Magellan: Over the Edge of the World: Over the Edge of the World (Hardcover)

from pbjwelch

Everything I knew about Magellan I learned in 6th or 7th grade so it clearly was time for an update, but it took a desire to learn more about the 16th century exploration and colonisation of Asia by the European nations to introduce me to some of the most fascinating and entertaining books I've r...

from sergerca

Once again, I'm just enthralled at naval/meritime adventure books. But what a wasted opportunity for Magellan. He spends most of his life being dumped on by his homeland (Portugal), finally get his big chance to follow his dream of finding a route to the spice islands, and he blows it only half-w...

from Lord_Boris

As others have said this is primarily a page-turning adventure on the high seas featuring endurance, fear, starvation, mutiny, scurvy, greed, death, torture etc. All for a few barrels of cloves. The backdrop is the 'Age of Discovery' and the rivalry between the then two naval superpowers of Spain...

from cyderry

It's hard to believe that Magellan who was as important as he was to history, doesn't even get a first page hit in Google - if it's not a GPS, Magellan is nothing. Magellan was the first person who set out and proved that by sailing west you can get to the east. At the time of Magellan's expediti...

from Shrike58

A solid popular history of the first circumnavigation of the world, which gives the reader a good balance between high adventure, realpolitik, and the gritty realities of early modern seafaring. The other point that I find most striking is the dichotomy of the Magellan himself; while he drove his...