In the winter of 1739, Georg Steller received word from Empress Anna of Russia that he was to embark on a secret expedition to the far reaches of Siberia as a member of the Great Northern Expedition. While searching for economic possibilities and strategic advantages, Steller was to send back descriptions of everything he saw. The Empress's instructions were detailed, from requests for a preserved whale brain to observing the child-rearing customs of local peoples, and Steller met the task with dedication, bravery, and a good measure of humor. In the name of science, Steller and his comrades confronted horse-swallowing bogs, leaped across ice floes, and survived countless close calls in their exploration of an unforgiving environment. Not stopping at lists of fishes, birds, and mammals, Steller also details the villages and the lives of those living there, from vice-governors to prostitutes. His writings rail against government corruption and the misuse of power while describing with empathy the lives of the poor and forgotten, with special attention toward Native peoples.

What emerges is a remarkable window into life—both human and animal—in 18th century Siberia. Due to the secret nature of the expedition, Steller's findings were hidden in Russian archives for centuries, but the near-daily entries he recorded on journeys from the town of Irkutsk to Kamchatka are presented here in English for the first time.

Contents

Foreword: The Steller Legacy / Jonathan C. Slaght

Translators' Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Instructions for Georg Wilhelm Steller from February 18, 1739, from Yeniseysk / Johann Georg Gmelin and Gerhard Friedrich Müller

Part I: Description of Irkutsk and Its Surroundings

1. About Irkutsk and Its Surroundings

2. About Irkutsk Itself

3. About the Public Offices

4. About the Clergy

5. About the Chinese Trade and Chinese Trade Goods

6. About Customs and Lifestyle in Irkutsk

7. About Transbaikalia

8. Report from the Uda River

Part II: Travel Journal from Irkutsk to Kamchatka

9. From Irkutsk to Ust'Ilginskaya (3/4-13)

10. From Ust'Ilginskaya to Kirensk (3/14-5/1)

11. From Kirensk to Yakutsk (5/2-24)

12. In Yakutsk and Yarmanka (5/25-6/19)

13. From Yarmanka to the Amga River (6/20-7/2)

14. From the Amga to the Yuna River (7/3-21)

15. From the Yuna River to Yudoma Cross (7/22-8/8)

16. From Yudoma Cross to Okhotsk (8/9-13)

17. In Okhotsk (8/14-26)

18. Salmon Fishing and Preserving (8/27)

19. From Okhotsk to Bol'sheretsk (8/28-9/16)

Afterword

Appendix A: Georg Wilhelm Steller's Life 11-20 – '18

Appendix B: Schnurbuch Account Ledger

Appendix C: Letter to Johann Daniel Schumacher

Appendix D: Plants Named After Steller

Glossary of Foreign Words

Glossary of People

Bibliography

Index