The Real Lives series uses an exceptionally attractive design as background for its short biography collections on a variety of subjects. Explorers and Pioneers features such historical subjects as Sacagawea and Christopher Columbus and less-well-known figures like explorer Ranulph Fiennes and nineteenth-century travel-writer Isabella Bird. Each subject gets a two-page spread where the draw is a full-page portrait, a photo or painting that has been digitally enhanced to pop. The picture faces a page of information that reads like a sprightly encyclopedia entry. The text sometimes mentions controversies but doesn't discuss them in any depth. The spread on Columbus, for instance, says he "discovered" areas of the New World, consequently conflating his history with Native Americans', though his exploitation of indigenous people is mentioned in passing. The series is most useful when introducing readers to those they might not otherwise come across, and there are additional, bite-size introductions in the back matter. An eye-catching choice for browsers and inspiration seekers.