Island of the Blue Foxes

Disaster and Triumph on the World's Greatest Scientific Expedition

By: Stephen R. Bown

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The story of the world's largest, longest, and best-financed scientific expedition of all time, triumphantly successful, gruesomely tragic, and never before fully told. The immense 18th-century scientific journey, variously known as the Second Kamchatka Expedition or the Great Northern Expedition, from St. Petersburg across Siberia to the coast of North America, involved over 3,000 people and cost Peter the Great over one-sixth of his empire's annual revenue.

Until now recorded only in academic works, this 10-year venture, led by the legendary Danish captain Vitus Bering and including scientists, artists, mariners, soldiers, and laborers, discovered Alaska, opened the Pacific fur trade, and led to fame, shipwreck, and "one of the most tragic and ghastly trials of suffering in the annals of maritime and arctic history."

©2017 Stephen R. Bown (P)2018 Tantor

great historical narrative

really well told- nice combo of detail and story. very interesting subject and solid British accent on the narration

Vivid History of Russia's First Contact In Alaska

An excellent and detailed account of Imperial Russia's first expedition to Alaska (circa 1740). The author's depiction of the 10 years that it took to ready the exploration and the hardships faced by all is almost beyond belief. Although the book is interesting throughout, I found the efforts to find a cure for scurvy and the survival after a shipwreck to be truly sad and riveting.
The reader, Steven Crossley, is wonderfully clear and well paced in his performance.
A real insight into the ``unknown'' and first contact of Europeans with Alaska. Highly recommended to those listeners (and readers) interested in the exploration of North America.

a fantastic story

this history is one I was never made aware of and it stands as interesting, important and daring as so many others. if you like historical adventure and exploration stories this is a must listen...

Narrator Steven Crossley nearly ruins book

Incredible and detailed account of a little known saga of exploration. Unfortunately, the narrator, Steven Crossley, nearly ruins all enjoyment of listening to this amazing account. Crossley reads the book with such didactic distain in an arrogant and staccato-esque manner, that it nearly renders the book unlistenable.
I will definitely never listen to a book butchered by his narration again.
Despite Crossley's halting and uneven performance, the book is amazingly interesting.

Another epic tale from the age of sail.

Fans of literature chronicling the age of exploration, will not be disappointed with this work. The author shows a very patient eye for historic detail, and derives a panoramic view of this poorly understood chapter in Arctic exploration. The story gives us a wonderful interplay of political, financial technological, scientific and cultural currents that led to such a massive costly and tragic expedition. We are drawn step-by-step into the intimate, sufferings, courage, and disillusionment of a remarkable group of explorers.

Excellent

Great listen. Straightforward without being boring, great to listen to while I was working and out and about.

History and Adventure

Island of the Blue Foxes enlightened my meager knowledge of Russian exploration of part of North America. Perhaps a little too heavy on excruciatingly fine detail, this book succeeds in conveying the trials of shipwreck in the frozen north.

An Epic Read

I knew of the Bering Straits, but knew nothing of the man it's named after. I'd never heard of the expedition either. The story and the narrator do great justice to this take that most be told.

What an epic journey.

This is quite the tale of adventure. Not only exploring uncharted waters in search for an unknown land (though listened to people already living there would have made it easier) BUT add on top of that having to carry all the materials and personnel needed to build the harbor to then build the ships for that exploration. I didn't know anything about Russian exploration prior to reading this book, but was hooked pretty early at the sheer ambition of the project. Wild stuff. The saddest part for me is (spoiler?) upon returning, their tales of furry creatures inspired masses of people in search of and hunting these animals to extinction.

The narration was a little off-beat - I didn't find it annoying but felt like the story was being told inside an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine.

Riveting, revealing & well read.

While only the last 1/3 of this true historical account has to do with the actual “Island of the Blue foxes”, the author did a fantastic job of explaining what led up to the survivors being shipwrecked there, in the first place, which brought so much more depth to the tale. The backstory was critical, and as interesting to me as the title subject of the story. I enjoy history in general, as it enlightens one as to why things are the way they are today.
So much of what “not to do”, can be learned from history, and that is certainly the case here. While every high school student has heard of Russian Tzars, Peter the Great, and Catherine the Great, this book fleshes out the lesser known details of life and politics in Russia in the mid 1700s.
I couldn’t stop listening, and actually re-listened to several parts. I was especially interested and saddened by the ecological ignorance of the people of the time.
At first, narrator’s measured, unhurried speech temped me to increase the speed, sit quickly realized it was allowing me to better
visualize the scenes being described. I’m glad I didn’t speed through it, as it gave my brain time to absorb and digest it all. Good Book!