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The Explorers: A Story of Fearless Outcasts, Blundering Geniuses, and Impossible Success Hardcover – June 3, 2014
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Author of titles about Christopher Columbus, James Cook, and David Livingston, Dugard here delves into the explorer as a personality type. Acknowledging a debt to a similar inquiry, mountaineer Wilfrid Noyce’s The Springs of Adventure (1959), Dugard structures his title around a famous expedition, Richard Burton and John Speke’s 1857–58 quest to discover the source of the Nile. Using seven traits to illustrate their characters as explorers, Dugard discusses the events of their journey in terms of each man’s—as the book’s chapters are headed—curiosity, hope, passion, courage, independence, self-discipline, and perseverance. As Burton and Speke encounter problems typical in discovery annals—daunting terrain, illness, privation, and mutual acrimony—Dugard develops the seven traits along several tracks, including psychology, physiology, and other adventurers who exemplified the trait under discussion. Thus, his narrative can jump from introversion to dopamine, and from Burton-Speke to Ernest Shackleton’s courageous perseverance to rescue his crew from Antarctica in 1914–16. Such a varied shuffling of subjects should keep the exploration audience locked into Dugard’s portrait of the discoverer archetype. --Gilbert Taylor
Review
"Using his usual brilliant research, Martin Dugard takes the reader on a thrill ride to some of the most dangerous places on earth. Can you handle it?"
Bill O'Reilly
Anchor
Fox News Channel
“Using his usual brilliant research, Martin Dugard takes the reader on a thrill ride to some of the most dangerous places on earth. Can you handle it?" (Bill O'Reilly)
“This is an exciting and uplifting book, with inspiration on every page. You don’t have to be in search of the source of the Nile to benefit from understanding the seven habits of fearless explorers.” (Seth Godin, author of The Icarus Deception)
“Martin Dugard has written bestselling histories with Bill O’Reilly, and with me, but with The Explorers, he shows that he does his best work as a solo performer. The Explorers has a distinctive voice and the drama never flags from beginning to end.” (James Patterson)
"Dugard uses Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke’s quest to find the Nile’s source as a framing device to craft a fascinating examination of the seven key traits of history’s most famous explorers. . . . In lesser hands, this exercise could come off as pedantic or pedestrian, but Dugard’s infusions of insight and enthusiasm carry the reader and drive his points home." (Publishers Weekly (starred review))
Bill O'Reilly
Anchor
Fox News Channel
“Using his usual brilliant research, Martin Dugard takes the reader on a thrill ride to some of the most dangerous places on earth. Can you handle it?" (Bill O'Reilly)
“This is an exciting and uplifting book, with inspiration on every page. You don’t have to be in search of the source of the Nile to benefit from understanding the seven habits of fearless explorers.” (Seth Godin, author of The Icarus Deception)
“Martin Dugard has written bestselling histories with Bill O’Reilly, and with me, but with The Explorers, he shows that he does his best work as a solo performer. The Explorers has a distinctive voice and the drama never flags from beginning to end.” (James Patterson)
"Dugard uses Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke’s quest to find the Nile’s source as a framing device to craft a fascinating examination of the seven key traits of history’s most famous explorers. . . . In lesser hands, this exercise could come off as pedantic or pedestrian, but Dugard’s infusions of insight and enthusiasm carry the reader and drive his points home." (Publishers Weekly (starred review))
More About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Martin Dugard is the co-author (with Bill O'Reilly) of Killing Jesus, Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln. These three books have sold more than six million copies.
In addition to history, Dugard specializes in chronicling the drive of great men to realize their potential. This can be seen in his trilogy on endurance sports: Surviving the Toughest Race on Earth (McGraw-Hill, 1998); Chasing Lance (Little, Brown; 2005), and To Be A Runner, is an inspiring and informational series of essays written from the viewpoint of Dugard's forty years as a distance runner.
Dugard's other books include The Murder of King Tut (co-written with bestselling author James Patterson), which saw Dugard travel to Egypt to unravel the centuries-old mystery of who murdered Tutankhamen, Egypt 's legendary boy king; The Training Ground (Little, Brown, 2008), the riveting saga of America's great Civil War generals during the Mexican War, when they were scared young lieutenants first learning the ways of war; The Last Voyage of Columbus (Little, Brown; 2005), Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone (Doubleday, 2003), Farther Than Any Man: The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook (Pocket Books, 2001), and Knockdown (Pocket Books, 1999).
For the past eight years he has also put that knowledge to good use by spending his afternoons as the head cross-country and track coach at JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano, California. His teams have qualified for the California State Championships four years in a row, and his girls team won the state title in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
He has also co-written three books with Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor and The Apprentice.
Dugard recently wrote and produced A Warrior's Heart, a coming-of-age film based around the sport of lacrosse. A Warrior's Heart stars Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene.
An adventurer himself, Dugard regularly immerses himself in his research to understand characters and their motivations better. To better understand Columbus he traveled through Spain , the Caribbean, Central America, and sailed from Genoa to Spain aboard a tall ship in the manner of the great navigator. He followed Henry Morton Stanley's path across Tanzania while researching Into Africa (managing to get thrown into an African prison in the process), and swam in the tiger shark-infested waters of Hawaii 's Kealakekua Bay to recreate Captain James Cook's death for Farther Than Any Man.
Dugard competed in the Raid Gauloises endurance race three times, ran with the bulls in Pamplona on two occasions, and flew around the world at twice the speed of sound aboard an Air France Concorde. The time of 31 hours and 28 minutes set a world record for global circumnavigation. Dugard's magazine writing has appeared in Esquire, Outside, Sports Illustrated, and GQ, among others.
Martin Dugard lives in Orange County, California, with his wife and three sons.
In addition to history, Dugard specializes in chronicling the drive of great men to realize their potential. This can be seen in his trilogy on endurance sports: Surviving the Toughest Race on Earth (McGraw-Hill, 1998); Chasing Lance (Little, Brown; 2005), and To Be A Runner, is an inspiring and informational series of essays written from the viewpoint of Dugard's forty years as a distance runner.
Dugard's other books include The Murder of King Tut (co-written with bestselling author James Patterson), which saw Dugard travel to Egypt to unravel the centuries-old mystery of who murdered Tutankhamen, Egypt 's legendary boy king; The Training Ground (Little, Brown, 2008), the riveting saga of America's great Civil War generals during the Mexican War, when they were scared young lieutenants first learning the ways of war; The Last Voyage of Columbus (Little, Brown; 2005), Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone (Doubleday, 2003), Farther Than Any Man: The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook (Pocket Books, 2001), and Knockdown (Pocket Books, 1999).
For the past eight years he has also put that knowledge to good use by spending his afternoons as the head cross-country and track coach at JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano, California. His teams have qualified for the California State Championships four years in a row, and his girls team won the state title in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
He has also co-written three books with Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor and The Apprentice.
Dugard recently wrote and produced A Warrior's Heart, a coming-of-age film based around the sport of lacrosse. A Warrior's Heart stars Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene.
An adventurer himself, Dugard regularly immerses himself in his research to understand characters and their motivations better. To better understand Columbus he traveled through Spain , the Caribbean, Central America, and sailed from Genoa to Spain aboard a tall ship in the manner of the great navigator. He followed Henry Morton Stanley's path across Tanzania while researching Into Africa (managing to get thrown into an African prison in the process), and swam in the tiger shark-infested waters of Hawaii 's Kealakekua Bay to recreate Captain James Cook's death for Farther Than Any Man.
Dugard competed in the Raid Gauloises endurance race three times, ran with the bulls in Pamplona on two occasions, and flew around the world at twice the speed of sound aboard an Air France Concorde. The time of 31 hours and 28 minutes set a world record for global circumnavigation. Dugard's magazine writing has appeared in Esquire, Outside, Sports Illustrated, and GQ, among others.
Martin Dugard lives in Orange County, California, with his wife and three sons.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By
Amazon Customer
on June 4, 2014
Format: Hardcover
3 Comments
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I read Mr. Dugard's wonderful "Into Africa" a few years ago and was mesmerized by that book's recounting of the adventures of Livingstone and Stanley. Over the past decade my reading has been heavily tilted toward books by explorers and about explorers. This book, THE EXPLORERS, does exactly what I had always wished someone would do and that is to catalog the central traits of those who went boldly into the void. Were they courageous or crazy? Herein Mr. Dugard gives us a fast-paced read that contains all the explorational drama one could wish for, but he pauses now and then to discuss what all these men (and women) had in common. He decides that the traits are these: Curiosity, Hope, Passion, Courage, Independence, Self-Discipline and Perseverance. Each of the traits is meticulously illustrated by tales from the trail.
And there are stories herein that are new to me. I had never heard of the young man who walked from Capetown to Cairo to win a woman's hand in marriage. That is romantic!
Overall this is an inspirational read that will have you journeying through your own psyche as you assess the unique psychological nature of the explorers. Would you be up to the challenge had you lived in those times?
W. F. Strong, GOOD BOOKS RADIO
And there are stories herein that are new to me. I had never heard of the young man who walked from Capetown to Cairo to win a woman's hand in marriage. That is romantic!
Overall this is an inspirational read that will have you journeying through your own psyche as you assess the unique psychological nature of the explorers. Would you be up to the challenge had you lived in those times?
W. F. Strong, GOOD BOOKS RADIO
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By
David J McClain
on July 26, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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Very disappointing. In the author's own words, rather than telling the "Burton and Speke saga...I began to wonder about not just the emotional motivations to pursue a life of adventure, but the specific character traits that went into being a successful explorer." This results in meandering pop psychology ruminations about "lizard brain," the characteristics of introverts and extroverts, and other tedium. The journals and rather interesting story of Burton and Speke are given only synoptic attention, rather than being used as prism through which to study their character and motivations in vivid color. I would recommend a bona fide historian's endeavor over this book any day.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
E. J. Pyle
on August 13, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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This book was a complete disappointment. From the perspective of the drive and psychology of explorers, it offers great promise. From the recurring theme of Burton & Speke's explorations, it trivializes Burton's work and lionizes Speke's. Up front, I am a Burton fan, having read most of his biographies and several of his works. That said, Speke was not ever the scientist and offered a conclusion that he sought, with Grant, to prove. Burton offered a hypothesis that he vigorously defended, offering to have it refuted when strong refutation was never supplied until much, much later. Instead, the author trivializes the corpus of Burton's work and expertise. The author presents what amounts to an argument that the establishment character is always right and the outcast is always wrong. Details of the tectonics aside, Burton was wrong for the right reasons and Speke was right by accident. Speke was blundering by sheer persistence, and Burton was an outcast by nature. The role of polar expeditions in defining "explorer" would have made for a better and more contemporary case study than Burton and Speke, yet this is only touched upon. As a result, this book was a great disappointment and I cannot recommend it to anyone, excepting anyone who has never dug into the history of the central theme of the book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By
M. Bailey
on August 28, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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This was an unexpected pleasure. Nominally about the Speke/Burton battle over who found the source of the Nile, it uses their story as a framework for discussing the seven attributes Dugard considers essential to successful explorers: curiosity, hope, passion, courage, independence, self-discipline, and perseverance. Each is illustrated by numerous examples of explorers from the earliest age (out of Africa) through Saint Brendan, Cook, Shackleton, Scott and Oates, Ledyard, Stanley and Livingstone, Humboldt, and many others of more or less renown. Dugard is an unapologetic champion of Speke's character and efforts in the battle of personalities, and, of course, history knows who was right in the end (I'll not mention that in case a future reader is unaware, as I was). The result is a dramatic and thoughtful book, sure to be of interest to anyone who is intrigued with exploration, even if not of African in particular. My only regret is the lack of pictures and maps. Highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By
Amazon Customer
on August 4, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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I couldn't finish it, i thought i had add reading it, he went off on some other tangent so many times i forgot who i was reading about.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By
Phil Kirkland
on July 26, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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Not only good history but excellent insight into the psychology of most explorers; what drives and sustains them.....
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By
MGunz
on June 17, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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Since Stephen Ambrose passed away, Martin Dugard has become my favorite historical author. I'm not a Bill O'Reilly fan and haven't read any of the books that Martin Dugard did with him, but I have read: "Into Africa, The Training Ground and The Last Voyage of Columbus", as well as this book: "The Explorers." They are all outstanding. The thing with this book is that before I finished it I had purchased 4 other books about explorers that he hints about in this book. I read this book in a weekend and couldn't put it down. His narrative flow is outstanding, and he really paints a great personal picture of each of the explorers he speaks of. If you have any interest in the Golden Age of Exploration, and the men who made it so, buy this book. I highly recommend it.
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