It has always been mankind&rsquo;s gift, or curse, to be inquisitive, andthrough the ages people have been driven to explore the limits ofthe worlds known to them&mdash;and beyond. Here are the stories offorty of the world&rsquo;s greatest explorers from Europe, America, Asia,and Australia. These are men and women who changed our perceptionof the world through their courageous adventures.<br /><br />Organized thematically, the book opens with the oceanicjourneys of five hundred years ago, when the great era of recordedexploration began. The following sections look at The Land, Rivers,Polar Ice, Deserts, Life on Earth, and New Frontiers.<br /><br />Many of these explorers recounted their journeys in vivid firsthandaccounts; others were superb artists or photographers. Thebook features quotes from their journals and reports, and it isillustrated with paintings, photographs, engravings, and maps, sothat we can experience their adventures through their own eyesand in their own words.<br /><br />Featured explorers include:Christopher Columbus,Vasco da Gama,James Cook,Lewis and Clark,Richard Burton,Samuel de Champlain,David Livingstone,Roald Amundsen,Gertrude Bell,Alexander von Humboldt,Yuri Gagarin, andJacques-Yves Cousteau.