Eastbound through Siberia: Observations from the Great Northern Expedition

In the winter of 1739, Georg Steller received word from Empress Anna of Russia that he was to embark on a secret expedition to the far reaches of Siberia as a member of the Great Northern Expedition. While searching for economic possibilities and strategic advantages, Steller was to send back descriptions of everything he saw. The Empress's instructions were detailed, from requests for a preserved whale brain to observing the child-rearing customs of local peoples, and Steller met the task with dedication, bravery, and a good measure of humor. In the name of science, Steller and his comrades confronted horse-swallowing bogs, leaped across ice floes, and survived countless close calls in their exploration of an unforgiving environment. Not stopping at lists of fishes, birds, and mammals, Steller also details the villages and the lives of those living there, from vice-governors to prostitutes. His writings rail against government corruption and the misuse of power while describing with empathy the lives of the poor and forgotten, with special attention toward Native peoples. What emerges is a remarkable window into life—both human and animal—in 18th century Siberia. Due to the secret nature of the expedition, Steller's findings were hidden in Russian archives for centuries, but the near-daily entries he recorded on journeys from the town of Irkutsk to Kamchatka are presented here in English for the first time.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword: The Steller Legacy / Jonathan C. Slaght Translators' Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Instructions for Georg Wilhelm Steller from February 18, 1739, from Yeniseysk / Johann Georg Gmelin and Gerhard Friedrich Müller Part I: Description of Irkutsk and Its Surroundings 1. About Irkutsk and Its Surroundings 2. About Irkutsk Itself 3. About the Public Offices 4. About the Clergy 5. About the Chinese Trade and Chinese Trade Goods 6. About Customs and Lifestyle in Irkutsk 7. About Transbaikalia 8. Report from the Uda River Part II: Travel Journal from Irkutsk to Kamchatka 9. From Irkutsk to Ust'Ilginskaya (3/4-13) 10. From Ust'Ilginskaya to Kirensk (3/14-5/1) 11. From Kirensk to Yakutsk (5/2-24) 12. In Yakutsk and Yarmanka (5/25-6/19) 13. From Yarmanka to the Amga River (6/20-7/2) 14. From the Amga to the Yuna River (7/3-21) 15. From the Yuna River to Yudoma Cross (7/22-8/8) 16. From Yudoma Cross to Okhotsk (8/9-13) 17. In Okhotsk (8/14-26) 18. Salmon Fishing and Preserving (8/27) 19. From Okhotsk to Bol'sheretsk (8/28-9/16) Afterword Appendix A: Georg Wilhelm Steller's Life 11-20 – '18 Appendix B: Schnurbuch Account Ledger Appendix C: Letter to Johann Daniel Schumacher Appendix D: Plants Named After Steller Glossary of Foreign Words Glossary of People Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Georg Wilhelm Steller was a German scientist who lived from 1709 to 1746, and worked as a botanist, zoologist, and physician. He was part of the second crew for the Great Northern Expedition. Margritt A. Engel is Professor Emerita of Languages at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She is translator of Journal of a Voyage with Bering, 1741–1742 and Steller's History of Kamchatka. Karen E. Willmore is Professor Emerita of Languages at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She is translator of Steller's History of Kamchatka. Jonathan C. Slaght is the Russia and Northeast Asia Coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society. He is editor and translator (with Vladimir K. Arsenyev) of Across the Ussuri Kray: Travels in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains.

Review :
Eastbound through Siberia, a work newly translated to English by two emerita language professors from the University of Alaska Anchorage, adds fascinating details to the life of Steller and his travels and discoveries just before joining Bering in Kamchatka to set sail. . . . This new addition to understanding the life of Steller and 18th-century conditions in Siberia will be welcomed by historians, ethnographers, naturalists and armchair adventurers. What emerges is a remarkable window into lifeboth human and animalin 18th century Siberia. Due to the secret nature of the expedition, Steller's findings were hidden in Russian archives for centuries, but the near-daily entries he recorded on journeys from the town of Irkutsk to Kamchatka are presented here in English for the first time. RECOMMENDATION: For those with an interest in Georg Steller and/or Russian history. I want to acknowledge the miracles the translators have performed with this material, synthesizing and rearranging it in ways that make sense of Steller's probable intentions for later editing.