The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons (National Geographic Adventure Classics)

The legendary one-armed pioneer John Wesley Powell was a born explorer. But when he led the first expedition down the Colorado River and into the Grand Canyon, he and his men had no maps, no modern equipment . . . and no idea what awaited them.

This is Powell’s account of what they found: fierce rapids and hostile natives, scarce food, and sheer, unclimbable cliffs that left them no choice but to persevere or perish. What began as a scientific survey soon became a harrowing quest for sustenance and survival. Shaped from Powell’s original field notes and journals and featuring a new introduction by Anthony Brandt that puts the expedition in proper context as one of the great sagas of American exploration, this book is an adventure classic for the ages.

National Geographic Adventure Classics is a series that celebrates the “100 greatest adventure books of all time,” as compiled by a panel of experts for National Geographic Adventure. These titles have been carefully selected for their adrenaline quotient and their status as classics of the adventure genre.