Notice by Ewald Christians

Posted on Salon.com

Encyclopedia of Exploration to 1800
By Raymond John Howgego
Nonfiction
Hordern House Press
1,168 pages

In the works for roughly 15 years, British researcher Howgego has assembled an extensive catalog of expeditions spanning from 1800 B.C. to 1800. The encyclopedia offers biographical sketches of a wide variety of explorers, organized alphabetically, but wherever possible shifts the focus to their respective journeys. Therefore, the entry on Abraham, the first Hebrew patriarch, systematically lists only the events of his voyage ("built altar to God," "destruction of Sodom") from Ur through Canaan to Egypt, but Howgego does not dwell on their historical and cultural significance, instead, referring readers to bibliographical sources, in this case the Holy Bible. The travels of famed explorers like Columbus, Cortes and Cook receive lengthy treatments, but the detailed accounts of the more obscure travelers are what make this book most rewarding. One Bjarni Herjolfson, for example, is responsible for the first sighting of North America. In the year 986 A.D. he lost his way sailing from Iceland to Greenland, and days later came upon the wooded coast of modern-day Canada. He left without landing, but 14 years later returned to his native Norway and reported his findings to the Vikings who, after buying Herjolfson's ship, undertook the first planned voyage to the new continent. Before trying to impress anyone with your newfound knowledge, however, be aware that the author has included one fictional article among the many hundred entries, which so far has eluded publisher and editors alike.

Ewald Christians