This is a study of the manner in which certain mythical notions of the world become accepted as fact. Dathorne shows how particular European concepts such as El Dorado, the Fountain of Youth, a race of Amazons, and monster (including cannibal) images were first associated with the Orient. After the New World encounter they were repositioned to North and South America. The book examines the way in which Arabs and Africans are conscripted into the view of the world and takes an unusual, non-Eurocentric viewpoint of how Africans journeyed to the New World and Europe, participating in, what may be considered, an early stage of world exploration and discovery. The study concludes by looking at European travel literature from the early journeys of St. Brendan, through the Viking voyages and up to Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville. In all these instances, the encounters seem to justify mythical belief. Dathorne's interest in the subject is both intellectual and passionate since, coming from Guyana, he was very much part of this malformed Weltschmerz.

Zenas Leonard was a wilderness explorer who journeyed across and charted the perilous Rocky Mountains in the early 19th century, keeping this diary as he went. Embarking on his spectacular journey with a company of seventy like-minded fellows, Leonard chronicles the many perils and trials the group encountered through their lengthy voyage deep into unknown territory. The band of explorers are beset with difficulties; the harsh, craggy lay of the land, ferocious creatures, and the various Native American tribes put the men through the greatest physical and mental tests. Many members of the group were fur traders by profession; in scouting the vast landscape of the Rockies, they hoped to discover new and prized game to catch. However their ambitions are sorely tested by hunger and thirst, while dangerous creatures such as the grizzly bear strike terror in their hearts.

Shambles paints a vivid portrait of the beauty and grandeur of Antarctica. Through a journey resplendent with sheer joy and heart-breaking loss, one man must wage a war against nature. The consequences of that battle will echo throughout a lifetime. In 1981, Stephen Tait was part of a four-man traveling party in Antarctica. After several equipment problems and fierce weather conditions, the team found themselves in a very dangerous position. They must battle the brutal climate and bleak terrain in order to make it back to the comforts of civilization. As both the temperature and morale severely plummet, the men struggle to survive. Will they be able to find their way out of the inhospitable wilderness of Antarctica and if they do, will they be able to live with the horrors they faced during their fateful trip?

Between 1982 and 2012, I took 95 major trips to foreign and domestic destinations as tour designer and leader. My tours were tailored to include experiences not enjoyed by the average traveler. Bet you didn't see what we did This book is about: Traveling off the beaten path to see the beauty and unusual details that others miss Cultural and historical facts and trivia that add interest to the traveler's experience Humorous events that occurred on our journeys The importance of seeing everything there was to see where we went, knowing that we may not be back Entertaining episodes, unique people, fresh perspectives, and "close calls" encountered along the way. With the daring of "Indiana Jones" and the enthusiasm of "Auntie Mame" you will be tempted to follow your heart and see the world.

Frank Thomas Morano's search for holy men and women has taken him around the world. In his memoirs, The Secret Cycle, he shares the wisdom he has found.

Before he published his first novel in 1895, Joseph Conrad spent twenty years in the merchant navy, eventually obtaining his master's ticket and commanding the barque Otago, in which he sailed a notable passage from Sydney to Mauritius. This book traces his sea-career, and shows how Captain Jozef Konrad Korzeniowski, master mariner, became Joseph Conrad, master novelist. Conrad was injured on the Highland Forest, burned out of the Palestine, falsely censured for professional misconduct by the master of the Riversdale, survived a brief and dangerous posting as a river-boat captain on the Congo???and finally served as first officer on the famous Torrens, a passenger ship sailing between Adelaide and Great Britain.

Despite earlier naval expeditions undertaken for reasons of diplomacy or trade, it wasn't until the early 1400s that European maritime explorers established sea routes through most of the globe's inhabited regions, uniting a divided earth into a single system of navigation. From the early Portuguese and Spanish quests for gold and glory, to later scientific explorations of land and culture, this new understanding of the world's geography created global trade, built empires, defined taste and alliances of power, and began the journey toward the cultural, political, and economic globalization in which we live today. Ronald Love's engaging narrative chapters guide the reader from Marco Polo's exploration of the Mongol empire to Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe, the search for a Northern Passage, Henry Hudson's voyage to Greenland, the discovery of Tahiti, the perils of scurvy, mutiny, and warring empires, and the eventual extension of Western influence into almost every corner of the globe. Biographies and primary documents round out the work.

In the annals of seafaring and exploration, there is one name that immediately evokes visions of the open ocean, billowing sails, visiting strange, exotic lands previously uncharted, and civilizations never before encountered -- Captain James Cook.

This is the true story of a legendary man and explorer. Noted modern-day adventurer Martin Dugard, using James Cook's personal journals, strips away the myths surrounding Cook's life and portrays his tremendous ambition, intellect, and sheer hardheadedness to rise through the ranks of the Royal Navy -- and by his courageous exploits become one of the most enduring figures in naval history.

Full or realistic action, lush descriptions of places and events, and fascinating historical characters such as King George III and the soon-to-be-notorious Master William Bligh, Dugard's gripping account of the life and death of Captain James Cook is a thrilling story of a discoverer hell-bent on going farther than any man.

The Coronado Expedition to Tierra Nueva is an engaging record of key research by archaeologists, ethnographers, historians, and geographers concerning the first organised European entrance into what is now the American Southwest and northwestern Mexico. In search of where the expedition went and what peoples it encountered, this volume explores the fertile valleys of Sonora, the basins and ranges of southern Arizona, the Zuni pueblos and the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, and the Llano Estacado of the Texas panhandle. The twenty-one contributors to the volume have pursued some of the most significant lines of research in the field in the last fifty years; their techniques range from documentary analysis and recording traditional stories to detailed examination of the landscape and excavation of campsites and Indian towns. With more confidence than ever before, researchers are closing in on the route of the conquistadors.

The history of pearling is inextricably linked to the history of Bahrain, the strategically-located Gulf archipelago set amidst one of the richest and most plentiful pearl fisheries in the world. Sea of Pearls tells the story of pearl fishing in the Gulf, and the role that this timeless industry played in global commerce, fashion, urban development, political struggles and the earliest ever long-distance maritime trade. From the 18th to 20th centuries, the industry boomed, as pearls were fished by ever-increasing numbers of tribesmen and townspeople to feed an expanding international market. Bahrain was at the centre of this activity before the industry's collapse in the early 20th century with the introduction of cultured pearls from Japan. The influx of traders, migrants, merchants and political advisors - each seeking to partake in the booming trade - left an indelible mark on the Gulf, germinating new city-states with cosmopolitan communities, which are now the global metropolises that we know today. Launching with the generous support of the Bahrain Authority of Culture and Antiquities (BACA), Sea of Pearls spotlights Bahrain's UNESCO-listed 'Pearling Path', a 3.5 km pathway taking visitors on a journey from the oyster beds of Muharraq to the historical merchant homes and other structures involved in the pearling economy. Lavishly illustrated, this book covers in unprecedented detail the history, development, impact and florescence of this ancient industry before it died out and was eclipsed in the age of oil. It is essential reading, not only for those wishing to understand the historical growth and geopolitical dynamics of pearl fishing, but also for those interested in the history and origins of the Gulf states. It is the fascinating, seldom-told story behind the world's enduring desire for one of humankind's most prized precious stones.

2014 bronze medal winner eLit Awards, 2013 gold medal winner Living Now Awards, March 2014 #1 book of the month Stevo's Internet Reviews, June 2013 book of the month Pacific Book Review. Wild Among Us: true adventures of a female photographer who stalks bears, wolves, mountain lions, wild horses and other elusive wildlife is a fascinating series of autobiographical stories by Pat Toth-Smith. The story telling pulls you into her perilous world, where you share the strange and sometimes dangerous situations she navigates as she travels the highways and wilderness areas of North America. In the end it all seems worth it when we see the results of her labors, the stunning wildlife photos, the vivid observations of the animal s behavior and the hard earned knowledge gleaned from learning on the job. Wild Among Us is unique in that it has the aesthetic beauty of a fine art photo book combined with the powerful stories of pursuit, danger and life-threatening wildlife encounters, that push the author to face her fears and rely on her intuition to survive and become stronger for it."

Colonial Transformations covers early modern English poetry and plays, Gaelic poetry, and a wide range of English colonial propaganda. In the book, Bach contends that England’s colonial ambitions surface in all of its literary texts. Those texts played multiple roles in England’s colonial expansions and emerging imperialism. Those roles included publicizing colonial efforts, defining some people as white and some as barbarians, constituting enduring stereotypes of native people, and resisting official versions of colonial encounters.

Alexander von Humboldt, sometimes called 'the last man who knew everything', was an extraordinary polymath of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1798 he received unprecedented permission from the Spanish Crown to explore its American and Caribbean colonies, which he did from 1799-1804. This is the journal of those explorations, in which he extensively covers the region's topography, geology, fauna and flora, anthropology and comparative linguistics. Volume III sees him recording more information on Venezuela, visiting Cuba where he also writes about local politics and speaks out fervently against the slave trade; he then sails for Colombia. The volume ends with a comprehensive geognostic description of the northern part of South America.