The South Seas, as this region used to be called, conjured up
images of adventure, belles and savages, romance and fabulous
fortunes, but the long voyages of discovery and exploration of the
vast Pacific Ocean were really an exercise in amazing logistics,
navigation, hard grit, shipwreck and pure luck. The motivations
were scientific and geographic, but at the same time nationalistic
and materialistic. A series on global exploration and discovery
would not be complete without this book by Quanchi and Robson. It
is ambitious and informative and includes the familiar names of
Laperouse, Bougainville, Cook, and Dampier, as well as the
intriguing stories of the Bounty Mutiny, scurvy, and the mysterious
Northwest Passage, Terra Australis Ignotia, and Davis Land. There
are entries on first contacts, ships, navigational instruments,
mapping, and botany. The scene is carefully set in the
introduction, the chronology spans several centuries, and the
extensive bibliography offers a guide to further reading. There are
more than just dry facts in this book. It has a whiff of salt air,
the clash of empires, cross-cultural beach encounters, and personal
adventure.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
