First Explorers

Randomly selected by some mysterious higher power, Vin went from dirt-poor vagabond to humanity's hope for survival in the blink of an eye. Now a member of the first wave of humans sent to colonize a planet that defies all logic, Vin is expected to leave his wanderlust behind him and focus on the greater good. But when that same unknown power gives him the option to choose a class, Vin just can’t help himself from becoming an Explorer.

The Last Great Mountain tells the story of the first ascent of Kangchenjunga the third highest but reputedly the hardest mountain in the world. It was an astonishing achievement for a British team led by Everest veteran Charles Evans. Drawing on interviews, diaries and unpublished accounts, Mick Conefrey begins his story in 1905 with the disastrous first attempt on the mountain by a team led by Aleister Crowley, explores the three dramatic German expeditions of the the late 1920s and brings it all to a climax 50 years later with the first ascent by Joe Brown and George Band.

Named one of Time Magazine International's 30 most important people of 2005, Maud Fontenoy presents us with a terrific, entertaining adventure story on the high seas as she challenges the Pacific Ocean - a feat no woman before her ever accomplished. Already the first woman to row alone across the North Atlantic, Maud raised the bar to defy the elements, the daunting solitude, and the circling sharks of the South Pacific on her second solo voyage.

By the bestselling author of Astoria, a thrilling and masterfully crafted narrative of the Conquistador Francisco Coronado’s expedition across 2,500 miles of the vast uncharted North American interior—“El Norte Misterioso” —where he was turned back by fierce indigenous resistance that...

Here is the astonishing true story of Ruth Harkness, the Manhattan bohemian socialite who, against all but impossible odds, trekked to Tibet in 1936 to capture the most mysterious animal of the day: a bear that had for countless centuries lived in secret in the labyrinth of lonely cold mountains...

David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary and one of the greatest European explorers who ever lived. He fought all his life against slavery, and is remembered as a national hero for opening up the interior of the so-called "Dark Continent"; his expeditions had a tremendous influence on the colonization of Africa and the relation between Europeans and Africans. The son of a Christian missionary himself, Livingstone felt a spiritual calling to reach people in the interior of Africa in order to find new commercial routes and thus free the Africans from the plague of slavery.

Winner of the 2018 Louise de Kiriline Lawrence Award for Nonfiction Longlisted for the 2018 RBC Taylor Prize Shortlisted for the 2018 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction The sweeping, epic story of the mysterious land that came to be called “Canada” like it’s never been told...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A “thrilling and superbly crafted” (The Wall Street Journal) account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, which culminated in Captain James Cook’s death in Hawaii, and left a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day. One of...

Learn all about medieval knights and castles in this history themed instalment of DK Books' new educational fiction series for children. Meet the Secret Explorers - a band of brainiac kids from all around the world. Everyone in this diverse group of young experts has a specialty, from outer...

Swing into this fifth adventure with The Secret Explorers as they explore the rainforests of Borneo. This group of brilliant kids come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the planet - and beyond. Whenever their help is needed...

Learn all about forest life, the amazing Venus flytrap, and the importance of conservation in the exciting eighth adventure with The Secret Explorers. This group of brilliant kids come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries and gather knowledge all over the...

Meet The Secret Explorers! Children will be inspired to discover the world with these brand new character-driven adventure stories for children. Travel back in time and discover facts you never knew about dinosaurs and prehistoric life in this fourth instalment of The Secret Explorers. This...

Meet The Secret Explorers! Children will be inspired to discover the world with these brand new character-driven adventure stories for children. Learn about humpback whales and fascinating deep-sea creatures in this action-packed adventure story. Dive into the world of The Secret Explorers and...

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the groundbreaking backstairs look at the White House, The Residence, comes an intimate, news-making look at the true modern power brokers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: the First Ladies, from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama. One of the most...

Rooted in two vastly different cultures, a young man struggles to understand himself, find his place in the world, and reconnect with his mother—and her remote tribe in the deepest jungles of the Amazon rainforest—in this powerful memoir that combines adventure, history, and anthropology...

An extraordinary lost chapter in the history of World War I: the story of America’s year-long invasion of Russia, in which a contingency of brave soldiers fought the Red Army and brutal conditions during the fall and winter of 1918–1919. In August 1918, the 339th regiment of the U.S...

The height of Mt. Everest was first measured in 1850, but the closest any westerner got to Everest during the next 71 years, until 1921, was 40 miles. The Hunt for Mt. Everest tells the story of the 71-year quest to find the world's highest mountain. It's a tale of high drama, of...

The First Hippo on the Moon, from Children's author David Walliams. Two big hippos. One ENORMOUS dream. Who can make it to the moon first? 3 … 2 … 1 … BLAST OFF!...

Step into a harrowing maritime history of survival where ambitious navigators gambled everything to map a round Earth. Perfect for your next long commute, this tense narrative plunges you directly into the brutal open ocean. Royal courts, rogue storms, and mutinous crews collide in a high-stakes...

Canoeing the Congo narrates the journey of Phil Harwood, who undertook an epic five-month solo attempt to canoe the Congo River in war-torn Central Africa. It was a historic 'first descent' from the true source in the highlands of Zambia. Just short of 3,000 miles long, the Congo River is the eighth longest in the world and the deepest river in the world, with a flow rate second only to the Amazon. Along the way, Phil encountered numerous waterfalls, huge rapids, man-eating crocodiles, hippos, aggressive snakes...