John Byron (1723-86) died a vice-admiral, having earned the nickname 'Foulweather Jack' after much experience on rough seas. In 1741 he was a midshipman aboard HMS Wager in a squadron sent to attack Spanish ships off Chile. Shipwrecked in a storm after rounding Cape Horn, the majority of the survivors turned on their captain and attempted to make their own way home. Byron was among the group who stayed with the commanding officer. In 1768, now a commodore, he published this account of the five harrowing years it took to get back to England, by which time he was one of only four survivors. Although no doubt written to give his side of the story, it appealed to a public eager for tales of dramatic endurance against the odds. Aboard the Beagle on Darwin's voyage, the book also informed the shipwreck in Don Juan by the author's grandson.

Despite Holland's rich history as a major maritime power, by the time this work first appeared in 1876 the Dutch had long abandoned their exploration of the Arctic Circle. In this detailed study, noting the achievements of Dutch navigators, Samuel Richard van Campen (c.1833-c.1893) makes the case for new expeditions into the north, not only to investigate the possibility of Arctic passages to America and Asia, but also to pursue scientific research. The author delineates potential routes and difficulties, discusses ocean conditions, and examines both historical and contemporary expeditions for flaws and successes. The book also includes as an appendix a chronological table of Arctic expeditions ranging from ninth-century Viking endeavours to Allen Young's 1876 voyage. Reissued here is the second edition of 1877, which does not differ textually from the first. Despite the author's intention to continue the work, a second volume never appeared.

The explorer, soldier and geophysicist Sir Edward Sabine (1788 1883) served as astronomer on John Ross's 1818 expedition in search of the North-West Passage. His return to the Arctic, under William Parry in 1819 20, compounded a keen interest in geomagnetism and his publications earned him the Copley Medal of the Royal Society (whose presidency he would later hold). His experience and expertise made him a natural editor, therefore, of this Arctic narrative, translated into English from German by his wife, Elizabeth Juliana Leeves (1807 79), and published in 1840. It is the account by Ferdinand von Wrangell (1797 1870), a Russian explorer of Baltic German ancestry, regarding his expedition to survey Siberia's north-eastern coastline. Compiled from the notes of the scientists on board, this work offers a valuable and wide-ranging insight into an inaccessible and little-known portion of the globe.

Published in English translation in 1793, this was the first study of Madagascar by a European. A member of the Academie des Sciences, Alexis-Marie de Rochon (1741 1817) was a distinguished French physicist, astronomer and traveller. He was involved in scientific voyages of discovery in the 1770s, conducting a hydrographic survey of the Indian Ocean. The present account was intended to show the advantages of French settlement in Madagascar and includes details of geography, anthropology and agriculture. In discussing cocoa and sugar, Rochon outlines the potential advantages of steam engines in sugar factories. He also provides an exploration history of the region and an interesting account of colonial leaders, notably Maurice Benyovszky (1746 86), the explorer-adventurer who was appointed governor of Madagascar by Louis XV. The work also includes a 'Memoir of the Chinese Trade', which details the many products traded between Europe and China in the late eighteenth century.

On 22 May 1826, HMS Beagle left Plymouth Sound on her maiden voyage, accompanying HMS Adventure to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego to survey the Strait of Magellan. Years later, Royal Naval officer John Macdouall (fl.1820 30) proclaimed himself 'one whose visit to Port Famine, and sometime residence on that inhospitable coast, have left no wish of re-visiting it, really or metaphorically'. Nevertheless, his first-hand account of the first nineteen months of the Beagle's voyage, originally published in 1833, is a highly entertaining read. With an amusing combination of self-deprecation and caustic observation, and in preference to 'the trouble of detailing the monotonous course of a long sea voyage', Macdouall relates anecdotes about life aboard ship and the peoples and places encountered. While unforgiving of 'absurd' Spanish customs and 'national indolence', and Rio de Janeiro's 'bowing hypocritical Portuguese', he offers a generally kinder portrait of Fuegian and Patagonian 'savages'.

Joined by seven eminent natural scientists, including Karl von Scherzer (1821-1903), the Austrian naval expedition of 1857-9 was remarkable for its globe-spanning scale. During the course of the voyage, the naturalists collected an abundance of samples which contributed to several scientific discoveries, including the isolation of cocaine in its pure form. Some of the investigations also revolutionised knowledge in such fields as geology, oceanography, hydrography and geomagnetism, and are still being studied by modern-day researchers. Prepared by Scherzer and first published in English in 1861-3, this is a compelling three-volume account of the mission, remaining relevant to scholars interested in naval exploration and the history of science. Opening with the guidance given by Alexander von Humboldt prior to the expedition, Volume 1 covers the leg between Europe and India. It includes notes on the social structure of the populations encountered, and on the local flora and fauna.

Joined by seven eminent natural scientists, including Karl von Scherzer (1821-1903), the Austrian naval expedition of 1857-9 was remarkable for its globe-spanning scale. During the course of the voyage, the naturalists collected an abundance of samples which contributed to several scientific discoveries, including the isolation of cocaine in its pure form. Some of the investigations also revolutionised knowledge in such fields as geology, oceanography, hydrography and geomagnetism, and are still being studied by modern-day researchers. Prepared by Scherzer and first published in English in 1861-3, this is a compelling three-volume account of the mission, remaining relevant to scholars interested in naval exploration and the history of science. Volume 2 covers the leg from India to Australia, with notes on the Nicobar Islands, Singapore, Java, Manila, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Pacific archipelagos.

Joined by seven eminent natural scientists, including Karl von Scherzer (1821-1903), the Austrian naval expedition of 1857-9 was remarkable for its globe-spanning scale. During the course of the voyage, the naturalists collected an abundance of samples which contributed to several scientific discoveries, including the isolation of cocaine in its pure form. Some of the investigations also revolutionised knowledge in such fields as geology, oceanography, hydrography and geomagnetism, and are still being studied by modern-day researchers. Prepared by Scherzer and first published in English in 1861-3, this is a compelling three-volume account of the mission, remaining relevant to scholars interested in naval exploration and the history of science. Volume 3 includes notes on Sydney, Auckland, Tahiti, the coastal cities of South and Central America, and the journey back to Europe, as well as reflections by the author on the achievements of the expedition.

Founded in 1666, the French Academie des Sciences was a prominent and prestigious organisation behind numerous scientific advances in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In 1817, commissioned by the Academie, Louis de Freycinet (1779-1841) embarked on a three-year expedition with the main purpose of investigating terrestrial magnetism and taking a series of pendulum measurements. In the course of this voyage around the world, the scientists aboard the Uranie also collected an abundance of samples and made significant observations in the fields of geography, ethnology, astronomy, hydrography and meteorology. The progress of this journey was detailed by Jacques Arago (1790-1855), draughtsman on the expedition, in the form of letters to a friend. This illustrated narrative is prefaced by a report to the Academie which summarises the mission's findings. Translated into English and published in 1823, this work is an informative and often witty account, reflecting contemporary ambitions in science and exploration.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the northern coastline of North America was of particular interest to the Hudson's Bay Company as it was believed to hold the key to the elusive North-West Passage, a trade route from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Recruited to lead a team to survey part of this forbidding region, the Scottish explorer John Rae (1813-93) undertook his first expedition during 1846-7. It was remarkable not only for its success, but also because Rae's was the first crew to overwinter in the Arctic. Unlike other Victorian explorers, Rae embraced the culture of the Inuit and learnt to live off the land like them, which enabled him to complete his survey. First published in 1850, this journal relates the details of his journey as well as how he and his men survived the extreme conditions. It remains a valuable document in the history of Arctic exploration.

An admirer of Captain Cook, Otto von Kotzebue (1787-1846) was a leading navigator, in Russian service, circumnavigating the globe three times. His 1815 expedition set out to find a passage through the Arctic, study the coastlines of Kamchatka and Alaska, and explore the Pacific. Among the personnel were the naturalist Chamisso and the artist Choris, who both contributed valuable information to the published account, while Eschscholtz, a physician, collected zoological specimens. Originally published in 1821 in Russian and German, this English translation, presented with many plates and charts, appeared the same year and formed part of Darwin's library aboard the Beagle. Volume 1 details the expedition's inception and presents the journal of the voyage, with observations of Cape Horn, Polynesia, Siberia, Alaska, California, and Hawaii. Meteorological details are regularly recorded, but this account is notable for its vivid descriptions of the peoples encountered.

An admirer of Captain Cook, Otto von Kotzebue (1787-1846) was a leading navigator, in Russian service, circumnavigating the globe three times. His 1815 expedition set out to find a passage through the Arctic, study the coastlines of Kamchatka and Alaska, and explore the Pacific. Among the personnel were the naturalist Chamisso and the artist Choris, who both contributed valuable information to the published account, while Eschscholtz, a physician, collected zoological specimens. Originally published in 1821 in Russian and German, this English translation, presented with many plates and charts, appeared the same year and formed part of Darwin's library aboard the Beagle. Volume 2 contains the concluding part of the journal, together with contributions by the other members of the expedition. Chamisso's chapters on the Pacific languages are still of interest today, with his glossaries including words not given in any other contemporary sources.

An admirer of Captain Cook, Otto von Kotzebue (1787-1846) was a leading navigator, in Russian service, circumnavigating the globe three times. His 1815 expedition set out to find a passage through the Arctic, study the coastlines of Kamchatka and Alaska, and explore the Pacific. Among the personnel were the naturalist Chamisso and the artist Choris, who both contributed valuable information to the published account, while Eschscholtz, a physician, collected zoological specimens. Originally published in 1821 in Russian and German, this English translation, presented with many plates and charts, appeared the same year and formed part of Darwin's library aboard the Beagle. Volume 3 continues with Chamisso's detailed observations as well as contributions by other members of the expedition. Flora and fauna are identified, mineral samples taken, and aerometric readings recorded along with the temperature of the sea.

During the voyage of HMS Bounty from Tahiti to bring the breadfruit plant to the West Indies, Fletcher Christian led what became the most infamous mutiny in seafaring history. Perhaps better known today through Hollywood depictions, the story of the events surrounding the date of 28 April 1789 is told here by William Bligh (1754-1817), the ship's commander. This reissue includes as an appendix Bligh's first narrative of the mutiny, published in haste in 1790 with the intention of following it with a separate account of the events leading up to the mutiny. The main text comprises the revised, fuller version he published instead in 1792, citing 'the manifest convenience' of having everything in one continuous narrative. The reasons behind the mutiny remain to this day a subject of debate. Undeniable, however, is that Bligh's is a remarkable tale of seamanship and survival.

In 1845, British explorer Sir John Franklin set out on a voyage to find the North-West Passage - the sea route linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. The expedition was expected to complete its mission within three years and return home in triumph but the two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, and the 129 men aboard them disappeared in the Arctic. The last Europeans to see them alive were the crews of two whaling ships in Baffin Bay in July 1845, just before they entered the labyrinth of the Arctic Archipelago. The loss of this British hero and his crew, and the many rescue expeditions and searches that followed, captured the public imagination, but the mystery surrounding the expedition's fate only deepened as more clues were found. How did Franklin's final expedition end in tragedy? What happened to the crew? The thrilling discoveries in the Arctic of the wrecks of Erebus in 2014 and Terror in 2016 have brought the events of 170 years ago into sharp focus and excited new interest in the Franklin expedition. This richly illustrated book is an essential guide to this story of heroism, endurance, tragedy and dark desperation.

During a life of many and varied interests, the art historian and mountaineer William Martin Conway (1856 1927) served as a professor of art at Liverpool and Cambridge, a member of parliament, director-general of the Imperial War Museum, and president of the Alpine Club. He climbed extensively in Europe and the Himalayas, mapped part of the Karakoram range (for which he was knighted), and named several mountains. In 1894 he walked the length of the Alps accompanied by two Gurkha soldiers. The celebrated expedition took the party sixty-five days to complete. Conway and his companions climbed twenty-one peaks, including Mont Blanc, the Jungfrau and Grossglockner, and traversed thirty-nine mountain passes. Published a year later, this is the illustrated second edition of Conway's popular personal account of the expedition, in which he documents the party's progress on a daily basis.

The famous explorer of the Arctic region, Sir John Franklin (1786 1847) was appointed Governor of the penal colony of Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land) in 1837. At first enthusiastically welcomed by the free colonists of the island, Franklin quickly became embroiled in political and administrative difficulties, and his compassion for convicts and aboriginals alike was incompatible with his duties. In 1843, colonial officials loyal to his predecessor succeeded in getting Franklin recalled by sending damaging accounts of his conduct to London. This pamphlet was Franklin's defence of his own character against these misrepresentations, but he was not to see his reputation recovered. He completed the book on 15 May 1845, just days before he departed on another Arctic expedition to search for the North-West Passage. Franklin and his entire crew died on the journey, and only many years later was the tragic fate of the expedition discovered.

William Fitzwilliam Owen (1774-1857) was a British naval officer. Between 1821 and 1826 he commanded an expedition to Africa, Arabia and Madagascar with the Royal Navy ships Leven and Barracouta, during which he mapped some 30,000 miles of coastline. His memoirs of the voyage are presented in this two-volume account, first published in 1833. Volume 2 continues to describe the rituals of the native peoples whom Owen's crew encountered - and who were at times hostile - and the tragic deaths on board the ships from tropical diseases, which with better planning might have been avoided. The volume also covers the lives of colonists and missionaries, the slave trade, and the spread of European influence across Africa and its neighbouring lands. Providing a vivid account of African exploration in the nineteenth century, Owen's writings remain of great interest to geographers, historians and anthropologists.

In 1911 Roald Amundsen beat Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole, and Scott and his colleagues all died on the return journey. Ernest Shackleton, who had served with Scott on a previous expedition, decided that crossing Antarctica from sea to sea was the last great unattempted journey on the continent. His Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-17 was a failure. But perhaps because it failed, with Shackleton not only surviving but bringing his crew back alive, the expedition became more famous than many of those adventurous voyages that succeeded. After reaching the Weddell Sea off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, Shackleton's ship the Endurance became trapped in pack ice and spent 1915 drifting northwards. The Endurance was eventually crushed by the ice and sank, leaving 28 men stranded on the ice. They spent months sheltering from the subzero temperatures as the pack ice continued to drift. Eventually Shackleton accepted they could not rely on rescue and had to help themselves, so he led five men on an 800-mile voyage in an open boat to reach South Georgia, from where he was able to mount a rescue of all of the men he had left behind on the ice. Every one of them survived - a remarkable tribute to his leadership, courage and determination. South is Shackleton's own account of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. It is a true story of courageous endurance, survival against the odds and an undeterred sense of adventure. This special edition includes detailed maps so that the reader can see just how extraordinary Shackleton's achievement was, and a specially written Foreword by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, introducing the book from an explorer's perspective.

Berthold Seemann (1825-71), a German-born botanist and traveller, published several scientific books and articles. He also composed music and in the 1860s he wrote three plays which enjoyed some success in Germany. In 1846 Seemann was appointed naturalist to the British ship HMS Herald, which was engaged in a hydrographical survey of the Pacific. In this two-volume work, published in 1853, the author recounts how he joined the Herald in Panama in 1847 and remained on board until 1851. The ship explored almost all of the West Coast of America and also sailed north into the Arctic seas. In Volume 1, Seemann arrives in Panama, only to find that the Herald is not yet in port; he uses the time to explore the Isthmus, the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and in the process discovers a number of new plants.

Berthold Seemann (1825-71), a German-born botanist and traveller, published several scientific books and articles. He also composed music and in the 1860s he wrote three plays which enjoyed some success in Germany. In 1846 Seemann was appointed naturalist to the British ship HMS Herald, which was engaged in a hydrographical survey of the Pacific. In this two-volume work, published in 1853, the author recounts how he joined the Herald in Panama in 1847 and remained on board until 1851. The ship explored almost all of the West Coast of America and also sailed north into the Arctic seas. In Volume 2, the Herald is ordered to the Bering Strait to search for the Arctic explorer John Franklin. New islands are discovered and Seemann collects anthropological data related to the Inuit. The Herald also visits the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) several times, and eventually returns home via the Ascension Island.

Charles Hall (1821-71) was neither seaman nor navigator, but by 1871 he had made two Arctic expeditions as a result of his fascination with the failed expedition of Franklin. With a grant from Congress, his Polaris voyage aimed to be the first U.S. expedition to the North Pole. Desertion, drunkenness, and disagreements beset the venture from the start, and by the time Hall reached the furthest northern point yet attained by an Arctic explorer, crew discipline had broken down completely. Using official papers and crew journals, this 1876 work by C. H. Davis for the U.S. Navy recounts Hall's sudden death (after accusing his crew of poisoning him), the failed attempt to reach the Pole, and the abandonment of half the crew left drifting for 2500 kilometres on an ice floe. With the mystery of Hall's death and the story of the crew's survival, this is an epic tale of human endurance.

William Fitzwilliam Owen (1774-1857) was a British naval officer. Between 1821 and 1826 he commanded an expedition to Africa, Arabia and Madagascar with the Royal Navy ships Leven and Barracouta, during which he mapped some 30,000 miles of coastline. His memoirs of the voyage are presented in this two-volume account, first published in 1833. Volume 1 begins by presenting Owen's instructions from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty and the Hydrographical Office, on which the editor comments that Owen was not given the power to take account of seasonal climate changes. Through Owen's recollections we learn that this proved fatal, as many of his crew succumbed to tropical diseases. Providing a vivid account of African exploration in the nineteenth century, Owen also documents his encounters with native peoples and wildlife. His writings remain of great interest to geographers, historians and anthropologists.

After his diplomatic sojourn in Syria as consul in Damascus, Richard Francis Burton (1821 90) published, in 1872, this two-volume account of nineteenth-century Syria. It is the result of collaboration with several partners with specific expertise, primarily Charles Frederick Tyrwhitt Drake (1846 74) but also Burton's wife. Throughout his life Burton immersed himself in as many different cultures as possible. His natural aptitude for languages and disguise allowed him to frequently pass himself off as a native. The two years he was consul were eventful, including local uprisings, an assassination attempt and religious strife. This work reveals the unknown and extraordinary side of Syria. In Volume 1, Burton and Drake use their experiences of living and travelling in the country, and those of friends and colleagues, to explore the geography, natural history, politics and culture of remote provinces.

After his diplomatic sojourn in Syria as consul in Damascus, Richard Francis Burton (1821 90) published, in 1872, this two-volume account of nineteenth-century Syria. It is the result of collaboration with several partners with specific expertise, primarily Charles Frederick Tyrwhitt Drake (1846 74) but also Burton's wife. Throughout his life Burton immersed himself in as many different cultures as possible. His natural aptitude for languages and disguise allowed him to frequently pass himself off as a native. The two years he was consul were eventful, including local uprisings, an assassination attempt and religious strife. This work reveals the unknown and extraordinary side of Syria. Volume 2, based on extensive travels through the northern highlands and the eastern edges of the country, explores the anthropology, ancient history, archaeology and geology of these regions.