DK Illustrated Book of Great Adventures: Tales of Real-Life Adventurers Throughout History [Hardcover]

DK Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Tales of real-life adventures throughout history! The DK Illustrated Book of Great Adventures dramatically recounts the true-life exploits of 30 daring men and women -- from Marco Polo to Amelia Earhart. Color photographs and specially commissioned maps show where the adventures took place -- from Mount Everest to Antarctica -- while a clear and compelling text tells the tales of individuals who triumphed over adversity to conquer the far reaches of our planet...and beyond. The DK Illustrated Book of Great Adventures will excite and inspire young readers to great adventures of their own.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Platt completed a degree in graphic design. In 1980 he began a career as a freelance writer, creating books on many diverse subjects, including photography, ornithology, and smuggling. Platt worked with Stephen Biesty on the best-selling Incredible Cross-Sections, Cross-Sections Man-of-War, Cross-Sections Castle, and Incredible Explosions, and with Brian Delf on In The Beginning.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789444615
• ISBN-13: 978-0789444615
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,880,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Platt has been writing for children since 1992. One of his books, Castle Diary, was shortlisted for the Kate Maschler Award, The Times Education Supplement award, and a History Today prize. His Pirate Diary won the Kate Greenaway Medal 2002, the Silver Smarties Award 2002, and won the 'Best Book With Facts' prize in the Blue Peter Book Awards 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Adventures, March 23, 2002

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DK Illustrated Book of Great Adventures: Tales of Real-Life Adventurers Throughout History (Hardcover)

Richard Platt has written books on a number of subjects as varied as photography, ornithology and smuggling. In this exciting collection of adventure stories, he dramatically recounts the true-life exploits of outstandingly brave individuals who pushed themselves to the limits of endurance.

There are three sections:

Discovery, Conquest and Loot
Dangerous Times in Wild Lands
To the Ends of the Earth and Beyond

Many of the stories are about the restless urge to wander, while others focus on desires to be famous or rich. For some adventurers, the hunger for excitement for life itself is what spurs them on to new territories and challenges.

"In 1963, scientists dug up 1,000-year-old Viking objects in Newfoundland, Canada.This suggests that Vikings-perhaps even "Lucky" Leif Eriksson-really did visit America five centuries before Christopher Columbus." -pg. 7

Adventurers include: Hannibal, Leif Eriksson, Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Hernan Cortes, Benvenuto Cellini, Miguel de Cerbantes, Moll Cutpurse, Claude Duval, Alexander Selkirk, Blackbeard, James Cook, Alexander von Humboldt, Lewis and Clark, Davy Crockett, Rene Caillie, Lakshmi Bai, Burke and Wills, Ned Kelly, Mary Kingsley, Amundsen and Scott, Manfred von Richthofen, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Thor Heyerdahl, Hillary and Tenzing, Yuri Gagarin and Armstrong and Aldrin.

Some of the most interesting stories:

Voyage around the Cape - where it is said Vasco da Gama threw the charts and navigational instruments into the sea and declared he did not need a navigator because God alone was the master and pilot. Days later, they rounded the Cape and turned northward, up Africa's east coast. Having stood at the top of Table Mountain and almost drowned in the ocean in Cape Town, I can say his adventure must have been truly harrowing. The ocean there is wild! After that vacation, we decided to head to safer waters.

The Real Robinson Crusoe - "I am cast upon a horrible desolate island, void of all hope of recovery." -Robinson Crusoe He scanned the horizon for ships until he finally saw the mastheads of two British sailing ships. To his horror, the ship disappeared into the darkness, but he was finally rescued days later.

An African Adventure - Where Mary feels sorry for a leopard and tries to release it. Once the leopard was freed it moved close to her and for a moment she was terrified. After commanding the leopard to go home, it obediently turned and slunk away. A hunter hiding in a tree thought she must be a goddess to command obedience from such a dangerous animal.

The illustrations bring the adventures to life. Each story is filled with gripping accounts of danger, dramatic full-color illustrations and color photographs of people, places and objects that put the stories in historical context.

~The Rebecca Review

2.0 out of 5 stars Maybe for boys?, January 5, 2011

By 

Practical shopper - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: DK Illustrated Book of Great Adventures: Tales of Real-Life Adventurers Throughout History (Hardcover)

I wouldn't call this book especially well-written. Writing could be more exciting and colorful. Also, it's mostly white man heroes with tokens thrown in. Such is history.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Young Adventurers, April 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: DK Illustrated Book of Great Adventures: Tales of Real-Life Adventurers Throughout History (Hardcover)

The Illustrated Book of Great Adventures by George Sharp features a full-color jacket with drawings, paintings and photographs of great adventures. Inside it presents the activities and accomplishments of great adventurers throughout history, including the Viking explorer, Leif Erikson, and astronaut Neil Armstrong. It is very interesting with lots of full-color realistic drawings and paintings on every page to satisfy the most hungry young adventurer. A great picture book!