New Releases by David Roberts

Did Peary reach the North Pole? Was Admiral Byrd the first to fly over it? Did Frederick Cook actually make the first ascent of Mt. McKinley? Spanning 450 years of exploration history, David Roberts tells the spellbinding stories of ten men who pursued glory at any cost -- even the truth. He also delves into the psychology behind the stunt: Why would these individuals, all of whom were exceptionally able, perpetrate fraud on such a grand and public scale and defend it to their deaths, even in the face of damning evidence? And why are these dubious achievements still so hotly debated, often hundreds of years afterward?Demonstrating that the qualities that brought an individual so close to his goal were often the same ones that drove him to fake success, Great Exploration Hoaxes is history at its best: entertaining, provocative, and revealing of human nature. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Scottish painter David Roberts visited the Middle East in the 1830s and 40s. This six-volume book contains 247 full-color plates that depict temples, ruins, people and landscapes. Roberts arrived in Alexandria in 1838 and spent 11 months traveling up the Nile River. He filled three sketchbooks with his impressions, which would win critical acclaim when published. Roberts paintings remain some of the most memorable images of the Middle East, and his work won praise from Queen Victoria, John Ruskin and others.