The Explorers: A Story of Fearless Outcasts, Blundering Geniuses, and Impossible Success

This was an unexpected pleasure. Nominally about the Speke/Burton battle over who found the source of the Nile, it uses their story as a framework for discussing the seven attributes Dugard considers essential to successful explorers: curiosity, hope, passion, courage, independence, self-discipline, and perseverance. Each is illustrated by numerous examples of explorers from the earliest age (out of Africa) through Saint Brendan, Cook, Shackleton, Scott and Oates, Ledyard, Stanley and Livingstone, Humboldt, and many others of more or less renown. Dugard is an unapologetic champion of Speke's character and efforts in the battle of personalities, and, of course, history knows who was right in the end (I'll not mention that in case a show more future reader is unaware, as I was). The result is a dramatic and thoughtful book, sure to be of interest to anyone who is intrigued with exploration, even if not of Africa in particular. My only regret is the lack of pictures and maps. Highly recommended. show less

Retelling of Burton and Speke’s quest for the source of the Nile, used as a template for analysing seven attributes required of the successful explorer, further illustrated by references to many other voyages of discovery. Devolves into something of a self-help book. Somewhat undermined in this purpose, from my perspective, by Dugard’s championing of Speke, the game-hunting loner, and complete immunity to Burton’s charms, let alone his claims as an explorer.
W. B. Carnochan’s book The Sad Story of Burton, Speke, and the Nile adds an eighth quality of the explorer—habitual lying, or at least “an imaginative reconstruction of things as they might coherently claim to have been,” and I find this the most useful approach to the show more Burton/Speke story. show less

I remember watching the original Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark in an old three-screen theater with my dad. Watching Indy globetrotting to exotic locations and having amazing adventures awoke my inner 11-year-old explorer. This impulse led to my reading about some real life explorers such as Ernest Shackleton and his expeditions to the Arctic, and David Livingstone and his travels in Africa.

Truth be told the harrowing nature of these non-Hollywood adventures (malaria, dysentery, 497 on an open boat in the Arctic!?) convinced me that the title of "armchair explorer" would suffice for my own future. But my interest in those men who were able to overcome the fear, isolation and hazards to achieve amazing goals has never waned.

The show more Explorers: A Story of Fearless Outcasts, Blundering Geniuses, and Impossible Success

Enter Martin Dugard and his latest book, The Explorers. Dugard, who you may recognize from his collaborations with Bill O’Reilly on Killing Lincoln et al, uses this new book to tell the account of one of history's greatest adventures, the search for the source of the Nile, and a study of the seven character traits all great explorers share.

Dugard’s Premise

He claims that all explorers share seven traits: Curiosity, Hope, Passion, Courage, Independence, Self-Discipline, and Perseverance. Additionally he posits that in our own way we are all explorers and that these seven traits can help us fight through challenges, overcome setbacks and succeed in our lives and careers. He attempts to prove this theory using the story of John Speke and Richard Burton’s search for the source of the Nile River as a jumping off point. In the process of telling his tale he further illustrates his point with examples from many other adventurers as well.

For a more complete review: http://www.quality-resumes.com/2014/08/7-traits-to-level-up-your-career.html show less

More self help than historical