"North American Exploration distills a centuries-long saga of discovery into a single, authoritative, highly readable reference. Its lively accounts are arranged in seven sections, each covering a major area of exploration: North America before Columbus: the Spanish open up the New World; the Atlantic seaboard; west of the Mississippi; across the North American continent; and the Arctic and northern-most regions." "Narratives entries recreate the major expeditions and discoveries of each era, provide character sketches of major explorers, and present contemporary descriptions of Native nations, geographical features, and settlements that played a role in exploration. You'll meet such major figures as Lewis and Clark, Hernan Cortes, Henry Hudson, and Columbus himself. You'll also encounter scores of fascinating lesser-known explorers, including Alvar Cabeza de Vaca, who trekked 2,500 miles across Texas and Mexico without a map or even a plan, and Marguerite de la Roque, who survived being stranded on a remote Canadian island for two years." "Supplemented with historical maps, photos, and illustrations, along with powerful first-person accounts from contemporary diaries, letters, reports, and newspapers, North American Exploration is completely up to date in both content and historical approach. This comprehensive, one-stop resource offers rich and rewarding reading for anyone who is fascinated by the relentless human urge to explore the unknown."--Jacket.