Geographical discovery and exploration

Dazzling, poetic and vivid storytelling from one of Australia's greatest writers, which tells the bloody, brutal and enthralling story of the epic journey of the First Fleet. Originally published as a multi-part serial in The Australian, By Sea and...

‘One of the non-fiction books of the year.’ Andrew O’ Hagan A powerful, evocative and deeply personal journey into the world of missing people When Francisco Garcia was just seven years old, his father, Christobal, left his family. Unemployed, addicted...

"GRIPPING. ... One of the greatest polar rescue efforts ever mounted." —Wall Street JournalThe riveting true story of the largest polar rescue mission in history: the desperate race to find the survivors of the glamorous Arctic...

‘Hugely readable and entertaining’ JIM AL-KHALILI‘An accessible and crystal-clear portrait of this discipline’s breadth, largely told through its history’ PHIL BALL, PHYSICS WORLD Einstein’s Fridge tells the story of how scientists uncovered the least...

In the tradition of Dava Sobel's ‘Longitude’ comes sailing expert David Barrie's compelling and dramatic tale of invention and discovery – an eloquent elegy to one of the most important navigational instruments ever created, and the daring mariners who...

The Number One best-selling, epic true-life story of one of the most notorious maritime disasters of the 19th century, beautifully reissued alongside Philbrick’s new paperback, Sea of Glory. The sinking of the whaleship Essex by an enraged spermwhale in...

A new edition to mark the centenary Ernest Shackleton's epic 1916 journey across 1300 kms of hostile ocean in a tiny, leaking boat and unmapped ice and snow to reach a rescue station by British-Australian explorer Tim Jarvis,...

Journal of a Tour of Discovery Across the Blue Mountains in New South Wales in the Year 1813 was first published in 1823. It is a romantic and descriptive narrative of the journey to find a path across the Blue Mountains and received a great reception...

A riveting and illuminating exploration of the transatlantic slave trade by an intrepid team of divers seeking to reclaim the stories of their ancestors.“For me, Enslaved is an attempt to give a voice to the millions whose voices were...

Excerpts from her personal correspondence and passages from her published autobiography combine to produce a vivid first-person account revealing her interests, opinions and experiences, along with all the pleasures and frustrations of prolonged overseas...

In this personal journey, ultra-light backpacker and sought-after speaker Glen Van Peski shares the life lessons he has learned through years of lightening his pack and helping others.Adventures provide the richness and texture to a life well lived. So...

A groundbreaking reassessment of existing research and new data on traditional botanical medicine.Traditional medical systems continue to impact the lives of people around the globe. These systems vary greatly in their underlying beliefs, but all...

Beautifully produced and a perfect gift for travellers newly wedded or not - by turn funny, tender, acerbic and charming.Includes extracts from: Paul Bowles, Dorothy Sayers, D. H. Lawrence, Byron, Tolstoy, Flaubert, Dorothy Parker, A. N. Wilson,...

Surprisingly, the remarkable story of the Scottish role in the discovery of the Northwest Passage a long desired trade route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific has not received a great deal of attention. This book charts the extensive contribution to...

What if a book, based on science fact, showed that Atlantis was a real place, a lush island that once existed in the Atlantic? A book that provides overwhelming evidence that Atlantis once likely existed. That would be a game-changer. "Solving the...

"Few artists are also historians, and few historians have the talent to illustrate the people and events they study. [Gordon Miller's] paintings of ships under sail, wrecked on a lee shore, in storms and in cities are luminous."-Pacific YachtingIn...

In his hair-raising adventures across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Chris Thorogood treads a death-defying path over cliffs, up erupting volcanoes, through typhoons, and out into the very heart of the world's vast, green wilderness. Along...

From the Los Angeles Times Book Prize-winning historian, the colourful, dramatic story of Charles Darwin's journey on HMS Beagle that inspired the evolutionary theories in his path-breaking books On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man.When...

Navigations re-examines the Portuguese voyages of discovery by placing them in their medieval and Renaissance settings. It shows how these voyages grew out of a crusading ethos, as well as long-distance trade with Asia and Africa and developments in...

Succulents, especially cacti, are the current focus of serious ecological studies but also the darlings of designers and style influencers. Their endearing, characterful looks have given them the status of trendy 'plant pets'.But succulentomania is not...

Some myths don't die, and lies are still being told about Christopher Columbus: that he "discovered" the Americas (not only was the land familiar to native inhabitants, but it had also been visited before by Europeans), that the land was sparsely...

"War, reclamation, and what Tim O'Brien called 'the Lives of the Dead' are eternal literary themes for men. Clay Bonnyman Evans has honored that lineage with this masterful melding of military history and personal quest."-Ron Powers, co-author of New...

Thailand is known for its picturesque beaches and famous temples, but there's much more to this popular holiday destination than many realise.A Brief History of Thailand offers an engaging look at the country's last 250 years -from...

Sultans, Spices, and Tsunamis: The Incredible Story of the World's Largest Archipelago Indonesia is by far the largest nation in Southeast Asia and one of the largest countries in the world and is fourth largest in terms of population. Indonesian history...

A wondrous story of scientific endeavor-probing the great ice sheets of Antarctica.From the moment explorers set foot on the ice of Antarctica in the early nineteenth century, they desired to learn what lay beneath. David J. Drewry provides an insider's...

Between 1492 and 1914, Europeans conquered 84 percent of the globe. But why did Europe establish global dominance, when for centuries the Chinese, Japanese, Ottomans, and South Asians were far more advanced? In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, Philip...

In July 1815, six Iranian students arrived in London under the escort of their chaperone, Captain Joseph D'Arcy. Their mission was to master the modern sciences behind the rapid rise of Europe. Over the next four years, they lived both the low life and...

Australians have long been tempted by the lure of the ice to the south, and our Antarctic stories are filled with mystery, exploration, adventure, ground-breaking science, tragedy, and triumph. The Antarctic region was taking shape in the Australian...