discovery and exploration

The letters and thoughts of Thomas Jefferson, members of the Corps of Discovery, their guide Sacagawea, and Captain Lewis's Newfoundland dog, all tell of the historic exploratory expedition to seek a water route to the Pacific Ocean.

The discovery in 1669 of a journal recording Henry Hudson's tragic search for a passage to Cathay over fifty years earlier, forces Robert Bylot, a once-great maritime explorer, to recall his experiences as part of that expedition--memories he would prefer to forget.

Contains over thirty essays that examine significant people and events in the history of America up to 1607, discussing first inhabitants, the arrival of Europeans, exploration, and the struggle for control.

Matthew Henson recounts his life story, including his twenty-two years of polar exploration with Commander Robert Peary, who was seen as the hero of the 1909 expedition to reach the North Pole despite the fact that Henson, an African-American, was primarily responsible for its success.

Contains excerpts from letters, books, and journals in which early European explorers provide accounts of their experiences in the New World, each with an introduction.

Organized in encyclopedic form, an examination of the legends and lore of the Americas prior to Columbus's arrival in 1492. Each entry is followed by bibliographic information to facilitate further research on the topic.

Traces the voyage of a Chinese fleet which, in 1421, circumnavigated the globe, discovered America, and transplanted to America, Australia, New Zealand, and South America the principal economic crops that now feed and clothe the world.

Surveys the lives of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, two military men from Virginia who were selected by President Thomas Jefferson to lead the Corps of Discovery into the newly acquired Louisiana Territory in 1804.

Describes the adventures and discoveries of early explorers to the southwestern United States, including Marcos de Niza, Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo, and others, and features a glossary, maps, and illustrations.