Explorers & Adventurers

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One of the great joys of being human is the joy of finding. Whether as a child you "discovered" the creek in your back yard, or as an adult you realized the road you always neglected was really a shortcut to work, uncovering new things can be downright exhilarating. Unless, of course, you uncover bad things, a situation many of the great explorers have found themselves in too often.

That doesn't keep them from seeking new territories, foreign rivers, inland passages—in fact, it's almost as if hardship and defeat spur them on to greater feats and attempts. Ernest Shackleton's trip to the South Pole was disaster upon cataclysm, but with each difficulty the crew's resolve became deeper and more determined. Shackleton and his men couldn't not explore: it was in their blood.

Now that we've been everywhere and done everything, exploration might seem like an anachronism. Man has climbed Mt. Everest, submarined to the deepest eel-infested parts of the ocean, and walked on the moon—what's a canoe trip down the Amazon or a stroll through the Outback? Maybe not much from that perspective, but when the whole big world is still unknown and largely inhospitable, shouldering a pack and a rifle and heading into the unknown takes one thing our age has precious little of: guts.

A lot of exploration was undertaken by missionaries eager to take the Word of God to every tribe and nation. The darker side of that is the European politicos who followed behind to exploit natural resources, native peoples, and each other. Either way, the story of exploration is a fascinating one, and a must-read if you expect to understand the current world economic and political situation.

Even more compelling than the story of exploration, however, is the story of the explorers themselves. Exploration is a picture painted with broad strokes, but when presenting the men themselves the artist must show the details, each weakness and virtue, each fear and desire, that made them brave scorpions, bloodthirsty hunters, desert sands, snow and ice, sickness, and death in the name of discovery.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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In-Stock Books & Materials

	$25,000 Flight How Lindbergh Set a Daring Record Stepping Stone: Totally True Adventures! by Lori Haskins Houran from Random House for 2nd-5th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Amelia Earhart A Photographic Story of a Life DK Biography by Tanya Lee Stone from DK Publishing for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.20 (4 in stock)
	Amelia Earhart: Young Aviator Childhood of Famous Americans by Beatrice Gormley from Aladdin Paperbacks Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Childhood of Famous Americans (Location: BIO-COFA) $6.79
	Christopher Columbus Across the Ocean Heroes of History by Geoff & Janet Benge from Emerald Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE) $10.19
	Christopher Columbus Sowers Series by Bennie Rhodes from Mott Media for 4th-6th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW) $7.64 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Christopher Columbus Sowers Biographies by Bennie Rhodes from Mott Media for 4th-6th grade in Sowers Biographies (Location: BIO-SOW) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Christopher Columbus and His Brothers by Amy Hogeboom from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of the New World by Jim Gallagher from Chelsea House Publishing for 4th-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Columbus by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $15.26
	Columbus by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire First BCE from Doubleday & Company in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $28.00 (1 in stock)
	Columbus and the Renaissance Explorers from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-7th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $2.40 (2 in stock)
	Coronado and His Captains by Camilla Campbell, illustrated by Harve Stein from Follett Publishing Co. for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Daniel Boone His Own Story by Daniel Boone from Applewood Books Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $14.95 $10.00 (2 in stock)
	Discovery of the Americas by Betsy & Giulio Maestro from HarperTrophy for 3rd-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $8.49 $4.80 (2 in stock)
	Encounter by Jane Yolen 1^st edition from Voyager Paperbacks for 1st-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Eric the Red & Leif the Lucky by Barbara Schiller from Avyx, Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Exploration and Conquest The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620 The American Story Series by Betsy & Giulio Maestro from HarperCollins for 3rd-7th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $10.19 $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Exploration and Conquest The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620 by Betsy & Giulio Maestro 1^st edition from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books for 3rd-7th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Exploration and Conquest The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620 by Betsy & Giulio Maestro 1^st edition from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books for 3rd-7th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Explorers News Columbus In Japan? The History News by Michael Johnstone from Candlewick Press for 3rd-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $5.94 $3.20 (4 in stock)
	Explorers Who Got Lost by Diane Dreher from Tor Classic Non-fiction for 4th-8th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $4.00 (3 in stock)
	Ferdinand Magellan First to Sail Around the World by Milton Meltzer from Benchmark Books for 4th-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Ferdinand Magellan and the First Voyage Around the World by Jim Gallagher from Chelsea House Publishing for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Latinos in American History by Jim Whiting from Mitchell Lane Publishers for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Golden Book History of the United States - 12 Volume Set by Earl Schenck Miers, illustrated by Alton S. Tobey and Richard P. Kluga from Golden Press for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $60.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Discoveries and Amazing Adventures Stories of Hidden Marvels and Lost Treasures by Claire Llewellyn from Kingfisher for 4th-8th grade in Archaeology (Location: HISRF-ARCH) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Great Explorers by Joyce Grosseck & Elizabeth Attwood for 4th-8th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Henry Hudson English Explorer of the Northwest Passage Library of Explorers and Exploration by Josepha Sherman from Rosen Central for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Henry Hudson by Nina Brown Baker, illustrated by George Fulton from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 3rd-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $51.20 (1 in stock)
	Hero Schliemann: The Dreamer Who Dug for Troy by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Robert Byrd from Candlewick Press for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	I Sailed with Columbus by Susan Martin Xlibrary Copy. from Overlook Press for 3rd-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Ice Bound by Jerri Nielsen, Mary Anne Vollers from Hyperion/Madison Press for 4th-6th grade in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	In Their Own Words: Christopher Columbus by Peter & Connie Roop from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $2.40 (2 in stock)
	John Charles Frémont by Charles W. Maynard 1^st edition from PowerKids Press for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Juan Ponce de Leon by Tamara Green from World Almanac Library for 2nd-4th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Juan Ponce de Leon and the Search for the Fountain of Youth by Daniel E. Harmon from Chelsea House Publishing for 4th-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $3.20 (2 in stock)
	Junipero Serra Explorer and Missionary Fact Finders by Tyler Schumacher from Capstone Press for 2nd-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Kit Carson: Folk Hero and Man by Noel B. Gerson from Doubleday & Company for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Leif the Lucky by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Beautiful Feet Books Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $15.26 $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Leif the Lucky by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from University of Minnesota Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $15.26
	Lost City The Discovery of Machu Picchu by Ted Lewin Reprint from Puffin Books for 3rd-7th grade in Latin American & Hispanic Culture (Location: HISMC-LAT) $7.64
	Marco Polo by Charles P. Graves from Chelsea House Publishing Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Marco Polo by Manual Komroff, illustrated by Robin Jacques from Living Book Press for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $11.04
	Marco Polo for Kids by Janis Herbert from Chicago Review Press Biography/Activity Book for 4th-8th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $17.95
	Marco Polo: Voyager to the Orient by Carol Greene from Children's Press for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Meet Christopher Columbus Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints by James de Kay from Random House Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $4.24 $2.00 (2 in stock)
	Meet Christopher Columbus by James de Kay from Random House Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $1.60 (1 in stock)
	Men Who Found America by Frederick Winthrop Hutchinson from Living Book Press for 4th-7th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $6.79
	Mystery On Everest by Audrey Salkeld from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	North Pole A Doubleday Signal Book by Tony Simon, Illustrated by Albert Orbaan from Doubleday & Company for 4th-8th grade in 20th Century Exploration (Location: HISW-20EXP) $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Prince Henry the Navigator by Leonard Everett Fisher 1^st edition from Atheneum for 2nd-5th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Real Book About Christopher Columbus by Irvin Block, illustrated by Rus Anderson from Garden City Books Biography for 4th-7th grade in Real Books series (Location: VIN-RBA) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Sacajawea by Joseph Bruchac from Graphia Biography for 3rd-7th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.34
	Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong 1st Pbk. Ed from Crown Publishers for 4th-8th grade 1999 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award in 20th Century Exploration (Location: HISW-20EXP) $11.89
	Sieur de La Salle New World Adventurer by John Paul Zronik from Crabtree Publishing for 3rd-8th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $1.60 (1 in stock)
	Sir Francis Drake Circumnavigator of the Globe and Privateer for Queen Elizabeth Library of Explorers and Exploration by Joy Paige 1^st edition from Rosen Central for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Story of Christopher Columbus Cornerstones of Freedom by Zachary Kent from Children's Press for 4th-6th Grade in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Story of Daniel Boone, Wilderness Explorer A Dell Yearling Biography by Walter Retan from Yearling for 2nd-4th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Story of David Livingstone by Vautier Golding from Yesterday's Classics for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $10.16
	Story of Marquette and Jolliet by R. Conrad Stein from Children's Press for 4th-6th grade in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Story of Marquette and Jolliet by R. Conrad Stein from Children's Press for 4th-6th grade in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Story of Sacajawea Guide to Lewis and Clark by Della Rowland from Yearling Biography for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $5.94 $2.40 (2 in stock)
	Story of Sir Walter Raleigh The Children's Heroes Series by Margaret Duncan Kelly from Yesterday's Classics Biography for 3rd-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $10.16
	The Rebels Discovering Canada by Robert Livesey & A. G. Smith 1^st edition for 2nd-6th grade in Canada (Location: HISMC-CAN) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Thomas Harriot Science Pioneer by Ralph Staiger 1^st edition from Clarion Books for 4th-6th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $7.50 (2 in stock)
	Top of the World Climbing Mount Everest by Steve Jenkins from Houghton Mifflin for 4th-6th grade 2000 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book in 20th Century Exploration (Location: HISW-20EXP) $5.91
	Trial by Ice by K. M. Kostyal from Scholastic Inc. Picture Book Biography for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Usborne Book of Explorers From Columbus to Armstrong by Anne Millard, Felicity Everett & Struan Reid from Usborne for 4th-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $7.00 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Usborne Book of Explorers From Columbus to Armstrong by Anne Millard, Felicity Everett & Struan Reid from Usborne for 4th-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Vasco de Gama and the Portuguese Explorers by Jim Gallagher from Chelsea House Publishing for 4th-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $1.60 (2 in stock)
	Westward With Columbus by John Dyson from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $1.60 (1 in stock)
	Westward With Columbus Set sail on the voyage that changed the world by John Dyson from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus? by Jean Fritz from Putnam Juvenile for 2nd-4th grade in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP) $7.64
	Who Was Amelia Earhart? Who Was?...Series by Kate Jerome from Grosset & Dunlap for 4th-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $5.94
	Who Was Ernest Shackleton? by James Buckley from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-6th grade in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO) $5.09
	World's Great Explorers: Alexander the Great by Maureen Ash from Children's Press for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $3.20 (1 in stock)

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