Explorers

Starred review from November 1, 2010

Building on its string of best-selling, large-format historical surveys, DK has teamed up with the Royal Geographic Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) and the Smithsonian Institution to produce this lavishly illustrated and beautifully crafted entree into the world of exploration. Dividing thousands of years into five themed eras ("Early Explorers," "Trade and Discovery," "Conquest and Colonization," "Filling in the Gaps," and "Reaching for Extremes"), the editors preface each era with a time line and an introductory essay to provide context for the heart of the book: explorer biographies. The biographies are splendid: full of color images, maps, pictures of artifacts, and details about the explorers' lives. Of course, popular explorers like Lewis and Clark, Columbus, Livingstone, Shackleton, Cortes, and Marco Polo are included, but equally fascinating are lesser-known explorers such as Zheng He, Ibn Fadlan, and Bertram Thomas. In total, over 80 explorers' expeditions and contributions to the world's knowledge are examined here. VERDICT This book is addictive! Once you start looking at the pictures and reading the text, it is hard to put it down. Armchair explorers and libraries with exploration collections should purchase.--Margaret Atwater-Singer, Univ. of Evansville Lib., IN

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