The articles in the core book, Worlds to Explore, evoke that bygone era in which the pages of National Geographic were as close as most people could get to high adventure and faraway lands. The 54 tales, originally published between 1891 and 1952 , immerse us in the wonder and thrill of exploration before the age of mass tourism. Edmund Hillary, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Teddy Roosevelt and others take us to places few Americans had ventured. Each article is about ten pages long and introduced by a brief essay that provides context and perspective. These engaging selections speak for themselves―and trace the National Geographic Society's growth as it explored the unknown and brought it home to readers eager for knowledge of the world and all that is in it.
Each week we will visit a different region of the world. The discussion leader(s) will choose two of between four and nine articles in the assigned Part(s) as we discuss these fascinating adventures, learn of the world as it was known at the time and how our understanding of it has changed, for better or worse. The articles may even bring back memories of your own travels. For example, we will start in Africa with Teddy Roosevelt's much heralded year-long African safari and with travels by the then British district commissioner for Eastern Darfur ( a region of Sudan that has unfortunately been in the news recently).
Please join us in what promises to be a fun and thought--provoking SDG.
Coordinator: Lee Wedman
Format is to be determined.
Week 1: Part 1 -- The World of Africa
A . Wild Man and Wild Beast in Africa, Theodore Roosevelt (1911)
B. Adventures in Eastern Darfur, Maj. Edward Keith-Roach (1924)
Week 2: Part 2 -- Remote Corners of the Russian Empire
Week 3: Part 3 -- The Middle East
Week 4: Part 4 -- Along China's Turbulent Frontiers
Week 5: Parts 5 and 6 -- The Himalayan Realm and The Far East
Week 6: Parts 7 and 8 --The Malay Archipelago and Alaskan Adventure
Week 7: Parts 9 and 10 -- Along Old Spanish Roads and the Lost Worlds of the Amazon and Orinoko
Week 8: Part Eleven -- Seas and Islands
Week 9: Part Twelve -- New Worlds to Explore
Week 10: The Best of the Rest (The leader or the group will choose favorite stories not previously discussed.)
Worlds to Explore, Classic Tales of Travel and Adventure from National Geographic, The National Geographic Society, 2006