Expedition History

For thousands of years, we have set out sailing for all kinds of reasons - for battle, for infinite wealth, for the excitement of exploring the unknown, and for escape from the mundane. We have always had a primal relationship with the sea - even those who have never been to sea remain fascinated by the seafaring life and tales of salty adventure. Now in a brand–new series collection, The Best Sailing Stories Ever Told brings together such diverse authors as Charles Dickens, Jack London, John Masefield, Stephen Crane, Herman Melville, and dozens more.

Livingstone's first book revolutionized the way European readers saw Africa and made him a hero in England. He returned again to the Zambesi with his brother Charles and others, this time with more equipment and funds. Again he faced hippopotami, crocodiles, impossible terrain, and disease, but his greatest enemies on this trip prove to be human. The British eventually lost faith in the expedition, but Livingstone proved in the end to have had tremendous foresight.

In the gold rush era of Virginia City, Montana, crime was afoot and justice shaky. Lawlessness ran amok in the form of gamblers, saloonkeepers, miners, dance hall girls, and road agents - outlaws who ambushed travelers on the road for a chance to steal precious gold. Of all the road agents, Henry Plummer was their king and elected sheriff. Plummer’s notorious road-agent band terrorized the highways until a group of ordinary citizens resolved to take the responsibility of social governance into their hands.

What went wrong, and how did the survivors manage to make it back alive? This Deadly Expeditions tale transports listeners back in time to discover how one of the deadliest days on Mount Everest unfolded.

Spanning a million years of history, the mysteries in this book include fabled relics, legendary cities, mythical species, and undeciphered languages that have bedeviled seekers for centuries.

Over the years, thousands of tales both true and fantastic have been told about the dastardly thievery of pirates. Their rum-drunk exploits and high-seas violence never fail to delight. Now in a brand new series collection, The Best Pirate Stories Ever Told includes many of the very best pirate yarns ever created on history’s most debaucherous scalawags. Anyone who loves a good story full of excitement, adventure, thrills, and laughs will find this collection irresistible.

The Great Polar Fraud explores the history of the three men who claimed the pole, their claims, and the subsequent doubts of those claims, effectively rewriting the history of polar exploration and putting Amundsen center stage as the rightful conqueror of both poles.

Vikings were fierce warriors who sailed the seas looking for new lands. They were expert sailors and shipbuilders. Find out the science behind their explorations, shipbuilding, and daily life. Discover how modern technology is being used to discover more about the lives of Vikings and their expeditions.

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton led an expedition across Antarctica in 1914. Did you know that science played a big role in this dangerous journey?

Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton tried and failed to cross the coldest and windiest continent on Earth.

The “mountain men” were the hunters and trappers who fiercely strode the Rocky Mountains in the early to mid-1800s. They braved the elements in search of the skins of beavers and other wild animals, to sell or barter for goods. The lifestyle of the mountain men could be harsh, existing as they did among animals, and spending most of their days and nights living and camping out in the great unexplored wilds of the Rockies.

In 1803, the United States made a deal to purchase a big area of land called the Louisiana Territory. Soon after, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were asked to lead an expedition into the American Northwest to explore the new land. After the journey, many stories were told about it—but not all of them are true.

In 1804, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their team set out on an exciting yet challenging expedition into the American West. They faced many difficult choices along the way. Now, the choices are yours.

In 1881, U.S. Army Lieutenant Adolphus Greely and his crew set sail for the Arctic. Their mission was to collect scientific data on the polar climate. They also had a second, secret goal: to achieve Farthest North, the record for highest latitude reached by explorers. But when resupply ships failed to arrive two years in a row, the team’s dreams of glory turned into a nightmarish fight for survival in one of the most remote and harshest regions in the world.

Follow the dramatic story of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In 1804, these two explorers, along with their "Corps of Discovery", traversed the unmapped American West, leading to scientific discoveries, interactions with Native nations, and route to the Pacific Ocean.

English explorer Henry Hudson had long searched for a quicker, northern sailing route from Europe to Asia. Three previous expeditions had failed. In 1610, he embarked again to find the fabled Northwest Passage. But when icy waters stranded Hudson and the Discovery in a bay for the winter, tensions flared. The crew lost faith in their captain’s leadership and began to plot...mutiny!

This Deadly Expeditions tale transports listeners back in time to follow the Donner Party’s disastrous trek west and their struggle to survive.

Dive into a suspenseful maritime history and doomed lost expedition that drove a desperate French king to the brink. Perfect for a focused commute or late-night listening, this haunting true mystery transports you from the opulent, anxious halls of Versailles to the unforgiving isolation of the...

Experience the ultimate man versus nature struggle in this haunting naval history of a doomed Arctic lost expedition. When 129 men sailed into the ice seeking the Northwest Passage, they vanished into a freezing nightmare of winter isolation. You will feel the bitter chill of absolute...

""Variably genial, cautionary, lyrical, admonitory, terrifying, horrifying and inspiring…A lifetime of thought, travel, reading, imagination and memory inform this affecting account."" —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Blending history and anecdote, geography and reminiscence, science and...