At all times there were people who were bored in their own home and who were attracted to distant countries. They set out on journeys that were fraught with dangers, but this only fueled the passion of the adventurers. This volume presents the lives of Afanasy Nikitin, Semyon Dezhnev, Erofey Khabarov, Ferdinand Wrangel, Ivan Kruzenshtern, Vasily Golovnin, Nikolai Przhevalsky and many other famous navigators and pioneers of the XV —XIX centuries. The book is intended for everyone interested in the history of Russia.