A superbly illustrated reference of great explorers and their expeditions since 1845.

One 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 photographs.

Explorers is a stunning history of such expeditions, presented chronologically since 1845. It features rare archival photographs, maps, prints, and drawings, reproduced on stunning gatefolds that fold out to up to 40 inches across and up to 22 inches high.

Text includes a short biography of each explorer, the extraordinary stories of their expeditions, and passages from their personal journals. The explorers featured include, among many others, a total of 22:

• Richard Frances Burton and John Hanning Speke sources of the Nile
• Henry Stanley looking for Livingstone
• Isabella Bird Bishop China
• Ernest Shackleton Antarctica
• Roald Amundsen the Northwest Passage and the South Pole
• Gertrude Bell Iraq
• Maria Reiche Nazca, Peru
• Thor Heyerdahl Kon-Tiki raft across the Pacific
• Edmund Hillary atop Mount Everest
• Neil Armstrong first steps on the Moon.

Explorers is the fascinating and uniquely illustrated history of the explorers and how their expeditions influenced the world we live in today.

"This photo- and fact-filled book, in which nearly every page is a generously illustrated double gatefold, lands on the table with an undeniable thud and details 58 expeditions from the past 150 years-from Robert Peary and Matthew Henson's trek to the North Pole in 1909 to Edmund Hillary's 1953 climb up Everest (called by Tibetans 'the mother goddess of the world') to Neil Armstrong's 'one small step' onto the moon in 1969. De Porti, a writer and editor for Charta and art director of Alumina, chose these stories for their 'cultural and scientific significance' and combines often-unseen images (readers will find reproductions of pages from travel journals, maps and sketches among the hundreds of archival photos) with explorer biographies and travel narratives. De Porti recounts failed as well as successful expeditions, and it's the former that resonate most, notably the doomed adventure of Robert Falcon Scott, who, after reaching the South Pole, discovered Roald Amundsen had planted the Norwegian flag there barely a month prior. Scott died on the return journey. Though some explorers' intentions were more noble than others (expanding colonial interests played no small role in many expeditions), the creative way these journeys are presented will impress armchair adventurers." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Journalist De Porti not only explains the reasons why these apparently sane people left safe havens to explore the world and beyond, but supplies hundreds of period photographs and illustrations in gatefolds that create posters that explain the length and breadth of 53 journeys into the unknown. The seemingly sane people include Charles Lindbergh, Rosita Forbes, Richard Burton, John Speke, Robert Peary, Howard Carter, Freya Stark, Neil Armstrong and Yuri Gargarin, whom De Porti puts in context with their various and sundry motives, compatriots, beasts of burden, mistakes, and triumphs.
Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Journalist De Porti not only explains the reasons why these apparently sane people left safe havens to explore the world and beyond, but supplies hundreds of period photographs and illustrations in gatefolds that create posters that explain the length and breadth of 53 journeys into the unknown. The seemingly sane people include Charles Lindbergh, Rosita Forbes, Richard Burton, John Speke, Robert Peary, Howard Carter, Freya Stark, Neil Armstrong and Yuri Gargarin, whom De Porti puts in context with their various and sundry motives, compatriots, beasts of burden, mistakes, and triumphs. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A superbly illustrated reference of great explorers and their expeditions since 1845.

One 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 photographs.

Explorers is a stunning history of such expeditions, presented chronologically since 1845. It features rare archival photographs, maps, prints, and drawings, reproduced on stunning gatefolds that fold out to up to 40 inches across and up to 22 inches high.

Text includes a short biography of each explorer, the extraordinary stories of their expeditions, and passages from their personal journals. The explorers featured include, among many others, a total of 22: Richard Frances Burton and John Hanning Speke: sources of the Nile Henry Stanley: looking for Livingstone Isabella Bird Bishop: China Ernest Shackleton: Antarctica Roald Amundsen: the Northwest Passage and the South Pole Gertrude Bell: Iraq Maria Reiche: Nazca, Peru Thor Heyerdahl: Kon-Tiki raft across the Pacific Edmund Hillary: atop Mount Everest Neil Armstrong: first steps on the Moon.

Explorers is the fascinating and uniquely illustrated history of the explorers and how their expeditions influenced the world we live in today.

A history of the great explorers featuring 26 oversized gatefolds, hundreds of photographs, maps timeline, as well as short bios and the stories of their expeditions and passages from their journals.