The Challenger Expedition: Exploring the Ocean’s Depths by Dr Erika Jones

This article is an edited introduction from The Challenger Expedition: Exploring the Ocean’s Depths by Dr Erika Jones, Curator of Navigation at Royal Museums Greenwich.

The book was published to mark the 150th anniversary of the expedition’s launch.

On the 21 December 1872, HMS Challenger set sail from Portsmouth, England, to begin a global voyage of deep-sea exploration. A landmark endeavour, the findings and the legacy shaped the development of ocean science as we know it and are still influential in our understanding of the planet today.

With technological and scientific developments of the time, supported by extensive international cooperation and a team of research and naval officers, the expedition was part of the concerted nineteenth-century drive to map the ocean floors and search for life in the abyss.

When the ship returned to Britain in 1876, the scientific team on board had amassed the then largest collection of examples of life from the deep sea. Over the next two decades, a global network of researchers prepared the results for publication culminating in a series of works that is considered the intellectual foundation of modern oceanography.

HMS Challenger under sail passing ice bergs during the oceanographic expedition’s visit to Antarctica, attributed to William Frederick Mitchell, 1880
© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Continue reading The Challenger Expedition: Exploring the Ocean’s Depths by Dr Erika Jones

Extract: Exploring The World by Alexander Maitland

Filled with epic tales of endurance and perseverance, Exploring The World: Two Centuries Of Remarkable Adventurers And Their Journeys by Alexander Maitland celebrates a group of exceptional individuals possessed of indomitable courage, boundless determination and adventurous spirit. It portrays a variety of fascinating lives driven by curiosity, wanderlust and the pursuit of knowledge – and, in doing so, provides a unique overview of two centuries of exploration. Here is an extract about one of the most well-known explorers, Sir Douglas Mawson.

Continue reading Extract: Exploring The World by Alexander Maitland

The Story of Tutankhamun

By Garry Shaw, author of The Story of Tutankhamun: An Intimate Life of the Boy Who Became King.

It has been one hundred years since Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. Famous today mainly because of his treasures, the boy king is often dismissed as an unimportant pharaoh, but this is far from correct. He lived through a turbulent time in Egyptian history, and helped to steer his country back to normality. Here’s five fascinating facts about Tutankhamun that give us an insight into his life and times.

Continue reading The Story of Tutankhamun

Nellie Bly: Back on the map at the RGS

By Rosemary J Brown, author of Following Nellie Bly: Her Record-Breaking Race Around the World.

Nellie Bly fans unite! The life and lessons of the intrepid journalist will take centre stage in the Royal Geographical Society’s Ondaatje Theatre when BBC news presenter Martine Croxall delivers ‘Investigating Nellie Bly: reflections on journalism and the power of curiosity’ for the Monday night lecture on 26 September.

Continue reading Nellie Bly: Back on the map at the RGS

The Amur River by Colin Thubron in pictures

Rising in the Mongolian mountains and flowing through Siberia to the Pacific, the Amur River forms the tense border between Russia and China. This is the most densely fortified frontier on Earth.

In his eightieth year, Colin Thubron takes a dramatic and often treacherous journey from the Amur’s secret source to its giant mouth, covering almost 3,000 miles. Harassed by injury and by arrest from the local police, he makes his way along both the Russian and Chinese shores. By the time he reaches the river’s desolate end, a whole, pivotal world has come alive.

To celebrate the paperback launch of the 2022 Stanford Dolman winning The Amur River by Colin Thubron here are some photographs taken on the journey.

Continue reading The Amur River by Colin Thubron in pictures

Launch of Journeys

Online event to celebrate the Launch of John Murray Journeys

On July 11th 2022 we teamed up with John Murray Press for an online event celebrating the republication of three titles for their Journeys series: In a Land Far from Home by Syed Mujtaba Ali, introduced by Taran Khan; Desert Soul by Isabelle Eberhardt, introduced by William Atkins; and Through Khiva to Golden Samarkand by Ella Christie, introduced by Caroline Eden.

The event was hosted by Nick Hunt (author of Outlandish) with Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award-winning authors; William Atkins, Taran Khan and Caroline Eden who introduce us to these three remarkable stories, sharing with us the reasons they love them and reading some short extracts. We were also joined by translator Nazes Afroz who translated In a Land Far from Home from Bengali to English.

Continue reading Launch of Journeys

Women’s History Month: Exploring Female Travellers 

By Rosemary J Brown

Women in history shouldn’t be a mystery … and that includes female travellers.  Challenged by traditions that placed them firmly in the home, these women burst through social and geographical boundaries to explore, experience and document the world. 

Women like intrepid explorer Isabella Bird (1831–1904), queen of the desert Gertrude Bell (1868–1926) who mapped out Iraq, and wayfaring biologist Mary Kingsley (1862–1900). They all left their inhibitions at home and journeyed into the unknown alone. But the female traveller I know best of all is trailblazing journalist Nellie Bly (1864-1922) who circled the world faster than anyone ever had – 72 days – in 1890.

Continue reading Women’s History Month: Exploring Female Travellers 

EXPLORER: the Quest for Adventure and the Great Unknown by Benedict Allen

– by Benedict Allen

This is the story of an extraordinary quest by a lone explorer, one that ends dramatically, deep in the heart of New Guinea. But it’s also a story about all of us – for we all have dreams and challenges, and we are all explorers of our world.    

Continue reading EXPLORER: the Quest for Adventure and the Great Unknown by Benedict Allen

Monumental Tribute to Pioneer of Investigative Journalism: Nellie Bly

-by Rosemary J Brown

Journalist Nellie Bly made history on Roosevelt Island in New York City in 1887. On 10 December 2021 she did it again. I was there.  

The Girl Puzzle monument, honouring the life and legacy of Nellie Bly, was unveiled steps away from the scene where she pioneered a brave new journalism. Investigative reporting was born when Bly feigned madness to investigate the brutality suffered by vulnerable women committed to the insane asylum on the island bordering Manhattan.  Her accounts in The New York World and book Ten Days in a Mad-House horrified the public and brought about sweeping changes.   

Continue reading Monumental Tribute to Pioneer of Investigative Journalism: Nellie Bly

Happy 90th Birthday Dervla Murphy

The award winning travel writer Dervla Murphy turns 90 on Sunday 28th November. Stanfords wishes her a very happy birthday.

Irish Examiner News Picture 01-10-2011 Saturday Social Page. Travel writer Dervla Murphy at her home in Lismore, Co Waterford. Picture: Dan Linehan

Dervla Murphy has won worldwide praise for her writing and has been described as a ‘travel legend’ and ‘the First Lady of Irish cycling’. In March she joined Bill Bryson, Michael Palin, Jan Morris, Colin Thubron and Paul Theroux and became a recipient of the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing.

Continue reading Happy 90th Birthday Dervla Murphy