, an introduction to luminous figures whom you'll invariably want to learn more about after encountering them (in particular, I was left wanting to read their own exciting-sounding accounts). At least there's a further reading section for anyone entranced by what they've encountered here.
February 19, 2024
The Great Explorers starts out strong with short biographies of explorers of the 15th century. The section covering polar exploration and scientists who broadened the world's knowledge of natural history in the 18th and 19th centuries are also strong. The book falls short in other sections. Most are Englishman (and a couple of women) who did interesting things. Some are questionable. (Was Yuri Gagarin really an "explorer?") Some are kind of silly. Jacques-Yves Cousteau? A notable man, certainly, and influential in some ways, but a Great Explorer to be grouped with Ferdinand Magellan?
Beautifully illustrated and somewhat interesting, this is a three-star book.
Beautifully illustrated and somewhat interesting, this is a three-star book.
August 17, 2020
A wonderful guide to the explorers and their journeys that reached new frontiers and captured the imaginations of the world over. Each chapter charts a course through the oceans, lands, rivers, deserts, polar ice, life sciences, and finally the new frontiers we are still exploring today. An informative and gripping narrative that is filled with fascinating side-stories and a balanced perspective that undertakes the responsibility of acknowledging and reflecting upon the positive and negative effects these explorers had on their environs and the peoples and cultures they touched.
March 6, 2018
Wonderful reading experience and so interesting! It is book to dip into and to enjoy for half an hour.
The characters were fascinating. What they achieved and the differences between all made for a delightful progressive story.
It was, in short, an excellent Christmas present from my wife.
The characters were fascinating. What they achieved and the differences between all made for a delightful progressive story.
It was, in short, an excellent Christmas present from my wife.
October 13, 2021
This is a good book that gives an overall picture of the explorers of the world. It covers land exploration, sea exploration, space exploration, and cave exploration. Probably more. I read this over my breakfast, day after day. The entries weren't very long.
January 2, 2022
It was a great intro to many of both well known and unknown explorers throughout the history. Personally, I thought each explore's story was a little too short sometimes but it did give a good overview of most of them. A great book to get you into both the human history and exploration.
February 3, 2023
A good compendium, if slightly unbalanced; the editor's good friend gets a longer space and more pictures at the end of the book than rather a lot of the other explorers found in the pages of this tome, and there's a bizarre dearth of female explorers represented. No Mary Kingsley, for instance?
March 11, 2019
Some well-known exploers and some not known well at all. Organized by place of exploration. Interesting book.
February 14, 2021
An ispiring book about the ups and downs of going into the unknown, a passion driving human kind from the dawn of time.
Recommended when feeling unmotivated!
Recommended when feeling unmotivated!
October 18, 2022
Imperialism apologist.
April 9, 2023
A great introduction to some explorers. They only have a few pages on each explorer, which left me wanting more.
May 29, 2024
A sweeping, yet in depth 'exploration' of the explorers who shaped history, something I can return to time after time.
February 21, 2023
Dit werk brengt de lezer doorheen de boeiende geschiedenis van de ontdekkingsreizigers beginnend met de allerbekendste, Christoffel Columbus, tot de enige nog levende die gekozen is in het boek, Andrew Eavis. Aangevuld met vaak prachtige illustraties wordt men zich bewust van enkele uitzonderlijke eigenschappen die deze heren en dames bezaten om tot hun ontdekkingen te komen. Een onverwoestbare wil, een avontuurlijke drang die grenst aan doodsverachting en een ongetemperde nieuwsgierigheid worden tijdens het lezen duidelijk als noodzakelijk ervaren. In deze tijden, waar veel reeds is ontdekt, kan men zich via dit boek uitstekend inbeelden waarom deze mannen en vrouwen op handen werden gedragen door hun natie. Hoewel enkele grote namen vreemd genoeg ontbreken, zoals een Marco Polo of een Charles Darwin, is het geheel absoluut aan te raden voor wie zich geboeid voelt door de geschiedenis der ontdekkingsreizigers.
May 12, 2016
An excellent coffee table book which you can dip into at leisure and get a good basic grasp of a wide range of explorers.
As a contributor myself to this book - I wrote about my grandfather, Frank Kingdon-Ward - I may be a touch biased, but all in all, I think the quality is excellent.
Obviously if you want a highly detailed biography of any of the explorers here you would need a more specific book.
As a contributor myself to this book - I wrote about my grandfather, Frank Kingdon-Ward - I may be a touch biased, but all in all, I think the quality is excellent.
Obviously if you want a highly detailed biography of any of the explorers here you would need a more specific book.
December 14, 2015
I loved it , this book provided a small summary of many explorers from about 1400-late 1700's. What made it so special for me was all the illustrations and art work with each chapter. At least every other page has some art work pertaining to the chapter at hand. Would be a great book for high school history classes, it is very readable and well has good documention sources.
May 21, 2015
This book wasn't what I expected from the review in the History Book Club. The articles were very short, 3 to 5 pages per explorer. I had not heard of some of the explorers, but that was a positive in my view. My biggest complaint was that there were many pictures, but not nearly enough maps!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews