Description: An original history of man's greatest adventure: his search to discover the world around him. In the compendious history, Boorstin not only traces man's insatiable need to know, but also the obstacles to discovery and the illusion that knowledge can also put in our way. Covering time, the earth and the seas, nature and society, he gathers and analyzes stories of the man's profound quest to understand his world and the cosmos.
Review Quotes: "Compelling readable. . . . A remarkable narrative of the grand intellectual venture of humankind, rich in fascinating, often dramatic details."--The Wall Street Journal
"A sumptuous, totally engaging panorama. No one who reads it will look at the chronicle of human ingenuity in the same way again." --David McCullough "Written with great verve . . . [Boorstin's] learning, wit, and lucidity should ensure that he will bring pleasure to a large group of reader." --The New York Review of Books"History with a human touch." --Newsday "A grand and exhilirating voyage, a bold attempt to circumnavigate the intellectual globe." --The Philadlephia Inquirer