Praise for the hardcover edition: "The 53 stories here, De Porti writes, have been selected for their historical and scientific importance and also for their 'sheer fascination.' . . . Readers will be fascinated by these journeys." -- Booklist (starred review) "Imaginatively designed book . . . richly illustrated with historic photographs, maps and pages that fold out into poster-sized formats." -- USA Today One of the most exciting periods of exploration coincided with the invention of photography. As a result, the most important expeditions over the last 160 years were captured and preserved by incredibly dramatic images. Explorers gathers together hundreds of these rare archival photographs plus maps, prints and drawings reproduced on stunning gatefolds. Text includes a short biography of each explorer, the extraordinary stories of their expeditions and passages from their personal journals. In all, 53 stories are featured. Many are familiar and others less known but deserving of wider recognition. Several women also receive just due for their unequaled bravery and fortitude. Some of the explorers featured are: David Livingstone and the "missionary road" Henry Stanley, looking for Livingstone Isabella Bird Bishop in China Ernest Shackleton in Antarctica Timothy O'Sullivan recording the Wild West Roald Amundsen, the Northwest Passage and the South Pole Gertrude Bell in Iraq Maria Reiche in Peru Thor Heyerdahl and the Kon-Tiki raft across the Pacific Freya Stark, a solitary female explorer of the Middle East Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky, mapmaker to the czar Edmund Hillary atop Mount Everest Challenger exploring deep space Alexandra David-Néel in the heart of Tibet. Those interested in history and exploration will find Explorers an engaging addition to their library. Read Less