Over The Edge of the World - Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe

by Laurence Bergreen

A fascinating anthropological investigation, a ripping sailing yarn and a brilliant historical inquiry, this is one of the greatest adventures ever told.

In September 1519 five ships and 260 men set sail from Sanlucar de Barrameda under the command of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Their quest was to find a passage around the New World and across the unknown Pacific Ocean, a bold bid to claim the riches of the Spice Islands for the Spanish Empire. Almost exactly three years later, one battered ship and eighteen diseased men returned to Spain, their captain murdered and their voyage a disaster. Yet, despite all the mutinies, drowning and starvation, these were the first men to circle the globe.

Drawing on astonishing first-hand sources, many previously unavailable in English, Laurence Bergreen recounts a tale of scheming mutineers, beachside orgies, brave seamanship, obsessive greed and unimaginable bravery.

• Paperback
• 480 pages
• ISBN: 9780007198559