American Explorers and Pioneers Home Page
Published September 25, 2023
Updated September 30, 2023
Explorers' and Pioneers' Bibliography
Individual Explorers and Publishers
Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd
  • Little America
  • ​Discovery
  • ​Alone
“In the passing of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, America and the world have lost one of the truly great explorers of all time … I have lost an old and dear friend. As Commander of two Arctic and five Antarctic expeditions, Admiral Byrd dedicated his life to the exploration of those little known areas. He was the first man to fly over both the North and South Poles.

​"His explorations charted more than two million square miles of territory, adding tremendously to the world’s scientific knowledge of the polar regions.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States
These are the reviews of three of his books: "Little America," "Discovery," and "Alone." Select the link above or the image of the front cover of "Alone" to the right.
Samuel E. Morison
  • Admiral of the Ocean Sea
“The reader will have ample opportunity to judge the Discoverer’s character for himself. Physical courage, which the early historians took for granted, he will find in plenty; and untiring persistence and unbreakable will. Certain defects will appear, especially lack of due appreciation for the labors of his subordinates; unwillingness to admit his shortcomings as a colonizer; a tendency to complain and be sorry for himself whenever the Sovereigns, owing to these shortcomings, withdrew some measure of their trust in him.

“These were the defects of the qualities that made him a great historical figure. For he was not, like a Washington, a Cromwell, or a Bolivar, an instrument chosen by multitudes to express their wills and lead a cause; Columbus was a Man with a Mission, and such men are apt to be unreasonable and even disagreeable to those who cannot see the mission. …
​
“He was man alone with God against human stupidity and depravity, against greedy conquistadors, cowardly seamen, even against nature and the sea.”
Samuel Eliot Morison, Admiral of the Ocean Sea
A Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Christopher Columbus.
© 2023 Peter E. Greulich. All Rights Reserved
Information posted on this site recognizes the legal right of copyrighted material. The following material is considered in the public domain effective January 1, 2023: (1) works published in the United States prior to 1928, (2) all unpublished works created over 120 years ago, (3) works published in the United States before 1978 that have no © copyright notice, and (4) works published in the United States after 1926 but before 1964 with a proper © copyright notice that were not renewed in their 28th year. Some information is used here that does not fit this criteria. It has been minimized, and it is used in good faith and in the belief that such usage would withstand a test of fair use. This site also utilizes images from Pixabay that are "free to use under the Pixabay license" and "do not require attribution." Any concerns with the public domain, fair usage, or attribution of material utilized on this site will be removed until a discussion can resolve the matter with its permanent removal or republication. To reach this author, use the "Contact" menu item above or the "Contact Us" hyperlink provided here: [Contact Us]