Promotional Information

"This book represents an extremely useful survey of European exploration and expansion during the early modern period. The author provides a comprehensive examination of this important historical development, from the early rivalry between Spain and Portugal in the fifteenth century to the eighteenth-century exploration of the Pacific by the British and French. The text combines factual information with cogent analysis and interpretation, making the narrative both readable and informative, and the biographies, glossary, and selection of primary documents are helpful supplements to the overview. Students and teachers alike should find the book a very accessible source of information about exploration and imperialism during era in European history." -- Diane C. Margolf, Professor, Department of History, Colorado State University

About the Author

Ronald S. Love is Associate Professor of History at the University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA. He is co-editor of Distant Lands and Diverse Cultures: The French Experience in Asia, 1600-1700 (Praeger 2002). and is currently completing a book-length study of Franco-Thai relations from 1660-1690.

Reviews

Contrary to the more usual Eurocentric presentations on the Age of Discovery, Maritime Exploration provides a balanced approach while setting the subject within the historical context in which the events occurred. The book is geared toward students in high school and the early years of college, but it is equally valuable to the general reader who wishes to learn about the men and voyages whose initial purpose was to find gateways to increase commerce, but eventually devolved into the quest for land, riches, and world domination.
*Pirates and Privateers*

This is a concise survey of the geographic discoveries made by Europeans in the early modern period. Beginning with the Portuguese exploration of the west coast of Africa in the fourteenth century and ending with the Pacific voyages of Cook, Vancouver and Malaspina in the late eighteenth century, Ronald S. Love recounts the major events of European martime discovery in plain and accessible prose….This book accomplishes its goal of providing a comprehensive survey of topics essential for the seconday school and junior undergraduate students….This book will surely be a central text for instructors developing a new course for students at the senior secondary or junior undergraduate levels.
*International Journal of Maritime History*

Aimed at student researchers at the high school and beginning undergraduate levels, this text covers the maritime exploration that drove European trade and imperial expansion during the period 1415- 1800. Following a chronology and historical overview, Love describes early Portuguese expeditions along the African coast. Other topics include the Spanish discovery of the Americas, the search for a northern passage to China, and the exploration of the Pacific. Supplementary materials include biographical profiles, excerpts from primary documents, a glossary, and an annotated bibliography.
*Reference & Research Book News*