Gurney chronicles the misadventures of those who attempted to perfect the compass, an instrument so precious to sixteenth-century seamen that, by law, any man f
"The compass's rocky evolution is charted with an enthusiast's passion…A fascinating adventure." —Bernadette Murphy, Los Angeles Times This is the rich hist
From the opening and closing of oceans over millions of years to the overnight reshaping of landscapes by volcanoes, the Earth beneath our feet is constantly ch
The challenge of opening Africa and Australia to British imperial influence fell to a coterie of proto-professional explorers who sought knowledge, adventure, a