Nonfiction Geographical Exploration and Discovery

Lewis & Clark. Sir Edmund Hillary. Christopher Columbus. Captain Cook. Marco Polo. Explorers whose names are still in the history books, even as we question the way some of them treated the native peoples they encountered. My description is obviously centered on European(ish) males, but please feel free to include explorers from all cultures. Vote for your favorite nonfiction about explorers and/or their travels here.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose 4.23 avg rating — 66,770 ratings score: 398, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Tony Horwitz 4.04 avg rating — 10,399 ratings score: 297, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides 4.29 avg rating — 25,022 ratings score: 267, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck 3.86 avg rating — 13,366 ratings score: 256, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Dreams of El Dorado: A History of the American West by H.W. Brands 4.25 avg rating — 2,441 ratings score: 197, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Unconquered: In Search of the Amazon's Last Uncontacted Tribes by Scott Wallace 3.98 avg rating — 1,930 ratings score: 196, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World by Tony Horwitz 3.97 avg rating — 9,330 ratings score: 192, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 by Nathaniel Philbrick (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 6,794 ratings score: 172, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander 4.34 avg rating — 21,612 ratings score: 162, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Mapmaker's Wife : A True Tale of Love, Murder and Survival in the Amazon by Robert Whitaker 3.63 avg rating — 1,828 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	A Maverick Inuit Way and the Vikings: How to connect with the peoples of the North by Mary Jane Walker (Goodreads Author) 3.44 avg rating — 9 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Mind Over Matter: The Epic Crossing of the Antarctic Continent by Ranulph Fiennes 3.97 avg rating — 340 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Story of Marco Polo by Olive M. Price 3.94 avg rating — 31 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Land of Tears: The Exploration and Exploitation of Equatorial Africa by Robert Harms 4.02 avg rating — 87 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Exploring with Frémont by Charles Preuss 4.60 avg rating — 10 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	My Journey to Lhasa: The Classic Story of the Only Western Woman Who Succeeded in Entering the Forbidden City by Alexandra David-Néel 3.98 avg rating — 2,327 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World—and Globalization Began by Valerie Hansen 3.68 avg rating — 1,853 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Captain Cook and the Voyage of the "Endeavour", 1768 1771 by Frank Knight 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Horse of the Americas by Robert Moorman Denhardt 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman 3.73 avg rating — 6,509 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Expeditions Unpacked: What the Great Explorers Took into the Unknown by Ed Stafford 4.06 avg rating — 66 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The golden age of the galleon by Frank Knight 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America by Russell Shorto (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 11,229 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Lawrence Hunt 3.73 avg rating — 2,298 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats by Daniel Stone 3.94 avg rating — 3,621 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	General at Sea: The Life of Admiral Robert Blake by Frank Knight it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	My Life as an Explorer by Sven Hedin 4.03 avg rating — 391 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	River Master: John Wesley Powell's Legendary Exploration of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon by Cecil Kuhne 3.71 avg rating — 58 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Marco Polo: Voyager to the Orient by Carol Greene 3.33 avg rating — 6 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Against All Opposition: Black Explorers in America by Jim Haskins 4.14 avg rating — 7 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	The Vast Unknown: America's First Ascent of Everest by Broughton Coburn 3.98 avg rating — 195 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Off the Map: Tales of Endurance and Exploration by Fergus Fleming (Narrator) 4.07 avg rating — 138 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	A Sailor with Captain Cook by Michael Gibson 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Mansa Musa: The Lion of Mali by Khephra Burns 4.28 avg rating — 145 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Adventures in Yellowstone: Early Travelers Tell Their Tales by M. Mark Miller (Goodreads Author) 4.02 avg rating — 63 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air by Stewart Ross (Goodreads Author) 4.23 avg rating — 293 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Who'd Believe John Colter? by Mary Blount Christian 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Darwin's First Theory: Exploring Darwin's Quest for a Theory of Earth by Rob Wesson (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 85 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Where Did Sacagawea Join the Corps of Discovery?: And Other Questions about the Lewis and Clark Expedition by Linda Gondosch (Goodreads Author) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Explorers' Sketchbooks: The Art of Discovery & Adventure by Huw Lewis-Jones 4.39 avg rating — 248 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson 3.93 avg rating — 17,334 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Pioneer Girl Perspectives: Exploring Laura Ingalls Wilder by Nancy Tystad Koupal 3.91 avg rating — 128 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The Plant Hunters: The Adventures of the World's Greatest Botanical Explorers by Carolyn Fry 3.93 avg rating — 91 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: Explorer, Naturalist, and Buccaneer: The Life of William Dampier by Diana Preston 4.08 avg rating — 1,266 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration by Edward J. Larson 3.65 avg rating — 807 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Drawn to the Deep: The Remarkable Underwater Explorations of Wes Skiles by Julie Hauserman 4.29 avg rating — 34 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons by John Wesley Powell 3.91 avg rating — 2,005 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	My Life as an Explorer by Roald Amundsen 3.76 avg rating — 288 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	The Explorers: A Story of Fearless Outcasts, Blundering Geniuses, and Impossible Success by Martin Dugard (Goodreads Author) 3.70 avg rating — 621 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	On Top of the World: Five Women Explorers in Tibet by Luree Miller 4.02 avg rating — 385 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Exploration and Discovery: Treasures of the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History by David K Skelly liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Jefferson's America: The President, the Purchase, and the Explorers Who Transformed a Nation by Julie M. Fenster 3.87 avg rating — 317 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration by David Roberts 3.87 avg rating — 4,981 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The Juan Pardo Expeditions: Exploration of the Carolinas and Tennessee, 1566-1568 by Charles M. Hudson 4.18 avg rating — 17 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Vanguard of Empire: Ships of Exploration in the Age of Columbus by Roger C. Smith it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	First Encounters: Spanish Explorations in the Caribbean and the United States, 1492-1570 (Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series) by Jerald T. Milanich (Editor) 3.38 avg rating — 8 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible by Simon Winchester 3.86 avg rating — 4,267 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	A Dog's History of America: How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered, and Settled a Continent by Mark Derr 3.50 avg rating — 96 ratings score: 75, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier by Stephen E. Ambrose 4.23 avg rating — 66,770 ratings score: 73, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Exploring for Shipwrecks by K.C. Smith it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 72, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game & the Race for Empire in Central Asia (Cornelia & Michael Bessie Book) by Shareen Blair Brysac 3.87 avg rating — 705 ratings score: 71, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu by Laurence Bergreen 3.85 avg rating — 3,210 ratings score: 70, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Travels of Ibn Battutah by Ibn Battuta 3.91 avg rating — 2,726 ratings score: 69, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun by Charles M. Hudson 4.32 avg rating — 168 ratings score: 68, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	The Last Place on Earth by Roland Huntford 4.35 avg rating — 3,508 ratings score: 64, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars