Learn about the real lives of the daring and adventurous people who have sailed the seas, explored new worlds, and rocketed into space . . . You might know that Columbus discovered America, Lewis and Clark headed west with Sacajawea, and Sally Ride blasted into outer space. But what do you really know about these bold explorers? What were they like as kids? What pets or bad habits did they have? And what drove their passion to explore unknown parts of the world? With juicy tidbits about everything from favorite foods to first loves, Lives of the Explorers reveals these fascinating adventurers as both world-changers and real people. The entertaining style and solid research of this series of biographies have made it a favorite with families and educators for twenty years. This new volume takes readers through the centuries and across the globe, profiling the men and women whose curiosity and courage have led them to discover our world. Includes color illustrations and maps “Readers will enjoy delving into the exploits of intrepid explorers across time, and, literally, space.” —Kirkus Reviews

"This fascinating new installment in the popular Lives of . . . series of collective biographies is full of juicy tidbits about history's greatest explorers"--

Discover why each of these 12 intrepid explorers risked everything to conquer the great unknown. Explorers have transformed the world with their curiosity. But with great knowledge comes great responsibility, and thriving on adventure has often lead to great danger. The explorers profiled here will give younger readers a fascinating survey of the history of this most dramatic of pastimes. The themes that are explored are: what motivated these explorers? What were they looking for, and what did they actually find? How did their journeys change their lives and the lives of the people they met? The explorers included are: Samuel de Champlain Marco Polo Henry Hudson Christopher Columbus James Cook Hernán Cortés Lewis and Clark John Franklin Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson Roald Amundsen

The Adventurer's Handbook is a light-hearted romp through the history of exploration, using the style of a how-to manual with tips, techniques and instructions on all kinds of adventures and expeditions. This book is packed full of useful information -- such as what to do if you are attacked by an anaconda (you wait until it has swallowed you up to your knees and then you reach up and cut its head off *), how to always have a fresher pair of underpants, how to deal with a charging lion, and how to find water in the desert. At its heart are the tales of derring-do, survival, and endurance such as Wilfred Thesiger's crossing of the Empty Quarter, an enormous, little-explored stretch of desert in Southern Arabia, the Kon-Tiki expedition, the search for the source of the Nile, Freya Stark's travels with the Bedouin in the 1940s, or Shackleton's antarctic expedition. Tales of mutiny, solitude, leadership, crisis management, and the spirit of competition make this a fascinating and entertaining read. Contents include: Getting Started: What makes an explorer?Raising funds, equipment, and preparation Getting Going: Leaving home, enduring heat, cold, altitude, wet and the sea, clothing, animals that can kill you, animals you can eat Getting Along: Leadership, teamwork, living together, crisis management, mutiny, solitude, meeting natives, tips for travellers Getting There: What makes an expedition succeed?Getting Back: Telling your story, proving what you've done, what next? And the million dollar question -- why? * Note: have knife handy.

Discover the origins of European exploration of the Americas. A True Book: American History series allows readers to experience the earliest moments in American history and to discover how these moments helped shape the country that it is today. This series includes an age appropriate (grades 3-5) introduction to curriculum-relevant subjects and a robust resource section that encourages independent study. This book describes the origins of European exploration of the Americas, including the Vikings, the search for a new route to Asia, for gold, and for a Northwest Passage, and discusses the Lewis and Clark Expedition and modern explorers.

Living dangerously with the members of the world-renowned Explorers Club.