In 1741, a Russian ship captained by Vitus Bering carried the first scientist to set foot anywhere in the western half of North America. Sailing to the coast of Alaska, George Steller employed an insatiable curiosity and acute powers of observation to record the first European accounts of the sea otter, sea lion, and northern fur seal. His is the only scientific account of the Steller's sea cow before it was hunted to extinction. But his knowledge of the region's plants and animals and the ways of the indigenous people was not merely academic - it saved the lives of the crew several times over. The legacy of the man whose name graces the Steller's jay, Steller's cider, and Steller sea lion endures to this day.<BR>Stellar's Island is a fascinating tale of exploration in the era of sailing ships. It is about courage and scientific curiosity, even in uncharted waters, alien lands, and desperate circumstances, undaunted in the face of storms, scurvy, and shipwreck.