“On the Backs of Others questions traditional readings of the history of nineteenth-century British exploration through the lens of bodily experience. Behind the veil of heroic narratives and scientific authority, we discover a world of complex intimacies, unexpected encounters, and physical constraints. Explorers’ bodies, Edward Armston-Sheret shows us, were not imperishable bronze statues but fleshy and leaky organisms dependent on the support and care of others—porters, cooks, guides, translators, and even animals—whose stories have gone largely forgotten. Thoroughly researched, fully illustrated, and engaging, this book uncovers many of these stories.”—Veronica della Dora, professor of human geography at Royal Holloway, University of London
“Though not the first work to situate the history of exploration in relation to the history of the body and physical experience, On the Backs of Others does so more fully and extensively than any work of which I am aware. Moreover, Edward Armston-Sheret moves beyond the body of the individual explorer to consider those of the many other people and animals on which the ‘heroic’ explorer relied.”—Stewart A. Weaver, author of Exploration: A Very Short Introduction
