If you consider yourself an explorer and have an adventurous spirit, this is a book for you. Ann Arnold takes us back to the late 18th century in the North Pacific Ocean in her story of Georg Wilhelm Steller, Sea Cows, Shamans, and Scurvy: Alaska's First Naturalist. Arnold departs somewhat with literary conventions to bring us a story filled with illustrations, ship logs, and diary excerpts that give readers an intimate sense of Russian and European culture blended with a young man's irrepressible love of scientific discovery. Steller got his start in science the way many of us do: by being studious and ready to sign on to the next and nearest adventure. Unlike today, there was less of a demand for budding scientists and Steller had better luck working as a physician for diplomats. After earning the good favors of high-ranking members of the Academy of Sciences, he was finally assigned a professorship on Bering's ongoing expeditions through Siberia and beyond. Arnold takes readers through the trials of exploring uncharted territories in one of the harshest environments in the world. On the one hand, we learn about the devastating impacts of provisioning and supplying these armies in the name of claiming land and national pride. On the other hand, Arnold portrays Steller as the gentle naturalist who befriended the natives and spent hours cataloging wildflowers.
As the expedition made it's way east over the course of ten years, the sailors and their captains were eager to determine whether there was a passage into the Arctic Ocean or whether Russia was in fact attached to the Americas. Meanwhile, Steller continued to document each plant and animal he encountered along the way. Readers travel with Steller throughout Siberia, onto the Kamchatka peninsula, over to the Kuril Islands and Japan, and through the Sea of Okhotsk. In the Barguzin Mountains, he discovers Lake Baikal and it's landlocked seal inhabitants. As any naturalist throughout history, Steller struggled against those that saw his endeavors as a waste of time. When his demands to find cleaner drinking water along the Aleutian Islands were ignored, his crew suffered. In time, his reputation improved when he saved many of the sailors from scurvy with herbs that the natives had shown him. Eventually, after surviving the winter on Bering Island, Steller was well-respected for his contributions and described countless species we still know today, including the extinct sea cow, Steller sea lions, and numerous birds and fish. 
Through this incredible story of an early explorer, Arnold reminds us of the humble origins of ocean exploration and the inevitable politics surrounding the countries involved. By reading these compiled journal excerpts and quotes, we can imagine the heart-stopping storms and Steller's enduring spirit. Her playful story-telling style makes this a book that I would highly recommend for anyone looking to learn more about a bright mind living through a unique and trying historical time period. What have you read recently?
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