A comprehensive who's who of exploration in the last 300 years with a double or four page spread on each explorer, some household names, others less famous but equally fascinating. One might feel that the coverage is a little superficial for some of the true greats and the selection of diary and journal entries doesn't (and perhaps couldn't) give a rounded picture of these great individuals' achievements. The selection of entries do, however, give an insight into the mindset of an explorer - what motivated them and what difficulties they had to endure. The real strengths of this book are that you can read the explorers in their own words, find out about more obscure names and, above all, see some wonderful illustrations and photographs which really represent what the explorers themselves saw. The book therefore lives up to its title.