What are some amazing books written by early explorers in which they account their experiences and adventures? To give you an idea of what I am interested in, a good example would be Charles Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle.
Hi. A couple I can think of are:
A Voyage round the world by John Byron (1767);
Voyage autour du monde by Bougainville (1771);
James Cook's Journals (1772);
A voyage around the world (Reise um die Welt, I think, not sure about my German) by Georg Forster (one of the naturalists who accompanied Cook - 1777);
A Voyage to Terra Australis by Matthew Flinder (1814).
(edit: formatting)
Do polar explorers grab you? Fridtjof Nansen is an interesting writer: very detailed/technical (things like environmental conditions, equipment designs, how much gear they packed) and at the same time very poetic (awe-filled descriptions of the physical surroundings). Also his expeditions where on the extreme edge of survival and, since one can't restock en route, an incredible degree of planning.
Two books: The First Crossing of Greenland, a 6-member manhauling treck across the Greenland icecap 1888. One oddity here is that he's refreshingly open-minded and curious about the Inuit, while at the same time quite prejudiced against his Sami crewmates. Next up, Farthest North, a combination ship + dogsled/skiing attempt at the North Pole 1893-6. Very interesting story set on the Polar ice cap, including surviving more than a year on foot with only one companion -- and an ever-dwindling number of dogs.