From 1725 until his death in 1741, Vitus Bering commanded two of the most ambitious journeys of exploration in the 18th century. Each required years of overland travel across Asia to reach desolate Kamchatka and the Pacific coast of Siberia, where the crews had to build their own ships. Only then could the search for the mythical Northeast Passage and the northwestern coastline of America begin. During the last decade, the discovery of forgotten documents in Russian archives has revitalised the study of these classic expeditions, and the contributors to this volume are all part of the new...
From 1725 until his death in 1741, Vitus Bering commanded two of the most ambitious journeys of exploration in the 18th century. Each required years o...
In 1859 the Finnish-Swedish aristocrat and naval officer, Hampus Furuhjelm arrived in Alaska as one of the Russian colony's last ambassadors. He brought with him his young wife Anna Furuhjelm, who wrote many long letters in English to her mother. These letters, for the first time, give us a vivid picture of everyday life in the colonial capital, Sitka, in the period shortly before the USA. took over Alaska. The letters have been edited and commented by Anna Furuhjelm's great-granddaughter, Anni Christensen.
In 1859 the Finnish-Swedish aristocrat and naval officer, Hampus Furuhjelm arrived in Alaska as one of the Russian colony's last ambassadors. He broug...