The Explorers: Stories of Discovery and Adventure from the Australian Frontier

It always amazes me that so many of these old exploration books are out of print. I'd like to see so many of them brought out again, in edited form, and published again. This was real-life adventure back before every square centimeter of the earth was cataloged and put in a global database, cross-indexed and matrixed.All the selections were good, except maybe a couple of the last ones in the second half of the 20th century. The age of exploration was pretty much over by the turn of the 20th. The last selection in the book was real Sunday newspaper magazine tripe. Can't help but wonder what another book would be like, one that made the selections for reasons solely of drama and novelty instead of for this bleeding-heart Leftist agenda Flannery seems to have.The intros to each selection provide good info but they also contain obnoxious material that's patronizing to both the reader and the aborigines he makes such a big fuss about caring for. Maybe this book was originally intended as a text book for 12 years olds? Even worse, a few of the intros contain spoilers about the entries they introduce! It's like he ran out of preachy things to say about the aborigines so he tells us how to feel about the suspense and drama to come. In other words, he has a compulsion to tell the reader how to feel about things. Gross!My advice to someone buying this book is to read the entries themselves and skip the intros until you've finished the book, if at all.This book made me seek out a couple other titles by Flannery, old explorer books edited by him. One by Watkin Tench and another by Matthew Flinders. Any port in a storm. I hate reading PDFs on my laptop (and I've read quite a few) and I don't want to invest in an eReader.As for my feelings about aborigines: I hate civilization and I admire primitive peoples almost to exaltation.

When I studied history for matriculation in New South Wales back in 1958-1959, there was no subject available to me called "Australian History". The two history subjects available were Ancient History and Modern History. Modern History was, in fact, the history of modern Europe. These days, it seems inconceivable that the school system at matriculation level back then could completely ignore the history of Australia, and the history of its nearest neighbours. Although the European settlement of Australia is relatively recent, the Aboriginal history of Australia covers millennia. The former received scant attention in earlier school years, the latter, none at all. (One presumes that Australian history is now accorded the place it deserves in the school curriculum, and receives a fuller and more balanced treatment). Because of this background, I found Tim Flannery's book of enormous interest. The meagre Australian history once taught consisted of drawing maps of the routes taken by explorers, and little else, or so it seems to fading memory. Tim Flannery relates his own experience: "The men were just names, their journeys snail-trails across paper. No attempt was made to bring exploring to life, perhaps because the inconvenient details about Aborigines and barren wastes would have simply got in the way of the main message: that the Europeans had triumphed". We are indebted to Tim Flannery for redressing the balance in this book, in the course of which we can read some superb writing that would otherwise be hard to come by. Some Australian history may be dull, but the history of exploration, as told by the explorers themselves, is instructive, exciting, and still relevant.

The book was in the exact shape that the seller said it would be and it was shipped quickly but it took about 2 weeks to get it. I followed the tracking and it sat in different post offices for way too long. If you are not in a hurry to get your item, its a good deal.

This is an anthology of excerpts from Australian Explorers journals ranging from early sixteenth century European Explorers to Australians in the early 20th century. Flannery's introduction for each provides an excellent, concise biography and set up to each explorer's excerpt. In many of the excerpts, an explorer faces death and disaster. The most intriguing initially was Charles Sturt writing of his attempt to find the mythical lake in the center of Australia. He brings a boat, experiences weather so hot it bursts a thermometer his party carries, they suffer from extreme scurvy, and Sturt's desire to be the first to reach the center of Australia. The second explorer I read in this collection was Ernest Giles. His except focuses on an expedition with his assistant Gibson, who goes for help and manages to get lost, and then Giles slowly makes his way back to base camp. Reading The Explorers fascinated me enough that I wanted to read more about specific explorers like Giles, but also about Australian explorers in general.

The book was short, almost too short for my mind, but that made it very accessible as well. This is basically a readers digest condensed version of Tench's 19th century classic, but a worthy starting point for the casual or young reader.

If you enjoy reading about Australia's explorers and navigators, you will enjoy this book. Highly entertaining, educational and unbelievable. I also enjoyed the Fatal Shore, so if you enjoyed that book, it is likely you will enjoy this 'diary'.

This book provides some wonderfully illuminating insights into the minds of the early explorers of this vast continent. It is good to read of some of the lesser known explorers who are almost forgotten in the panoply of exploration.Highly recommended. As is Tim's journey along the Darling-Murray system with John Doyle: "Two men in a Tinnie"

Absolutely brilliant, my kind of book. Just what I was hoping for. Personal narrative accounts of the past. Factual historical peek at another era. I enjoy the immersive aspects of personal diary accounts of adventures and tales. From the view of the explorer. I wasn't disappointed.This had a great many stories from different characters of the period, all chronologically written in order. Faithfully keeping to the source text without deviation.Well pleased.

I assume that the accounts of Australian explorers are transcribed in modern grammar and spelling to make them easier for the average reader. Unfortunately as a result they are boringly similar in tone. They are not accompanied by enough commentary and sketch maps for those unfamiliar with the interior geography of Australia such as me, a Brit.

I really enjoyed this book which includes a wide variety of explorers and their journeys, mostly taken from their own writings. They survived horrendous experiences, searching desperately for the next water hole, and some died in their attempts to travel this unforgiving continent. They also encountered Aborigines, some treating them with respect, others shamefully.I recommend the book to anyone interested in the exploration of Australia, or in adventuring anywhere.

Great piece of work. Takes a while to get into it but hang on in there it gets better.

Bought as a present but quality looks good.