In "Expanding Horizons," author William H. Beauchamp, focusing on twelve major examples of mankind's desire to expand its geographical horizons, tells the fascinating story of exploration, conquest, and the desire for technological advances to enhance life. He also details the urge of many adventurers to spread their vision of the good life (and the afterlife) beyond the horizon, and to extend those horizons from Middle Eastern river valleys to the entire globe. Beauchamp shares the stories of some of the most influential conquerors, including Roman generals, Chinese emperors, Islamic Arabs, Mongol conquerors, the Incas, Conquistadors, and Alexander the Great. The Asian and Indian merchants of the Silk Road, in addition to the pioneering Arab, Portuguese, Dutch, and British merchants, played a vital role in expansion, as did the spiritual visions of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Beauchamp also discusses the contributions of adventurers and explorers such as Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, and Ferdinand Magellan, and nation-builders Lord Robert Clive and President Thomas Jefferson.
The stories in "Expanding Horizons" provide a unique look at man's geographical journey to encompass the entire globe by the end of the nineteenth century.