Here is a new and exciting look at the hazardous and perilous world of exploration. Stunning, real-life photographs of famous explorers' equipment and personal possessions, as well as the objects they found offer a unique "eyewitness" view of the exploration of the world. See arrows shot into Livingstone's boat, gold found by Spanish explorers of Central and South America, the flag that flew over the North Pole, what a sailor's life was like and plant and insect specimens brought back by naturalist explorers. Learn how the first sailors navigated, why Columbus set out on his epic voyage, what kind of food starving explorers ate, how Arab traders transported their slaves and what the Egyptians found in the legendary "Land of the Gods". Discover who first sailed around the world, what happened to Matthew Flinders' cat, what the earliest underwater explorers wore and who first crossed the Australian continent., and much, much more!
Rupert has written over 170 books, appearing on television and radio as a presenter and consultant. These have mostly been on history or military subjects, though in recent years he has been writing about ghosts, cryptozoology, UFOs and other paranormal subjects.
Rupert twitters under the name of "rupertmatthews" and has a page on FaceBook as "Rupert Matthews".
Rupert blogs about history at http://thehistorymanatlarge.blogspot.com/
and about ghosts, UFOs, unknown animals and other aspects of the unexplained at http://ghosthunteratlarge.blogspot.com/
Rupert was born in Dorking, England, in 1961 and was educated at his local Church of England junior school, then at his local grammar school. He later took up a career in publishing as an editor and writer. He went freelance in 1988 and since then has worked mostly as a writer, columnist and tv presenter. Rupert has established himself as a leading speaker to lunches and dinners, speaking on subjects as varied as RAF Bomber Command at War; Your Local Ghosts; How Medieval women led society; How the publishing industry works; The Arrowstorm; The Yeti is real!; The real King Arthur; and the biography of Father Christmas.
He now lives in Surrey, England, with his wife and daughter.
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