An epic adventure.

In 1735 a team of French scientists set out for South America to answer one of the most pressing questions of the time: what is the precise shape of the Earth? Robert Whittaker's fascinating account of this expedition in The Mapmaker's Wife (Basic Books, $25) is a shimmering history of Enlightenment science and exploration. Through extremes of weather and disease, these scientists dutifully triangulate distances and gather botanical specimens throughout the Peruvian wilderness. The natural history alone makes a wonderfully rich read, but the story begins when the expedition ends. Team member Jean Godin sets out to chart a route back to France via the largely unmapped Amazon. When he reaches the Atlantic he attempts to send for his young bride, Isabel. But war and bureaucracy conspire to keep the two stranded on opposite sides of the continent for an astounding 20 years. Finally, Isabel decides she will wait no longer. What follows is an utterly suspenseful account of Isabel's journey, the first known instance of a woman traveling the entire length of the Amazon, battling hostile plants, animals, and humans with every step. A true story that reads like a novel, The Mapmaker's Wife is a delicious winter treat.