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"Expeditions history"
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Papyrus : the invention of books in the ancient world
\"Papyrus is an enthralling journey through the history of books and libraries in the ancient world and those who have helped preserve their rich literary traditions. Long before books were mass-produced, those made of reeds from along the Nile were worth fighting and dying for. Journeying along the battlefields of Alexander the Great, beneath the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, at Cleopatra's palaces and the scene of Hypatia's murder, award-winning author Irene Vallejo chronicles the excitement of literary culture in the ancient world, and the heroic efforts that ensured this extraordinary tradition would continue. Weaved throughout are fascinating stories about the spies, scribes, illuminators, librarians, booksellers, authors, and statesmen whose rich and sometimes complicated engagement with the written word bears remarkable similarities to the world today: Aristophanes and the censorship of the humorists, Sappho and the empowerment of women's voices, Seneca and the problem of a post-truth world. Vallejo takes us to mountainous landscapes and the roaring sea, to the capitals where culture flourished and the furthest reaches where knowledge found refuge in chaotic times. In this sweeping tour of the history of books, the wonder of the ancient world comes alive and, along the way, we discover the singular power of the written word\"-- Provided by publisher.
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The 1926/27 Soviet Polar Census Expeditions
In 1926/27 the Soviet Central Statistical Administration initiated several yearlong expeditions to gather primary data on the whereabouts, economy and living conditions of all rural peoples living in the Arctic and sub-Arctic at the end of the Russian civil war. Due partly to the enthusiasm of local geographers andethnographers, the Polar Census grew into a massive ethnological exercise, gathering not only basic demographic and economic data on every household but also a rich archive of photographs, maps, kinship charts, narrative transcripts and museum artifacts. To this day, it remains one of the most comprehensive surveys of a rural population anywhere. The contributors to this volume - all noted scholars in their region - have conducted long-term fieldwork with the descendants of the people surveyed in 1926/27. This volume is the culmination of eight years' work with the primary record cards and was supported by a number of national scholarly funding agencies in the UK, Canada and Norway. It is a unique historical, ethnographical analysis and of immense value to scholars familiar with these communities' contemporary cultural dynamics and legacy.
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Lost islands : the story of islands that have vanished from nautical charts
\"Hundreds of islands that once appeared on nautical charts and general atlases are now known to have vanished--or never even existed. How were they detected in the first place? Henry Stommel, an oceanographer and senior scientist at Massachusetts' Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, chronicles his fascinating research in documenting the false discoveries of these phantom islands. British and American Hydrographic Offices compiled lists for navigators of reported dangers corresponding to the islands' supposed locations, which formed the basis for Stommel's surveys. These tales, which unfold according to location, blend historical and geographic background with intriguing anecdotal material. They relate how the small land formations came to be charted, who reported them, who eradicated them, and why some of them endured for so long. The chronicle of navigational errors, optical illusions, wishful thinking, and other mishaps is illustrated by scores of black-and-white images, including two 19th-century Admiralty charts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, where most of the sightings took place\"-- Provided by publisher.
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Patrons of Paleontology
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, North American and European governments generously funded the discoveries of such famous paleontologists and geologists as Henry de la Beche, William Buckland, Richard Owen, Thomas Hawkins, Edward Drinker Cope, O. C. Marsh, and Charles W. Gilmore. In Patrons of Paleontology, Jane Davidson explores the motivation behind this rush to fund exploration, arguing that eagerness to discover strategic resources like coal deposits was further fueled by patrons who had a genuine passion for paleontology and the fascinating creatures that were being unearthed. These early decades of government support shaped the way the discipline grew, creating practices and enabling discoveries that continue to affect paleontology today.
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Explorers' botanical notebook : in the footsteps of Theophrastus, Marco Polo, Linnaeus, Flinders, Darwin, Speke and Hooker
\"This book follows the journey of over 80 pioneering botanists and the important findings and collections they have made. It includes each journey and routes taken with the help of maps and personal notes. Each story explains the complications and difficulties that each botanist had to overcome but the many discoveries made along the way.\"-- Provided by publisher.
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The Carnegie Maya IV
The Carnegie Maya IVis the fourth in a series of volumes that make available the primary data and interpretive studies originally produced by archaeologists and anthropologists in the Maya region under the umbrella of the Carnegie Institute of Washington's Division of Historical Research. Collected together here are theTheoretical Approaches to Problemspapers, a series that published preliminary conclusions to advance thought processes and stimulate debate. Although two of the three theories published in these reports have since been proven wrong, the theories themselves remain significant because of their impact on the direction of archaeology.
Only a few sets of these three contributions to theTheoretical Approaches to Problemsseries are known to have survived, makingThe Carnegie Maya IVan essential reference and research resource.
The corresponding ebook, for individual download, contains the complete set ofThe Carnegie Maya,The Carnegie Maya II,The Carnegie Maya IIIandThe Carnegie Maya IV, thus making hundreds of documents from the Carnegie Institution's Maya program available in one source.
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Scurvy : the disease of discovery
\"Scurvy, a disease often associated with long stretches of maritime travel, generated sensations exceeding the standard of what was normal. Eyes dazzled, skin was morbidly sensitive, emotions veered between disgust and delight. In this book, Jonathan Lamb presents an intellectual history of scurvy unlike any other, probing the speechless encounter with powerful sensations to tell the story of the disease that its victims couldn't because they found their illness too terrible and, in some cases, too exciting. Drawing on historical accounts from scientists and voyagers as well as major literary works, Lamb traces the cultural impact of scurvy during the eighteenth-century age of geographical and scientific discovery. He explains the medical knowledge surrounding scurvy and the debates about its cause, prevention, and attempted cures. He vividly describes the phenomenon and experience of \"scorbutic nostalgia,\" in which victims imagined mirages of food, water, or home, and then wept when such pleasures proved impossible to consume or reach. Lamb argues that a culture of scurvy arose in the colony of Australia, which was prey to the disease in its early years, and identifies a literature of scurvy in the works of such figures as Herman Melville, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Francis Bacon, and Jonathan Swift.\" -- Publisher description.
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Peruvian Archaeology
This book offers a unique, critical perspective on the history of Peruvian archaeology by a native scholar. Leading Peruvian archaeologist Henry Tantaleán illuminates the cultural legacy of colonialism beginning with \"founding father\" Max Uhle and traces key developments to the present. These include the growth of Peruvian institutions; major figures from Tello and Valcárcel to Larco, Rowe, and Murra; war, political upheaval, and Peruvian regimes; developments in archaeological and social science theory as they impacted Andean archaeology; and modern concerns such as heritage, neoliberalism, and privatization. This post-colonial perspective on research and its sociopolitical context is an essential contribution to Andean archaeology and the growing international dialogue on the history of archaeology.
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National Geographic 125 years : legendary photographs, adventures, and discoveries that changed the world
\"Featuring show-stopping imagery and thrilling behind-the-scenes tales, National Geographic 125 Years captures the heart of National Geographic's fascinating history, from its earliest days as a scientific club to its growth into one of the world's largest geographic organizations. The book reveals how much we've come to know about our fascinating world through the pages and unforgettable imagery of National Geographic, and taps key voices from the forefront of ocean and space exploration, climate science, archaeology, mountaineering, and many other disciplines to peer with us over the horizon and see where we are heading in the future. Organized thematically, chapters focus on major accomplishments in each of the three realms of Earth, Sea, and Sky (featured on the National Geographic flag). Author Mark Collins Jenkins will present the subject matter chronologically, focusing on great leaps forward that dramatically changed our understanding of the planet, from summiting Everest to landing on the moon to discovering Titanic. Sidebars will feature famous names including Jared Diamond, Sylvia Earle, Buzz Aldrin, Bob Ballard, Jane Goodall and more, contributing thoughts about big questions of exploration, key frontiers in research, and enduring mysteries. We'll ask beloved characters like Zahi Hawass whether or not there's anything left to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings; Paul Sereno if we'll be able to create a dinosaur from DNA; Jared Diamond when society faces the next \"collapse;\" and many more questions designed to be relevant for many years to come. The focus throughout the book will be on the impact the National Geographic Society has made on the world and how it has reported and reflected a dramatically changing planet, not an insider's account of internal affairs. Special galleries between each of the sections will focus on storytelling techniques pioneered by National Geographic, including photography, television, and digital reportage. These will offer behind-the-scenes glimpses at the process of telling the greatest stories on earth\"-- Provided by publisher.
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Frontier Naturalist
This is a true story of discovery and discoverers in what was the northern frontier region of Mexico in the years before the Mexican War. In 1826, when the story begins, the region was claimed by both Mexico and the United States. Neither country knew much about the lands crossed by such rivers as the Guadalupe, Brazos, Nueces, Trinity, and Rio Grande. Jean Louis Berlandier, a French naturalist, was part of a team sent out by the Mexican Boundary Commission to explore the area. His role was to collect specimens of flora and fauna and to record detailed observations of the landscapes and peoples through which the exploring party traveled. His observations, including sketches and paintings of plants, landmarks, and American Indians, were the first compendium of scientific observations of the region to be collected and eventually published.
Here, historian Russell Lawson tells the story of this multinational expedition, using Berlandier's copious records as a way of conveying his view of the natural environment. Lawson's narrative allows us to peer over Berlandier's shoulder as he traveled and recorded his experiences. Berlandier and Lawson show us an America that no longer exists.
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