The History of Maritime and Inland Discovery

First published in 1831, this is a three-volume reference text charting the history of exploration. Each volume is divided chronologically by historical era, covering the period from the Roman Empire to the nineteenth century. It is a key tool for anyone interested in the history of travel and exploration.

William Desborough Cooley (1795–1883) was a geographer and historian, the author of a collection of influential texts on the development of geographical study, and a key founding member of the Hakluyt Society. First published as a complete set in 1831 as part of Dionysius Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia, this is the history in three volumes of the development of the geographical sciences through travel and exploration. Each volume is divided chronologically by historical era, tracing the pursuit of geographical discovery by both land and sea from the Roman Empire to the Himalayan expeditions of the early nineteenth century. Featuring a comprehensive index, this expertly compiled reference text will aid any study of the history of travel and exploration. This second volume includes an account of the expeditions of Columbus, along with information on the settlement of North America and the first circumnavigation of the Earth in 1522.