A harsh and icy land isolated at the far southern reaches of the globe, Antarctica is the most recently discovered of the continents. Until the 1800s, no humans had ever set foot upon its shores. Today, it remains mostly uninhabited, but it is far from empty. Readers will meet the unique plants and animals that call this frozen continent home, explore its unique history, examine the environmental concerns it embodies, and much more. Features include...

For millennia the location of the Nile River's headwaters was shrouded in mystery. Expeditions to find it were stymied by a giant labyrinthine swamp. In the 19th century Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke were sent by the Royal Geographical Society to claim the prize for England. From the start the two men clashed. They would endure tremendous hardships, illness, and constant setbacks. Two years in, deep in the African interior Speke claimed he...

Explores America's westward expansion beyond the Mississippi River, 1834-1848.

A powerfully built man more than six feet tall, Amundsen's career of adventure began at the age of fifteen (he was born in Norway in 1872 to a family of merchant sea captains and rich ship owners). Twenty-five years later he was the first man to reach both the North and South Poles. The author, an adventurer and swimmer, author of Swimming to Antarctica, gives us in this new work a full-scale account of Amundsen's life and expeditions. We see Amundsen,...

Describes the history of the exploration of the continent of Antarctica.