Featured Editorial

Featured Book Review: Off the Edge of the Map by Michael Rank


 Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.


Off the Edge of the Map: Marco Polo, Captain Cook, and 9 Other Travelers and Explorers That Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World - Michael Rank,  Five Minute Books

How exciting was the barrage of names and dates, facts and figures, who's and what's of History class for you?  I m unashamed to confess that the stress on my teen-aged brain was more than my eyelashes were able to endure.  I was very frequently required to appease those troubled eyelashes with a peacekeeping snooze to survive the torments of High School History lessons.  Interestingly, I have now become a fan of history following the recent reading of Off The Edge: Marco Polo, Captain Cook and 9 Other Travelers and Explorers That Pushed the Boundaries of the Unknown World written by author Michael Rank.


To share another unashamed confession, I must admit that I have an inexplicable love for watching reality TV- going behind-the-scenes, getting the backstory, venturing "in the mind of" or seeing the raw footage is all of great interest to me.  From simply reading the eight pages of the introduction, Rank captured my undivided attention.  I was mesmerized for a variety of reasons, namely because the vivid depiction of the historical figures, actions, conditions and events added a new dimension to the mundane lectures of history class- history was given life- and there was no examination at the end of the chapter.

History buffs and novices alike will all enjoy the teachings of Off the Edge of the Map as a highly recommended read from Middle School ages and beyond.  From the formerly unknown to me, Rabban Bar Sauma to the iconic Neil Armstrong, I shivered, I flinched, I gasped, I exclaimed during my travels with each inspiring explorer on the unpredictable adventure of their expeditions.  In reading Off the Edge of the Map, I was transported through time, I was going behind-the-scenes, getting the backstory, venturing "in the mind of" and seeing the raw footage of each exciting episode seemingly from an insider's perspective.  Ever wonder what it takes to become a great explorer?  Here are Gijs van Wulfen's  four qualities of  a great explorer as Rank shares, there is a sense of urgency, passion, courage and lastly, living for action.

Author's Description: 

From the #1 bestselling author of History's Greatest Generals comes an exciting new paperback book on the greatest explorers in history and how their discoveries shaped the modern world

This book will look at the 11 greatest explorers in history. Some travelled for religious piety, such as Ibn Battuta, who travelled from North Africa to China in the 1300s, visiting every Islamic pilgrimage site between. Others travelled for profit, such as Ferdinand Magellan, who wanted to consolidate Spain's holdings on the spice trade. Still others travelled for discovery, such as Ernest Shackleton, who led two dozen men to the bottom of the world in an attempt to cross Antarctica on foot.  These explorers still inspire us today to push the limits of human achievement -- and discover something about ourselves in the process. 

I have received a copy of Off the Edge of the Map: Marco Polo, Captain Cook, and 9 Other Travelers and Explorers That Pushed the Boundaries of the Known World for the purpose of completing this review.  As the owner of this blog, niecyisms' Creative Learning, I am compensated to provide my opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. This blog may contain affiliate links.  Even though, as the writer/owner of this blog receiving compensation for posts or advertisements, I will always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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