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Off the Edge of the Map: Marco Polo, Captain Cook, and 9 Other Travelers and Explorers That Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World
From the #1 bestselling author of History's Greatest Generals comes an exciting new book on the greatest explorers in history and how their discoveries shaped the modern worldWhether it is Rabban Bar Sauma, the 13th-century Chinese monk commissioned by the Mongols to travel West form a military alliance against the Islam; Marco Polo, who opened a window to the East for Europe; or Captain James Cook, whose maritime voyages of discovery created the global economy of the 21st century, each of these explorers had an indelible impact on modern society. This book will look at the 11 greatest explorers in history. Some traveled for religious piety, such as Ibn Battuta, who travelled from North Africa to Indonesia in the 1300s, visiting every Islamic pilgrimage site between -- and becoming counselor to over 30 heads of state. Others traveled for profit, such as Ferdinand Magellan, who wanted to consolidate Spain's holdings on the spice trade. Others traveled for the sheer thrill of adventure, such as Victorian explorer Richard Francis Burton, who learned 29 languages, went undercover as a Muslim on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and wrote 50 books on topics ranging from a translation of the Kama Sutra to a manual on bayonet exercises. Still others travelled for discovery, such as Ernest Shackleton, who led two dozen men to the bottom of the world in an attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. Whatever their reason for discovery, these explorers still inspire us today to push the limits of human achievement -- and discover something about ourselves in the process.
219 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 9, 2014
45 people are currently reading
363 people want to read
About the author
Michael Rank
36 books37 followersMichael Rank is a doctoral candidate in Middle East history. He has studied Turkish, Arabic, Persian, and Armenian, but can still pull out a rural Midwestern accent if need be. He also worked as a journalist in Istanbul for nearly a decade and reported on religion and human rights.
He is the author of the #1 Amazon best seller “From Muhammed to Burj Khalifa: A Crash Course in 2,000 Years of Middle East History,” and “History's Worst Dictators: A Short Guide to the Most Brutal Leaders, From Emperor Nero to Ivan the Terrible.”
He is the author of the #1 Amazon best seller “From Muhammed to Burj Khalifa: A Crash Course in 2,000 Years of Middle East History,” and “History's Worst Dictators: A Short Guide to the Most Brutal Leaders, From Emperor Nero to Ivan the Terrible.”
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 17, 2018
I love stories that reveal how against-all-odds people push on and accomplish outstanding things. This book talks about a few of those people. I wished that most of these explorers also had shown a strong character as well, but only a few of them did. Their stories are still entrancing.
Two of my favorite explorers were the most moral also. Shackleton and Neil Armstrong. I loved how Shackleton's character was shown in several quotes, only one of which I marked. When he and Scott were near starvation, struggling against below-zero temperatures he would say, "Well, I can't really complain...it's a fine outdoor life." What was so significant about Shackleton was that he never was able to accomplish many of his goals. Some of those were because he valued people above his goals. In his voyage to reach to the South Pole he had to stop 97 miles short or his men would die. And his decision proved right as not one single man on that trip was lost.
Armstrong's story was unbelievable as well. Not only what he accomplished in space, but the road to get there was filled with huge accomplishments that only pale under the big one of being the first man to step on the moon, but they were no less impressive.
Two of my favorite explorers were the most moral also. Shackleton and Neil Armstrong. I loved how Shackleton's character was shown in several quotes, only one of which I marked. When he and Scott were near starvation, struggling against below-zero temperatures he would say, "Well, I can't really complain...it's a fine outdoor life." What was so significant about Shackleton was that he never was able to accomplish many of his goals. Some of those were because he valued people above his goals. In his voyage to reach to the South Pole he had to stop 97 miles short or his men would die. And his decision proved right as not one single man on that trip was lost.
Armstrong's story was unbelievable as well. Not only what he accomplished in space, but the road to get there was filled with huge accomplishments that only pale under the big one of being the first man to step on the moon, but they were no less impressive.
December 20, 2014
Brilliant account of some intrepid travellers who in their own ways fostered globalisation...
June 11, 2019
Each one of the explorers in this book either have or could have books dedicated to their exploits. Having one book provide a small biography of 11 different explorers means that the coverage is not in depth. Since I don't know much about a few of them in this book, it did provide a good introduction. For example, Marco Polo's travels are not as impressive in that his Dad and uncle had both financed him, and preceded him to his destination. Still, this could be 11 books. 4.1/5.
December 27, 2021
Excellent
For those of us that enjoy history, this is an excellent book. Most of the explorers are known but this book gives us much more detail. The European contempt for indigenous people is sad but those were different times.
For those of us that enjoy history, this is an excellent book. Most of the explorers are known but this book gives us much more detail. The European contempt for indigenous people is sad but those were different times.
November 15, 2022
Uneven biographies of explorers of the unknown, from Marco Polo to Neil Armstrong. The most interesting chapters for me were the more unknown travelers like Rabban Bat Sauma and Ibn Battuta. The chapters on Magellan, Cortes and Cook were much less interesting.
October 17, 2023
my ap world book club book !! very interesting and it was cool to actually learn about what legends like captain cook actually explored. i appreciated how the author made sure to note the darker side of some of these expeditions as well. sooo many typos though it was quite annoying.
May 1, 2018
True tales of heroic badassery
December 2, 2022
A brief overview of several explorers in history. Some you've certainly heard of, some you might not have.
November 19, 2014
This book provides short biographies and stories related to eleven explorers, from a Chinese Monk named Rabbam Bar Sauma to Neil Armstrong and the landing on the moon. In between, Rank gives us profiles of some of the famous names in history (at least in Western Civ) from Marco Polo and Magellen, to lesser known names (again, at least in my education in Western Civ) Zheng He (a Chinese Admiral) and Bar Sauma. The book, though sometimes a little disjointed, is not a difficult read, and will appeal to someone just interested in the surface about these explorers.
Part of Rank's "thesis", so to speak in writing this, I think, is to show the courage of the explorers. In his introduction and occasionally throughout, he points out that sometimes our perception of certain individuals (such as the conquistador Cortes or English Captain Cook), have been shaped, and perhaps even warped by our modern sensibilities, so to speak. There is no denying that sometimes, what many of these explorers did, particularly ones during the famed "age of exploration," was atrocious. But what there is also no denying is that these explorers showed amazing courage in the face of certain obstacles. Magellan sailed around the world; Cook traversed around the Pacific so many times its daunting just to realize how many miles he sailed.
The most interesting part of the book for me was reading about the explorers I had never heard of, or have forgotten hearing about. Particularly the Chinese Admiral Zheng He and Ibn Battuta, a North African scholar. Battuta, traveling right after Marco Polo's death, essentially, traveled three times as many miles as Polo, almost exclusively over land. In the middle of the 14th Century. It is astonishing. Zheng He even more so. He commanded ships in the 15th Century that were larger than football fields; so large that each ship (and he was in charge of over 60 in his fleet) that the combined fleets of Columbus and da Gama would have fit on a single deck of one of Zheng He's vessels. He took this fleet, which also included over a hundred small boats, all throughout the Indiana Ocean and even to parts of Africa on some voyages.
Everything considered, while the book isn't earth shattering or provides any great detail, it does a good job of presenting cursory information about these explorers in a readable fashion, and does get across the author's points that, regardless of the other events in these explorer's lives, their acts of exploration should be considered acts of courage.
Part of Rank's "thesis", so to speak in writing this, I think, is to show the courage of the explorers. In his introduction and occasionally throughout, he points out that sometimes our perception of certain individuals (such as the conquistador Cortes or English Captain Cook), have been shaped, and perhaps even warped by our modern sensibilities, so to speak. There is no denying that sometimes, what many of these explorers did, particularly ones during the famed "age of exploration," was atrocious. But what there is also no denying is that these explorers showed amazing courage in the face of certain obstacles. Magellan sailed around the world; Cook traversed around the Pacific so many times its daunting just to realize how many miles he sailed.
The most interesting part of the book for me was reading about the explorers I had never heard of, or have forgotten hearing about. Particularly the Chinese Admiral Zheng He and Ibn Battuta, a North African scholar. Battuta, traveling right after Marco Polo's death, essentially, traveled three times as many miles as Polo, almost exclusively over land. In the middle of the 14th Century. It is astonishing. Zheng He even more so. He commanded ships in the 15th Century that were larger than football fields; so large that each ship (and he was in charge of over 60 in his fleet) that the combined fleets of Columbus and da Gama would have fit on a single deck of one of Zheng He's vessels. He took this fleet, which also included over a hundred small boats, all throughout the Indiana Ocean and even to parts of Africa on some voyages.
Everything considered, while the book isn't earth shattering or provides any great detail, it does a good job of presenting cursory information about these explorers in a readable fashion, and does get across the author's points that, regardless of the other events in these explorer's lives, their acts of exploration should be considered acts of courage.
May 3, 2014
Review written by Misty Overstreet-Roberts, Blogger at http://theladypreferstosave.com
Good morning, savvy savers! This morning finds us with another book review! This time I am reviewing, Off the Edge of the Map: Marco Polo, Captain Cook, and 9 Other Travelers and Explorers That Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World, by Michael Rank.
The author, Micheal Rank, the #1 bestselling author of History���s Greatest Generals, comes an exciting new paperback book, based on the greatest explorers in history, how their discoveries shaped the modern world, and impacted our day-to-day lives.
This book investigates eleven explorers, and details the type of expedition they endeavored, what purpose their travels sought, and the overall impact their sojourn had on the modern world. greatest explorers in history.
The book itself, showed small, manageable historical accounts of some of the greatest explorers, and cartographic innovators in histories past, including Rabban Bar Sauma, the 13th-century Chinese monk commissioned by the Mongols to travel to Europe and form a military alliance against the Islamic Caliphate, or famed navigator Marco Polo, who opened a window to the East for the West; or Captain James Cook, whose maritime voyages of discovery created the global economy of the 21st century, each of these explorers had an indelible impact on the modern world.
The book is both a reaching historic account for adults, and can be utilized as an educational enrichment tool or as a text for homeschooled classroom. The books versatility lies in its ability to be consumed as a narrative, or broken down into eleven, usable educational pieces. There is something in this book every lover of history.
Moreover, the author, who also blogs about history, religion, society, and culture on his website, http://michaelrank.net, offers online accomplishments and discussions for this and his other works as well; the author encourages educators to use the site for bibliographic and in-class dialogue enrichment as well.
To learn more about this book, and its author, click here!
Here���s to history!
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Good morning, savvy savers! This morning finds us with another book review! This time I am reviewing, Off the Edge of the Map: Marco Polo, Captain Cook, and 9 Other Travelers and Explorers That Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World, by Michael Rank.
The author, Micheal Rank, the #1 bestselling author of History���s Greatest Generals, comes an exciting new paperback book, based on the greatest explorers in history, how their discoveries shaped the modern world, and impacted our day-to-day lives.
This book investigates eleven explorers, and details the type of expedition they endeavored, what purpose their travels sought, and the overall impact their sojourn had on the modern world. greatest explorers in history.
The book itself, showed small, manageable historical accounts of some of the greatest explorers, and cartographic innovators in histories past, including Rabban Bar Sauma, the 13th-century Chinese monk commissioned by the Mongols to travel to Europe and form a military alliance against the Islamic Caliphate, or famed navigator Marco Polo, who opened a window to the East for the West; or Captain James Cook, whose maritime voyages of discovery created the global economy of the 21st century, each of these explorers had an indelible impact on the modern world.
The book is both a reaching historic account for adults, and can be utilized as an educational enrichment tool or as a text for homeschooled classroom. The books versatility lies in its ability to be consumed as a narrative, or broken down into eleven, usable educational pieces. There is something in this book every lover of history.
Moreover, the author, who also blogs about history, religion, society, and culture on his website, http://michaelrank.net, offers online accomplishments and discussions for this and his other works as well; the author encourages educators to use the site for bibliographic and in-class dialogue enrichment as well.
To learn more about this book, and its author, click here!
Here���s to history!
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
August 11, 2014
Off the Edge of the Map is a general account of explorers from Chinese monk Rabbam Bar Sauma (1220-1294) to Neil Armstrong.
Bar Sauma’s history was especially interesting since I’d never heard of him. Everything was new and his story was told in a very intriguing way. Rabbam Bar Sauma (1220-1294) and his student Rabban Markos set off on a journey to reach Jerusalem. His memoires were translated in 1928 by Sir E.A Wallis Budge.
Although the book forms a good collection of famous explorers like Ferdinand Magellan, Hernan Cortes, Zhen He, James Cook, among others, and is very easy to read, clearly its audience is someone like me. I wasn’t looking to become an expert in the field, but rather to read something different and equally delightful. It read like a good novel.
It held my interest all the way due to the unusual and reckless nature of these men, along with interesting selection of explorers and the fine writing style.
Bar Sauma’s history was especially interesting since I’d never heard of him. Everything was new and his story was told in a very intriguing way. Rabbam Bar Sauma (1220-1294) and his student Rabban Markos set off on a journey to reach Jerusalem. His memoires were translated in 1928 by Sir E.A Wallis Budge.
Although the book forms a good collection of famous explorers like Ferdinand Magellan, Hernan Cortes, Zhen He, James Cook, among others, and is very easy to read, clearly its audience is someone like me. I wasn’t looking to become an expert in the field, but rather to read something different and equally delightful. It read like a good novel.
It held my interest all the way due to the unusual and reckless nature of these men, along with interesting selection of explorers and the fine writing style.
March 21, 2015
A summary of the lives and discoveries of some of the world's greatest explores and adventures, written in such a way that it never got boring (which historical facts can be). I really enjoyed reading this, and getting to know explorers I have never heard of before. Knowledgable, well researched, a very good narration style, and if it hadn't been for so many spelling and grammatical errors, this would have received 5 stars.
I will definitely look into some of the other history books this author has written!
I will definitely look into some of the other history books this author has written!
December 18, 2014
This was a neat idea. It gives some interesting info, enough for me to finish reading the book. But sometimes the writing wasn't very good. There were odd words and phrases where I would have to reread to determine what he was really trying to say. It sometimes seemed disordered. Other times it gave us unnecessary info but left out info that would have been helpful. Would have benefited from a good editor or at the least a proof reader.
May 25, 2014
A brief, adequate read. Author Michael Rank gives basic biographies of eleven men from the required Marco Polo to spaceman Neil Armstrong. (I can't help but notice no woman is included and deep sea exploration is covered with just a few sentences.) A good starting place to make readers want to learn more.
July 16, 2014
If you're looking for something besides dates and a quick, overall play-by-play of little known historical narrative, look no further. If you want to see history through the eyes of those who lived it, as is often promised by this book, carry on. You will be told that the story is fascinating, and then you will be denied that story.
August 16, 2014
This book gives a glimpse of the life of 11 travelers and explorers. For me, the accounts of the travels from China of Rabban Bar Sauma in the thirteenth century and the extensive travels of pilgrim Ibn Battuta were new for me. Surprised to see Hernán Cortés included in such a book. In terms of wanting to lern more, Ernest Shackleton aroused the greatest interest.
January 4, 2016
Thoroughly enjoyed this collection of biographies about some of the worlds prolific explorers, Marco Polo, Rabban Bar Sauma, captain Cook and more. I was in particular blown away by the English 18th century Army officer, explorer, spy, Arabist, linguist, geographer, fencer, and cartographer, Sir Richard Francis Burton, who went on to translate the Karma Sutra and Arabian knights into English.
July 10, 2014
Good summer trip read. Interesting, surface level histories of 11 explorers. mostly European. There's not much backstory to any of them. This isn't a reference book but could be a good conversation starter.
October 5, 2014
Some fascinating history here, but some really dry writing in places. I'm glad I finished, because I learned some things I did not know before, but at times I felt like I was on my own never ending journey and it was a challenge to finish.
June 12, 2014
Interesting biographies of 11 explorers. Easy to read and quite informative.
June 12, 2014
An interesting view of some of some of the most far traveled explorers.
July 27, 2014
Wide-ranging but very lightweight. The earlier sections were far more interesting than those on more recent, better-known Europeans.
September 22, 2014
good selection of characters stories, but would have been better as a quicker version with less unnecessary detail
January 3, 2015
Liked it
August 2, 2017
Adventure!
I read this book before, or a similar one. Good stuff if you get excited reading about adventure and exploration.
I read this book before, or a similar one. Good stuff if you get excited reading about adventure and exploration.
January 17, 2017
Breve repaso por las vidas y especialmente las hazañas de notables exploradores de regiones desconocidas en su momento. Sencillo pero si logra transmitir el tamaño de sus esfuerzos.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews