America’s Voyage of Discovery
The U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838 – 1842, by Nathaniel Philbrick, 2003

Nathanial Philbrick writes a very interesting history of a project that is essentially forgotten as an epic voyage of discovery. He highlights the accomplishments and the failures of this voyage and the reasons for each. This book is a study of leadership and what happens when great adversities are encountered. He details the background of the Expedition’s commander, Charles Wilkes, and how this background influenced his decisions throughout the voyage, both in terms of success and failure.

The book was especially interesting to me as I did not know that it was on this voyage that the continent of Antarctica was discovered.

The book is extremely readable for an historical narration and Philbrick manages to hold the reader’s interest very well.