Cassell's Tales of Endurance (exploration) - Fergus Fleming

Published by Cassell Reference, 2004, hardcover, illustrated, index, 518 pages, minor wear to dust jacket otherwise  condition: as new.

An unrivalled collection of tales of courage, stamina, resourcefulness and the will to survive from the author of the best-selling Barrows Boys.

To call this book a history of exploration may seem at once both overly optimistic and slightly redundant. It is by no means a complete account of the expeditions it covers, nor is it a history per se, focussing more on the will, desire, and often the tyranny and arrogance of the early explorers. Men who forged their way across uncharted seas, walked across vast continents, and suffered at the hands of nature at every turn. Glorifying these early-day explorers is easy and thankfully something that Fergus Fleming steers clear of, preferring to give an accurate portrayal of their character no matter how loathsome.