Adventurers & Explorers

A largely untold story of an extraordinary historical figure, this biography sheds light on the life of William Sheppard, a 19th-century African American who, for more than 20 years, defied segregation and operated a missionary run by black Americans

In 1921, four men and one woman ventured deep into the Arctic. Two years later, only one returned.

When 23-year-old Inuit Ada Blackjack signed on as

His two companions dead, food and supplies vanished in a crevasse, Douglas Mawson was still one hundred miles from camp.

Recently discovered as a hand-written document in the Buckingham Smith Collection at the New York Historical Society, this remarkable first-person narrative traces the life of Sitiki, whose name was changed to Jack Smith after his enslavement in America.

Captured

Even after more than two centuries, mystery continues to surround Meriwether Lewis's death—did the famous explorer commit suicide or was he murdered? Recently revealed truths and deconstructed myths are woven together in this fascinating account

It's easy to dismiss taxidermy as a kitschy or morbid sideline, the realm of trophy fish and jackalopes or an anachronistic throwback to the dusty diorama. Yet theirs is a world of intrepid hunter-explorers, eccentric naturalists, and gifted museum artisans,

The New York Times bestseller: "Every page is filled with revelations, gossip and fascinating details about Markham."-Diane Ackerman, The New York Times Book Review

A true story that rivals the travels of Burton or Stanley for excitement, and surpasses them in scientific achievements.

In 1849 Heinrich Barth joined a small British expedition into unexplored regions of Islamic North and Central Africa. One by one

Recent writers

"A fascinating, at times magical, chronicle."
—Publishers