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Roger King, Explorers of New Worlds:Jacques Cousteau and t
This is one of a series of some twenty books, ranging from Marco Polo to the Apollo Astronauts (see p. 2).It contains more science than other juvenile biographies of Cousteau that I have examined, including useful discussions of the effects of water pressure on divers (at pp. 16-18) and of "rapture of the deep" (at p. 20).Another positive feature is the bolding of occasional pertinent vocabulary words, which are defined in a glossary in the back of the volume (see pp. 60-61).The book offers suggestions for further reading (at p. 62), although these are of only moderate use.The volume is written in a comprehendible, although slightly "slangy" (see "earned a bad rap" at p. 29), style, and is reasonably well illustrated with pictures of Cousteau and his researchers.

King's biography does cover Cousteau's prickly relationship with his sons (at p. 53) and his remarriage (at p. 57), although it does not mention the previous affair with his second wife, his brother Philippe's collaboration with the Axis during World War II, or indeed the stone-throwing affair of Jacques' youth, which led to expulsion from school.The mistakes which do occur are fairly minor.Cousteau met his first wife, Simone at a party in Paris, not in Toulon (see p. 14), according to both Richard Munson and Axel Madsen's more thorough biographies.King's discussion of the bathyscaphe (at p. 27) ignores the earlier bathysphere, which had also been used to plumb the depths.Nor does there seem to be any reason to have omitted 19th century vessels when speaking of times "when mariners did not have the sophisticated navigation equipment that sailors use today" (see p. 45).Finally, to say that all the silver, gold and gems found on Silver Bank had been "plundered" (at p. 46) is to ignore Spain's extensive New World mining operations and distort the historical record.
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The Shackleton of his day, Leopold McClintock was one of the best-known Artic explorers of the Victorian era. He successfully undertook four major voyages of discovery as well as epic sledge journeys and was the first explorer to bring back definitive information on the lost Franklin party. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Recommended for those who enjoyed Barrow's Boys
Leopold McClintock is one of many British Naval explorers of the Victorian era, a period which seems to becoming increasingly popular with historians.In exploration terms, Fergus Fleming started the recent trend with his book "Barrow's Boys", which for me popularized Arctic and Antarctic exploration of the Victorian era.The Arctic Fox is another excellent addition to the growing library of historical accounts of the pioneers of Arctic and Antarctic exploration.The author, David Murphy, is an Irish historian with an interest in British Naval and Polar explorers, and thus it is only fitting that he write this biography of McClintock, an Irishman.To do so he draws upon British Naval Reports of expeditions in which McClintock was a participant.He also uses McClintock's own writings, which include expedition reports, and letters to Lady Franklin.Contemporary sources are also referred to.

The Arctic Fox is not a particularly lengthy book, numbering fewer than 200 pages, so readers will quickly run through this book in a couple of solid afternoon reading sessions.The brevity of the book is also partly explained by the fact that McClintock's claim to fame stemmed largely from (as the subtitle of the book suggests) being "The discoverer of the fate of Franklin".Prior to this, he had not enjoyed quite the same profile as other British Naval officers serving on expeditions to the North, such as Ross (leader of the first expedition to try and find Franklin in 1848, and under whom McClintock served), Back, and Parry.

The main focus of the book is on those expeditions mounted by the British admiralty and later by Lady Franklin to try and find survivors or determine the fate of Franklin's ill-fated expedition.In fact, the subtitle of the book is a little misleading, as it was John Rae who really determined the probable nature of the demise of Franklin's expedition, much to the displeasure of Lady Franklin. McClintock merely confirmed the suspicions of Rae by finding human remains in 1859, which Rae had failed to do.There is more discussion of this in the final chapter of The Arctic Fox.McClintock certainly made the most of his opportunity in the public eye following the successful expedition, writing numerous accounts of his exploits, with the British public clamoring for Arctic heroes.However, the book does discuss McClintock's life, both his younger years, and touches briefly on his post arctic career.

Although there are no glossy pictorial plates, there are numerous black and white illustrations throughout the book.The Arctic Fox is an easy read, and I would recommend it to anyone who had enjoyed "Barrow's Boys".
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Sir Henry Stanley is most known for his expeditions and explorations in Africa. However, as a journalist he spent much time in other continents before his famous search for Livingstone. In this gripping volume, he writes poignantly about his journeys to the US and particularly about the horrendous fate the Indians suffered at the hands of the American state. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Entertaining
This Stanley fellow had a great love and respect for adventure (Dr. Livingston, I presume?) but also a very colorful way of talking (former newspaperman) who seemed not to know the difference between a real story and embellishment.I didn't expect that everything he wrote could be taken at face value, and of course, in reading, you have to remember that he slants with his viewpoint.But in all, this presents a very interesting portrait of the Congo in the late 1800s. ... Read more

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Ages 8 to 14 years.Inspired by Cortes' discovery in the early 1500s of gold in Mexico, Francisco Pizarro was inspired like many to seek his fortune through expedition. This interesting new book describes the life and travels of Pizarro as a soldier for Spain and of his eventual conquest of Peru. Sensitively written text describes his attack on the Inca capital and his defeat of the last great Inca emperor, Atahuallpa.Features include: maps outlining Pizarro's routes; pirates, such as Francis Drake, during the Age of Exploration; the Inca culture before and after Pizarro's conquest; early navigational and steering equipment; the war between Pizarro and Diego de Almagro; Spain's economic and social state after the conquest of Peru; the Spanish Inquisition's effect on exploration; life at sea, including unpredictable weather, sickness, and superstitions. ... Read more

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As a young boy Neil Armstrong loved to watch planes. On 20 July 1969 hundreds of millions of people around the world watched on TV as Neil stepped off Apollo II's landing craft onto the powdery surface of the moon, with the immortal words 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind'. Ages 10+ ... Read more

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Describes Admiral Peary's attempts to reach the North Pole in the early twentieth century and the dispute of his claim to have been the first to succeed. ... Read more

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Introduces Matthew Henson, the African American explorer who accompanied Robert Peary on the first successful expedition to the North Pole in 1909. ... Read more

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Ages 8 to 14 years.In 1519, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan took five ships and 200 men on an epic journey around the world on behalf of Spain. This colourful book follows the world's first circumnavigation by sail through a dramatic passage of disease, starvation, and death. Young readers will learn about the ancient spice trade, early sea navigation, and what life was like aboard a sailing ship in the age of exploration. A recipe from the period is also included. Topics include: what Europe was like before Magellan; science in Magellan's times, and the effect his voyage had on it; his journey down the African coast, across the Atlantic, down along South America, then across the Atlantic to the Spice Islands; mutiny at sea; life at sea; the Philippine Natives that Magellan met, and their way of life. ... Read more

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Ages 8 to 14 years.In 1804, on their famous expedition to explore the uncharted American West, Lewis and Clark promised the Missouri Indians peace and prosperity if they didn't make war. This fascinating new book follows Lewis and Clark and the members of their Corps of Discovery expedition describing the effects of their encounters with various Native nations along the way. Features include: full-colour maps of their routes; Sacagawea, the expedition's Native interpreter, and York, Clark's slave and childhood companion; the customs and cultures of the Shoshone, Teton Sioux, and Minitari nations; the many exotic plants and animals the explorers discovered; what daily life was like on an expedition, including how they cured illness and punishment used to keep discipline; an authentic recipe from life on the trail; America's social and economic state after the expedition. ... Read more

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Ages 8 to 14 years.Relive Italian voyager Marco Polo's adventures in China in 1275, including his legendary meeting with Kublai Khan, emperor of the powerful Mongol Empire. This exciting book separates fact from myth using excerpts from Polo's actual journals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

it's a &$#@% kiddie book
I was not aware that this was a children's book.Perhaps I should have been more careful in purchasing it.
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An easy-to-read biography of the famous explorer who became one of the first people to sail to America. ... Read more

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Great for Younger Students
This book gives a nice, organized view of Columbus' achievements.I especially liked how the book made the point that Columbus did not land in what is now the United States, but rather on the island of San Salvador.There are lots of illustrations, and the vocabulary is simple enough that younger students would be able to comprehend the information. ... Read more