Farther Than We Can See . . .

Bestselling authors Hampton Sides, author of The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Voyage of Captain James Cook, and Adam Higginbotham, author of Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, discuss the spirit of exploration and our willingness to face adversity in the name of discovery.

The theme of exploration serves as a powerful reflection of humanity’s innate desire to push boundaries, whether across the vast oceans of the 18th century or into the unchartered realms of space in the 20th century. Sides transports readers to a time when the sea represented the ultimate frontier, filled with peril and promise, as explorers sought to uncover new worlds and expand their understanding of the Earth. In contrast, Higginbotham delves into the ambitions of space travel, where the challenges of technology and human capacity echo the maritime voyages of the past. Both narratives highlight a fundamental aspect of human nature: an insatiable curiosity and relentless pursuit of knowledge—a quest for discovery and the timeless hope of transcending our limitations.

The challenges faced in the 18th century and of astronauts today, while situated in vastly different contexts, share some fundamental similarities as well as unique obstacles. In the 18th century, maritime explorers battled treacherous waters, unpredictable weather, and the limitations of navigational technology. Astronauts today confront the complexities and danger of space travel, including the harsh vacuum of space, radiation exposure, and life support systems that must function flawlessly during missions Furthermore, they must endure the psychological stress of confined living conditions and the vast openness of space. Despite these differences, both groups impart the willingness to face adversity in the name of discovery.

Hampton Sides is the author of the bestselling narrative histories Ghost Soldiers, Blood and Thunder, Hellhound on His Trail, In the Kingdom of Ice, On Desperate Ground, and The Wide Wide Sea, which The New York Times named one of 2024’s Ten Best Books of the Year. He has also been a contributor to Outside, National Geographic, Smithsonian, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and many other publications.

Adam Higginbotham has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, GQ, and Smithsonian. He is also the author of Midnight in Chernobyl, which was the winner of the William E. Colby Award and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.

“Hampton Sides, an acclaimed master of the nonfiction narrative, has taken on Cook’s story and retells it for the 21st century . . . The result is a work that will enthrall Cook’s admirers, inform his critics and entertain everyone in between.” 

—Los Angeles Times

“Higginbotham is an intrepid journalist and skillful storyteller who takes care to humanize the dozens of major and minor players involved in NASA’s many successful, and occasionally catastrophic, space missions…. For cyn

ical Americans, disaster buffs, and engineers, Challenger will be a quick, devastating read….It’s a universal story that transcends time.”

—New York Times