Book excerpt: Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara in three volumes is an account of the voyage known as the "Novara expedition of 1857–1859" published by Karl Scherzer. The Novara expedition of 1857–1859 was the first large-scale scientific, around-the-world mission of the Austrian Imperial navy. The journey lasted 2 years 3 months, from 30 April 1857 until 30 August 1859. Preparation for the research journey was made by the "Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna" and by specialized scholars under direction of the geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter and the zoologist Georg von Frauenfeld. The first coca plant (cocaine) investigations, in particular on St. Paul Island, the Nicobar Islands, and on New Zealand (first geological mapping by Hochstetter), created the bases for future geological research. The oceanographic research revolutionized oceanography and hydrography.