In the history of geographical discovery and exploration; a well-known cast of European characters and events takes center stage. While the importance of achievements by Columbus; Cortes; Magellan; Cook; Lewis and Clark; and Neil Armstrong remains unassailable; the participation of Russia in the European era of exploration; conquest; expansion; and colonization deserves equal attention. This study provides a narrative survey and critical analysis of a rich but overlooked tradition of geographical exploration by Russians and others in Russian service since 1580. Following Russian pioneers across Siberia; Alaska; Brazil; Hawaii and the Pacific; Central Asia; Australasia; the Arctic and Antarctic; and into space; this work establishes Russia in the history of world exploration and connects the Russian experience of exploration to Russian national identity past and present.
#1232311 in Books 2012-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.90 x .70 x 5.90l; .75 #File Name: 0786447583239 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy L. TaylorGreat book - lots of great information.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy MissOptimisticOrdered this for my daughter and this book great her some great insight on joining the Air Force.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Excellent for those considering a military careerBy T. MyersI was interested in reading this book because my son recently told me he was thinking about someday joining the Air Force. I found the book to be very informative and interesting. The book is organized into four sections which take the reader from considering whether to join the military all the way to what to expect during basic training.The first section: Thinking About Joining the Military- includes individual considerations; parental concerns; spousal considerations; military benefits; and a brief overview of the branches of the military. My favorite part of this section was the part concerning an individual's reasons for wanting to join the military. The author organized this by listing potential reasons one might be interested in joining- and whether (and why) they were good or bad reasons to join.The second section: General Information About the Air Force- includes both a chapter on the history of the Air Force; and the career opportunities that are available through them. I found the part about Air Force careers interesting- as I had never considered that there are musical or artistic careers available in any of the Armed Forces.The third section- The Enlistment Process- covered what to expect - from eligibility requirements to preparation for basic training. This section was very thorough and matched pretty closely what I know about the enlistment process. The author; Snow Wildsmith; even adds information about what to do if the recruitment officer makes you uncomfortable.The last section--Basic Training- is a comprehensive description of what to expect; from Zero Week through graduation. The only confusion I had during this section was that the author wrote about the BEAST (Basic Expeditionary Airman Skills Training); using the acronym; a few times before she explained what it meant. I went back twice looking for the section I had missed that explained it; before I realized it wasn't explained until later.In summary I found this book to be an excellent resource for someone who is interested in joining the military. It is obvious that a lot of research was done by the author; and that she has a lot of experience with military life to draw on.
