Discoverers and Explorers

Shaw, Edward R. (Edward Richard), 1855-1903Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 114K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Discoverers and Explorers by Edward R. ShawAuthor: Shaw, Edward R. (Edward Richard), 1855-1903,Language: English, Class: G: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation, Release Date: Jul 22, 2007

Editor's review

Discoverers and Explorers is a geography-and-discovery reader by Edward R. Shaw, classified under geography and exploration in Project Gutenberg. Taking historical explorers and voyages of discovery as its thread, the book tells how humanity step by step expanded the boundaries of its knowledge of the world. It is knowledge-based narrative rather than fiction, clearly written and broken into short chapters, making it a good starting point for English nonfiction reading. Its value lies in presenting the history of geographical discovery as a followable thread: readers can see the links among motives for exploration, routes, and outcomes, and thus form a basic picture of how the world's geographical configuration took shape. As a free public-domain ebook, it is easy to consult and excerpt at any time, and suitable for teachers selecting passages as classroom supplements. When reading, keep a map at hand and place the place names and directions from the text onto it—understanding will be more solid.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Middle school students and general readers interested in the history of geographical discovery and exploration stories
Learners who want short-chapter English nonfiction for reading practice
Primary and secondary teachers and popular-science enthusiasts needing supplementary geography-history reading
Readers who prefer knowledge-based books and like to consult maps while reading

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the latest geographical research findings and contemporary data
Readers of fiction who prefer literary narrative and character portrayal
Learners just starting English reading who need extensive annotation support

Reading tips

Keep a world map open while reading and mark each place name mentioned, building a spatial impression.
Take brief notes by chapter, recording three elements: explorer, destination, and main result.
Skip unfamiliar historical background at first; check it after finishing the chapter to avoid breaking the rhythm.
Start with chapters related to textbook geography to reinforce knowledge and reading against each other.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a storybook or a knowledge-based book?

It is a knowledge-based book: it takes historical discoverers and exploration activities as its subject and focuses on explaining people, routes, and results rather than fictional plots. It works better as an introduction to geographical history, and reading it alongside a map gives better results.

Does the geographical information in the book still have reference value today?

As a historical work, it reflects the perspective and level of understanding of the era in which it was written. It is suitable for understanding the basic outline of discovery history, but should not be used as a source of contemporary geographical data. For specific data and modern geographical conclusions, consult updated sources separately.

My English is only average—can I get through it?

The chapters are short and the narration plain, so readers with basic English reading ability can give it a try. Start with chapters that interest you; guess new words from context first and check them after finishing a passage, so you don't interrupt your understanding too often.

Comments

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About the author

Shaw, Edward R. (Edward Richard), 1855-1903 Author

Edward R. Shaw (1855–1903) is an English-language author about whom little biographical information is publicly available, and the details of his life are difficult to verify; three of his works are held in this collection. Judging from the works at hand, his writing was aimed mainly at young readers and covered geography and human culture, the history of exploration, and local legends. Big People and Little People of Other Lands introduces the lives of different peoples around the world in simple, accessible prose; Discoverers and Explorers recounts the stories of explorers and geographical discoveries; and Legends of Fire Island Beach and the South Side collects local legends. Overall, his books combine instruction with storytelling in plain language suited to beginners and young readers, and have some value in popularizing geographical knowledge and historical lore.