In this enjoyably constructed, boldly humorous work, author Rowe highlights the explorers who made history with exploits both admirably innovative and, at times, quixotic, even brash. The discovery era in focus, from 1800 to 1940, is depicted as “the wildest, nuttiest,” perhaps because so much of the planet had been mapped, but not always accurately so that those brave souls undertaking expeditions were liable to becoming dangerously lost. One example was the zeal to find the mysterious city of Timbuktu. Adventurers wishing to accomplish this feat would have to disguise themselves as Arabs, caravan through the desert, risk fatal diseases like malaria, and possibly be captured and tortured by indigenous peoples. Sometimes disappointment resulted, as when Scotsman Alexander Laing found the city “a crumbling mess.” Fulani tribesmen slew Laing, leaving his corpse for the vultures. Storied names cited by the author include Halliburton, Livingstone, Darwin, and Cousteau. Missions undertaken include searches for the Northwest Passage, the source of the Nile, lost cities of Latin America, and the drive to reach the North and South Poles.

Rowe, a noted filmmaker with a personal penchant for seeing and sharing the planet’s far reaches and obscure wonders, has produced numerous written and graphic works about global oddities, perils, and charms. His language here combines intellectual acumen, indicating diligent research on a wide range of relevant subjects, with a clear enjoyment of slang and occasional obscenity that infuse rollicking amusement into the tales he so deftly spins. His engaging accounts give credit where it is due, reminding readers that despite their eponymous “antics,” those, both male and female, who assayed the unknown were intrepid and spirited adventurers, sincerely convinced that their successes would not only enhance their name and fame but would be of lasting value to the wider world. Rowe's book is fitting tribute to them.

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