Biography & Autobiography Adventurers & Explorers
David Thompson
A Life of Adventure and Discovery
- Publisher
- Heritage House Publishing
- Initial publish date
- May 2010
- Category
- Adventurers & Explorers, Pre-Confederation (to 1867), Historical
- Recommended Age
- 14
- Recommended Grade
- 9
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781926613321
- Publish Date
- May 2010
- List Price
- $9.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781926936178
- Publish Date
- Feb 2011
- List Price
- $3.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Surveyor, cartographer, fur trader, adventurer, naturalist and entrepreneur, David Thompson is now recognized as one of the greatest explorers and geographers of all time. By 1812, he had surveyed almost four million square kilometres of the North American wilderness and become the first European to navigate the entire length of the Columbia River. This compelling biography draws from Thompson's detailed accounts of his gruelling voyages and follows him from his apprenticeship with the Hudson's Bay Company through his extraordinary accomplishments in the service of the North West Company to his later years struggling to claim his legacy.
About the author
Elle Andra-Warner is a bestselling author, journalist, and photographer. Her award-winning articles appear regularly in major publications, and her newspaper columns have been in print since 1994. She has given journalism workshops throughout Canada, is an online guest lecturer in journalism for the University of California, Los Angeles, and is the co-editor of the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s annual journal. Estonian by heritage, Elle was born in a post–Second World War United Nations displaced persons camp for Estonians in Eckernforde, West Germany.
Editorial Reviews
[H]er best work yet . . . an excellent read for both adults and young readers. Elle Andra-Warner’s gift as a writer is to write like a classic newspaper reporter. She researches thoroughly and quotes shrewdly. —Hubert O'Hearn, By the Book Reviews
Librarian Reviews
David Thompson: A Life of Adventure and Discovery
David Thompson outlines a 28year career of exploring and mapmaking in North America. Working for 13 years for the Hudson’s Bay Company, then for the North West Company, Thompson’s lifetime accomplishments included surveying an area of 3.9 million square kilometers and becoming the first European to navigate the entire length of the Columbia River. Thompson culminated his work as surveyor and cartographer by creating a map of the country between Lake Superior and the Pacific Ocean that was the basis for the Arrowsmith map. It was from this map that many 19th-century Canadian government maps were drawn, though Thompson’s contribution was not credited. Thompson’s skill as a geographer has, however, been posthumously recognized. He has been acclaimed “the greatest land geographer who ever lived”.Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2010-2011.
