EXPLORING THE WORLD

Six explorers who went from strongholds of Western Civilization into countries and continents unknown and isolated are reviewed in a digest history that makes good use of excerpts from the original reports. Starting with Marco Polo's ventures into China, the book also includes Vasco da Gama's search for a route to India, Columbus' discoveries in the New World, Captain Cook's voyages to the South Pacific, David Livingston in Africa and Mary Kingsley in Africa (the most amusing of the formidable lady travellers of the 19th century). The effects of the explorations on commerce, colonization and the international balance of power are briefly explicated in a compact book which suggests itself as a source of brush up reading for older students. The book is illustrated with clear maps marked with the routes of each adventurer.