In 1875, Sir George Strong Nares (1831-1915) set out for the Arctic in command of the ships Alert and Discovery, hoping to reach the North Pole and find the rumoured Open Polar Sea that surrounded it. The Official Report, published in 1876, recounts his fifteenth-month journey in lively and often harrowing detail, describing freezing temperatures, frostbite and scurvy, vast, uncharted landscapes and treacherous, ice-choked waterways. It records the progress of the British Arctic Expedition with the scrupulous detail of a ship's log, providing valuable insights into the logistical complexities and human costs of Polar exploration. 'We had arrived on the shore of the Arctic Ocean finding it exactly the opposite of an Open Polar Sea', Nares notes ruefully. A two-volume popular account of the voyage, published in 1878, is also reissued in this series.

This is an English translation from 1772 of the famous Voyage Autour du Monde (1771) by Louis de Bougainville (1729 1811), French admiral and explorer. The contemporary fascination with global circumnavigation created demand for this translation by John Reinhold Forster (1729 98), which includes many annotations and comments from the translator himself on de Bougainville's observations. Describing all of de Bougainville's adventures on the voyage (which took place between 1766 and 1769) as well as his descriptions of local flora and fauna, the gripping tale includes such interesting passages as the unmasking of the botanist's valet as a woman (the first known to have circumnavigated the globe); de Bougainville's famous descriptions of Tahitian society; and graphic descriptions of the discomforts and perils of sea voyaging in the eighteenth century. It includes a copy of the original eighteenth-century plot of the route, and several plates representing original sketches from the trip.

The French general and historian Philippe-Paul, Comte de S gur (1780 1873) served as a member of Napoleon's personal staff during the Russian campaign. He had joined the cavalry in 1800 and had distinguished himself during earlier episodes of the European war; this led to him being chosen for several diplomatic missions. His two-volume account of the invasion of Russia, first published in French in 1824, has been through many editions and has been translated into many languages. It is both a military history and an eyewitness account. This English translation was first published in 1825 and remains immensely valuable to historians' understanding of Napoleon's ultimately disastrous Russian strategy. Volume 2 begins with Napoleon's arrival in Moscow on 14 September 1812. The remainder of the book charts the events of the army's retreat, details the conditions endured and the lives lost in the course of it.

This four-volume edition of the Arabic text of the Journey of the Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta (1304-68/9), with a French translation, was published in 1853-8. In 1325, Ibn Battuta, who came from a family of Islamic jurists in Tangier, set out to make the pilgrimage to Mecca - the beginning of a journey that would last for twenty-four years and take him as far as China. In Volume 3, having decided to visit the court of the Turkic sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq at Delhi, he travels via Bukhara and Samarkand to Afghanistan and then across the Hindu Kush into India. At Delhi, he was given the post of Judge by the sultan, and he stayed at the court for six years. He provides a history of the kingdom of Delhi and an account of Tughluq's reign, describing both his wisdom and generosity and his 'acts of violence and criminal deeds'.

The dissenting minister Andrew Kippis (1725-95) was a Member of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal Society. With this work of 1788, he was the first biographer of Captain James Cook (1728-79), although several of Cook's colleagues, including Johann Reinhold Forster in 1778 and David Samwell in 1786, had previously published memoirs of their service with him. Believing that 'his public transactions ... are the grand objects to which the attention of his biographer must be directed', Kippis draws on the official Admiralty accounts of Cook's voyages and focuses on his professional life. The book was criticised at the time for failing to convey Cook's personality and motivation, stressing his achievements without putting them in context. However, it remained the only biography for forty years, and shaped public perception of Cook as a brilliant navigator and commander, a fearless explorer and an exemplary British hero.

This four-volume edition of the Arabic text of the Journey of the Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta (1304-68/9), with a French translation, was published in 1853-8. In 1325, Ibn Battuta, who came from a family of Islamic jurists in Tangier, set out to make the pilgrimage to Mecca - the beginning of a journey that would last for twenty-four years and take him as far as China. In Volume 2, he leaves Najaf and heads for Persia, exploring Isfahan and Shiraz before returning to Baghdad. Next he goes north, as far as modern Turkey, before performing a second pilgrimage to Mecca. From Jeddah, he sails to Yemen and down the coast of Africa as far as modern-day Tanzania. After a third visit to Mecca he heads north as far as the Crimea and Astrakhan, whence he travels to Constantinople in the retinue of a Byzantine princess, before heading east again.

This four-volume edition of the Arabic text of the Journey of the Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta (1304-68/9), with a French translation, was published in 1853-8 as part of the 'Collection d'ouvrages orientaux' of the French Societe Asiatique. In 1325, Ibn Battuta, who came from a family of Islamic jurists in Tangier, set out to make the pilgrimage to Mecca - the beginning of a journey that would last for twenty-four years and take him as far as China. In Volume 1, he describes his departure from Tangier, and his journey via Tunis to Egypt, where he travelled to Cairo, planning to reach a Red Sea port and sail to Arabia. The route was closed, so he returned to Cairo and travelled from there to Damascus, taking in the holy places of Palestine en route. Having finally reached Medina and Mecca, he decided to travel on, to Najaf (in present-day Iraq).

Published in 1847, this is a fascinating account by the Prussian explorer Ludwig Leichhardt of his 3,000-mile expedition from north to south across Australia, from 1844 to 1846. One of the most authoritative early recorders of Australia's environment, Leichhardt was also the best trained naturalist to explore Australia during this time. The expedition departed on 1 October 1844 from Jimbour, the farthest outpost of settlement on the Queensland Darling Downs. Leichhhardt describes in detail the difficulties his party encountered from the very start, the extreme weather conditions they battled, the kindness of the people they met and his close observations of the habits of the aborigines. He also presents detailed analysis of his findings of natural phenomena. After travelling nearly 3,000 miles, Leichhardt arrived in Sydney on 25 March 1846 to a hero's welcome. Engaging and historically revealing, the volume will capture the imagination of the modern reader.

Voyages of Discovery is a mesmerising visual record of ten of the world’s most significant natural history expeditions. Among the many stories of adventure and great scientific endeavour are: Sir Hans Sloane’s journey to Jamaica; Maria Sibylla Merian’s personal sojourn in Surinam; James Cook’s perilous Pacific crossings; William Bartram’s fanciful yet detailed documentation of North American wildlife; Matthew Flinders’ mapping of Australia accompanied by perhaps the greatest of all the natural history artists Ferdinand Bauer, and Charles Darwin’s fateful Beagle voyage.Hand-picked from the vast Library of the Natural History Museum, London, the illustrations and artworks contained here form a rare collection, many of which have only been published in this stunning book.

The antiquary Sir William Gell (1777-1836) was most famous for his two books on the archaeological discoveries at Pompeii (also reissued in this series) but his interest in the topography of classical sites is also reflected in this work, first published in 1823. Gell describes his experiences of many visits to the Peloponnese over a period of twenty years, during which the Greek movement for independence from the Ottoman Empire was gathering momentum and widespread support in Europe. Written partly in response to a request to 'give us anything but your dull maps and measures', the book does not discuss archaeological sites in detail but rather records impressions of the lives of the Greek and Turkish inhabitants in the period immediately before the outbreak of war. Gell's own conclusions about the prospects for 'Grecian liberty' are gloomy: he holds it to be 'quite unattainable at the present day'.

The archaeologist D. G. Hogarth (1862 1927) was, when he died, keeper of the Ashmolean Museum and president of the Royal Geographical Society. He was instrumental in launching T. E. Lawrence's career, employing him at Carchemish and encouraging him to learn Arabic. This book, published in 1896 and described by Lawrence as 'one of the best travel books ever written', relates a journey through Ottoman Turkey, with additional chapters on Egypt and Cyprus. It combines a highly readable account of the practicalities and pitfalls of archaeology with Hogarth's (often unsympathetic) opinions on political problems of the area, including the position of the Armenians and Kurds. Hogarth subsequently became acting director of the Arab Bureau in Cairo during the First World War, and attended the Versailles peace conference. This book illuminates the experiences that developed Hogarth's political views and the close relationship between archaeology and politics in the Middle East in the period.

Cornish-born writer, traveller and controversialist James Silk Buckingham (1786 1855) spent much of his early life as a sailor in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and went on to publish accounts of his extensive travels to India, Palestine and Persia. His criticisms of the East India Company and the Bengal government led to his expulsion from India in 1823. In the 1830s he became a Member of Parliament and campaigned for social reforms and for the promotion of the temperance movement. He founded several journals, including the periodical The Athenaeum, covering a wide range of topics from literature to popular science. This illustrated two-volume work, published in 1827, recounts Buckingham's journey through Mesopotamia, giving descriptions of its ancient sites and opinions of its modern inhabitants. In Volume 2, Buckingham continues his travels through Mesopotamia, from Sinjar in the north-west of the region to the city of Baghdad.

Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1792-1871) - astronomer, mathematician, chemist - was one of the most important British scientists of the nineteenth century. Son of the famous astronomer William Herschel, he was persuaded by his father to pursue the astronomical investigations William could no longer undertake; John's subsequent career resulted in a knighthood and a lifetime of accolades. This 1849 publication was commissioned by the Admiralty to encourage and assist naval officers to undertake scientific research while abroad. The work provides instructions in making and recording observations in a wide range of disciplines - astronomy; magnetism; hydrography; tides; geography; geology; earthquakes; mineralogy; meteorology; atmospheric waves; zoology; botany; ethnology; medicine; statistics - written by experts in these fields, including Whewell, Darwin, Hooker and Herschel himself. It was hoped that the instructions could also be used by other travellers to advance scientific knowledge, and the work remained in print for over fifty years.

The life of English explorer William Cotton Oswell (1818-93) was marked by adventures and discoveries. At nineteen, he left Essex for Madras, where he worked for the East India Company and became a renowned elephant catcher. Due to poor health, he was sent to South Africa, the 'empire of wild sport', where he specialised in hunting and exploration. He discovered the River Zouga and Lake Ngami during an expedition across the Kalahari desert, and travelled to the Zambezi River with Scottish missionary David Livingstone. Originally published in 1900, this two-volume biography was written by Oswell's eldest son. Since Oswell kept no diary, his life is here reconstructed through the many letters he sent to his family and friends. Volume 1 focuses on Oswell's youth. It describes the seven years he spent in India, where he trained as a surgeon, and his five African expeditions from 1844 to 1852.

Sir Samuel Baker (1821-93) was one of the most famous Victorian explorers and hunters. First published in two illustrated volumes in 1866, this account of his most celebrated expedition is amongst the most important works of its type. Baker promises 'to take the reader by the hand, and lead him step by step ... through scorching deserts and thirsty sands; through swamp and jungle ... until I bring him, faint with the wearying journey, to that high cliff ... from which he shall look down upon the vast Albert Lake and drink with me from the sources of the Nile!' Volume 2 finds Baker a prisoner of a native king. Baker offers a number of 'gifts' to buy his release, and after an arduous journey, with his wife in a coma, in March 1864 he reaches Luta N'zige, which he renames in memory of Prince Albert. A compelling account of an historic adventure.

During 1834 5 the British naval officer and artist William Smyth (1800 77) and his fellow officer Frederick Lowe (1811 47) went on an expedition to Peru and North-Eastern Brazil. This account of their journey, first published in 1836, combines a travel narrative with anthropological observation. Their objective was to explore the river Pachitea in Peru and investigate its potential as a route from the Andes via the Amazon to the Atlantic Ocean that could reduce journey times and benefit Peruvian exports. The tone of the book is typical of early nineteenth-century European travel literature, in that it shows the authors to have been fascinated by the cultures they encountered while retaining a deep mistrust of the indigenous 'savages' some of whom were held to be 'cannibals'. It is, however, full of fascinating details about the rainforest and its inhabitants, the colonial settlers, and their interactions.

One of the most renowned nineteenth-century British explorers of Africa, David Livingstone (1813 73) was a medical missionary who received the Royal Geographical Society gold medal in 1855. His fame was established by his 1853 6 coast-to-coast exploration of the African interior, and by the best-selling Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa, published upon his return to England in 1857 (also reissued in this series). Livingstone's last expedition in search of 'the true source of the Nile', undertaken in 1866, forms the core of this two-volume travel diary, published posthumously in 1874. Volume 2 describes the last two years of his life, when, after his meeting with the journalist Henry Morton Stanley in 1871, Livingstone insisted on staying in Africa despite his poor health. It includes details about his death and the journey to bring his body back to the British authorities, reported by Livingstone's attendants Chuma and Susi.

Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904), the Welsh-born explorer famous for his 1871 meeting with the missionary David Livingstone, published this intimate autobiography in 1909. Through his recollections we learn how his troubled early life - an impoverished childhood in a workhouse and some harrowing experiences as a young soldier - were what drove him to succeed as an explorer, and gave him the strength to deal with the sometimes vehement opposition he encountered. Although Stanley died before finishing this book, his wife Dorothy brought it to completion by compiling and editing the letters and memoirs he wrote during his travels, so that his avowed aim - to encourage impoverished young people to realise their ambitions - was met. This is the story of a man who, in the context of his own time, achieved 'greatness' against the odds, though his imperialist and allegedly racist views later caused the eclipse of his reputation.

Sir John Barrow (1764-1848) was a distinguished British government servant whose diplomatic career took him to China and Africa, and who in forty years as Secretary to the Admiralty was responsible for promoting Arctic and Antarctic exploration, including the voyages of Sir John Ross, Sir William Parry, Sir James Clark Ross and Sir John Franklin. This account of his time in Southern Africa was published in 1801, with a second volume following in 1804. Barrow's exploration of the Cape Colony in 1797-8 coincided with the imposition of British control in 1795 on a former Dutch colony, making this work an important source about this transitional period. Volume 2 takes a political focus, and elaborates Barrow's belief that the Cape of Good Hope could serve the commercial interests of the growing British empire in the east; he also discusses the strategic advantages of stationing troops along the Cape.

The H.M.S. Investigator spent the years 1850 4 in the Western Arctic engaged in a search for the lost expedition of the explorer Sir John Franklin. In this 1857 publication Alexander Armstrong (1818 99), surgeon and naturalist to the ship, gives a first-hand account of life on board during the voyage, as testimony to the 'heroism, devotion, and endurance' of his shipmates. He describes the harsh conditions that the crew had to endure, and argues convincingly that no travel 'more thoroughly tests man's powers of endurance, both morally and physically' than travelling in the Arctic. He also notes that lemon juice proved the most effective remedy against scurvy. Armstrong's natural history research was cut short when the ship was abandoned and his collections left behind, but he includes an appendix listing the animals and birds observed on the voyage, and the Arctic plants collected by a friend and colleague.

Animal Explorers is a wonderful picture book series that will inspire all budding travellers and explorers to follow their dreams. Lola the polar bear has a passion for plants. She's determined to find the rarest ones on the planet. So Lola makes a grand decision: she's going to trek to the Amazon jungle! It's hard work for a polar bear, but nothing holds Lola back. And there's a prize for her at the end of it, when she discovers the elusive Singing Orchid! Animal Explorers is a witty, entertaining picture-book series that will inspire children to follow their dreams. Sharon Rentta's glowing illustrations are packed withfabulous characters and funny details to point out and share Mini biographies at the end of the book tell the amazing stories of three real-life explorers Also in the Animal Explorers series: Stella the Astronaut, in which an adventurous squirrel dreams of being the first of her kind in space. Toby the Deep-Sea Diver, in which a young tiger longs to explore the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. Praise for Sharon Rentta's books: "Rentta's illustrations are first class . . . destined to become a favourite." Carousel "full of colour and joy . . . great to read out loud" Books for Keeps