Extraordinary Explorers: The Accidental Explorers, Women of the World, Scientific Explorers 3 Volume Set(Extraordinary Explorers)

The adventures of explorers are some of the most dramatic and exciting stories in history. Most young readers know about the big names in exploration--Columbus, Magellan, Da Gama, and so on. But in this series, Rebecca Stefoff not only offers new perspectives on these oldtimers, she also exposes her readers to some of the travelers and explorers who do not appear in the traditional history books. Consequently, the books in the series may occasionally wander off the highroad of history to follow the fascinating byways of adventure and anecdote as they span all parts of the world in over 2,000 years. The result is a wide-ranging yet coherent picture of geographical discovery, and a knowledge of dozens of extraordinary men and women whose journeys of discovery have reflected and shaped our view of the world. Each book focuses on one extraordinary aspect of exploration: Accidental Explorers Explorers who set out to look for one thing but found something else entirely, or who made marvelous discoveries by accident or sheer luck--Jedediah Smith, who pioneered the overland crossing to California, Henry Morton Stanley, the newspaperman who explored central Africa, and others more obscure but no less colorful, such as Chang Ch'ien, a kidnapped Chinese diplomat who involuntarily explored much of Asia in the 2nd century B.C. (507685-0) Women of the World Eight women whose heroic journeys added to the world's geographic knowledge: Ida Pfeiffer, an 19th century women with an insatiable desire to travel who circled the world--twice, Fanny Bullock Workman, the world's foremost woman moutaineer, an early feminist, and one of the most controversial figures in modern geography, and Alexandra David-Neel, the first western woman to enter Lhasa, the Forbidden City of Tibet. (507688-5) Scientific Explorers Scientific explorations on land, at sea, and in space--Captain James Cook's astronomical observations, the Great U.S. Exploring Expedition of the 1830s, the mapping expeditions and geological surveys of the American West by Fremont and others, and many more exciting and dramatic discoveries that have changed the way we view the world (507725-3)

Review :
"This seris of books carries a vigorous sense of adventure and curiosity. Up mountains, across deserts, through rain forest and even into space the prose strides forward with clarity and enthusiasm."--Times Education Supplement "Will spark the imagination of any arm-chair explorer who dreams of adventure."--Children's Book Review Service "These volumes take the roads less traveled.... The writing is lively and the subjects are intriguing."--Booklist "The rich quality of the texts and the color and black and white illustrations and photographs take readers on an informative adventure."--The Horn Book Guide "This seris of books carries a vigorous sense of adventure and curiosity. Up mountains, across deserts, through rain forest and even into space the prose strides forward with clarity and enthusiasm."--Times Education Supplement "Will spark the imagination of any arm-chair explorer who dreams of adventure."--Children's Book Review Service "These volumes take the roads less traveled.... The writing is lively and the subjects are intriguing."--Booklist "The rich quality of the texts and the color and black and white illustrations and photographs take readers on an informative adventure."--The Horn Book Guide "This seris of books carries a vigorous sense of adventure and curiosity. Up mountains, across deserts, through rain forest and even into space the prose strides forward with clarity and enthusiasm."--Times Education Supplement "Will spark the imagination of any arm-chair explorer who dreams of adventure."--Children's Book Review Service "These volumes take the roads less traveled.... The writing is lively and the subjects are intriguing."--Booklist "The rich quality of the texts and the color and black and white illustrations and photographs take readers on an informative adventure."--The Horn Book Guide