The Voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe, Volume I and Volume II

"The Voyage of the Vega Round Asia and Europe, Volume I" by A.E. (Adolf Erik) Nordenskiöld is a late 19th-century historical record that documents the Vega's groundbreaking journey, the first successful navigation around the northern edges of Asia and Europe detailing the geographical discoveries, conditions of nature, and different groups of people they met on their trip. This book blends travel with scientific exploration, acknowledging the many problems that explorers had experienced in the untamed, hazardous waters before. The book starts with the origins of the Vega expedition, building on earlier explorations in the Siberian Polar Sea, and proving that waters once believed impossible to travel were in fact navigable. After thanking King Oscar II and other backers, Nordenskiöld explains that the expedition sought to discover a route to Asia through the northeast. The book then introduces the crew, tells about the preparations for departure, and describes the scientific goals that would guide them in their dangerous trip around the icy north, preparing the reader for the discoveries to come.