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Bering: The Russian Discovery of America
The first modern biography of the great explorer whose vast expeditions forged the Russian frontier in North America.
Vitus Jonassen Bering (1681-1741) is a towering figure in the history of exploration. In the course of two expeditions that consumed most of his adult life--and eventually led to his death--he journeyed from St. Petersburg to Siberia and ultimately to the northwest coast of America. Along with the members of his expedition (thousands participated in the second expedition), Bering greatly expanded the Russian empire, pioneered the geography of the North Pacific Ocean, and laid the groundwork for Russian trade and settlement in the American West.
In the first biography of Bering written in over a century, Orcutt Frost chronicles the life of this extraordinary explorer. Drawing on a wide range of new evidence--including personal letters and archaeological evidence derived from the recent discovery of Bering's grave site--the author reconstructs Bering's personality, his perilous voyages, and his uneasy relationship with the naturalist Georg Steller, who unobtrusively guided the stranded expedition as Bering lay dying.
A riveting narrative of adventure and disaster on the high seas, this biography is also a major contribution to the history of maritime exploration.
A biography of Bering has long been needed and no one is better suited to write it than Orcutt Frost. Based on meticulous scholarship and a lifelong knowledge of the subject, this biography will be a revelation to anyone interested in the history of exploration. --Glyn Williams, author of Voyages of Delusion: The Quest for the Northwest Passage
Orcutt Frost, emeritus professor of the humanities at Alaska Pacific University, is an authority on Bering's voyages and has written numerous books and articles on the subject.
Vitus Jonassen Bering (1681-1741) is a towering figure in the history of exploration. In the course of two expeditions that consumed most of his adult life--and eventually led to his death--he journeyed from St. Petersburg to Siberia and ultimately to the northwest coast of America. Along with the members of his expedition (thousands participated in the second expedition), Bering greatly expanded the Russian empire, pioneered the geography of the North Pacific Ocean, and laid the groundwork for Russian trade and settlement in the American West.
In the first biography of Bering written in over a century, Orcutt Frost chronicles the life of this extraordinary explorer. Drawing on a wide range of new evidence--including personal letters and archaeological evidence derived from the recent discovery of Bering's grave site--the author reconstructs Bering's personality, his perilous voyages, and his uneasy relationship with the naturalist Georg Steller, who unobtrusively guided the stranded expedition as Bering lay dying.
A riveting narrative of adventure and disaster on the high seas, this biography is also a major contribution to the history of maritime exploration.
A biography of Bering has long been needed and no one is better suited to write it than Orcutt Frost. Based on meticulous scholarship and a lifelong knowledge of the subject, this biography will be a revelation to anyone interested in the history of exploration. --Glyn Williams, author of Voyages of Delusion: The Quest for the Northwest Passage
Orcutt Frost, emeritus professor of the humanities at Alaska Pacific University, is an authority on Bering's voyages and has written numerous books and articles on the subject.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2003
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October 20, 2023
I certainly learned a lot about Bering and Russian exploration of North American, which is why I was interested in this book. I got a little turned around on timelines and characters in this narrative, although the prose is largely clear and interesting. I feel that the reader never gets a perfectly clear picture of Bering as an individual. Frost does his best, but most of his sources are secondhand, such as the journal of Stellar or letters written by Mrs. Bering. There’s only so much one can do there. In the end, I can’t help but wonder what Bering’s expeditions could have accomplished if they’d just brought along enough vitamin C.
Displaying 1 of 1 review