Help us to publish a new book of inspiring stories!

For several years, we have been lucky enough to have the wonderfully talented Jo Woolf as our Writer-in-Residence. Jo has worked tirelessly, as a volunteer, to research many of the remarkable people, and the associated artefacts and events, that make up the RSGS, past and present, and to weave her findings into enchanting and illuminating stories.

In 2017, we helped Jo to publish her fantastic first book, The Great Horizon: 50 Tales of Exploration. Now we are asking you to help Jo to publish a second book of stories related to RSGS’s past and present, provisionally entitled Voices of the Earth, and featuring 50 more incredible people from the past 200 years.

Please make a donation to help Jo to bring this great new book to life. As a thank-you, we would be delighted to include your name, or the name of a friend or loved one, in the list of acknowledgements, and to send you a copy of the book when it is published in 2024 – with one copy available for every £25 donated.

Synopsis

Voices of the Earth will be a natural progression from The Great Horizon, focusing on a new collection of extraordinary people, past and present, who have contributed to our understanding and appreciation of the Earth.

While looking at past explorers, in addition to examining what they did, this new book will ask why – what was their mission or motivation? What did they learn or bring back from their expeditions, and how did they interact with the people they met? How were they perceived in their own time, and how do we regard them now? What were the challenges they faced then, and do they still exist?

In the case of contemporary figures such as environmentalists and campaigners, what is their purpose, their vision, what drives and inspires them? What challenges and obstacles do they face, that might not have existed, say, a hundred years ago? How are they getting their message across, and what impact are they having? Through talks and interviews given to RSGS, Voices of the Earth will offer a glimpse of the inspirational people who are making positive changes to the world.

Examples for likely inclusion are: John Rae, the Challenger Expedition, Sir Everard im Thurn, John Blashford-Snell, Gertrude Bell, Dame Jane Goodall, Helen Sharman, Doug Allan, Lewis Pugh and Chris Packham.

"Now that this book is taking shape in my mind, I’m excited to start putting the pieces together. It’s always a fascinating process, because every one of these people has something unique to say, and a wonderful story to tell."