Magellan - Hardcover

Joyner, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 087742263X ISBN 13: 9780877422631

Publisher: Intl Marine Pub Co, 1992

Synopsis

Provides an account of the circumnavigation of the earth by Magellan and his crew, detailing the trials and tragedies encountered during the voyage which included mutinies, starvation, and desertion

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

A straightforward but tepid biography from fisheries biologist Joyner of the great visionary Magellan, whose resolve to reach the Spice Islands by sailing around the lands encountered by Columbus and others prompted the first circumnavigation of the globe. Joyner begins with an overview of the history of seafaring and of Portuguese exploration of sea routes to India. Magellan, member of a rural branch of the Portuguese royal family, emerges from obscurity in the midst of the struggle in the Indian Ocean over control of the spice trade, proving himself a brave and resourceful fighter. But his less endearing demands for greater recognition earn him King Manuel's enmity, forcing him to cut his ties to Portugal in order to try his luck in Spain. With powerful backing, Magellan finds King Charles more receptive to his plans to open a spice route to the West, and in September 1519 five ships set sail under his command. Dissension plagues the voyage almost from the start, but Magellan carries on even with a fleet reduced by mutiny, reaching the Pacific through the icy waters of the strait now bearing his name. After he arrives in the Philippines, his achievements cloud his judgment to such a degree that he is killed in 1521 while leading a pointless assault on the village of a rebellious chief. His crew continues on, arriving back in Spain, emaciated and cramped into one remaining ship with a cargo of spices, three full years after setting out. Research includes original documents and subsequent narratives of the voyage, as well as the author's firsthand experiences along the coast of southern South America, but Joyner proves unequal to the task of conveying either the spirit of this momentous event or of the remarkable man behind it. (Ninety illustrations.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Library Journal:

Magellan is one of the great figures of the modern age. His achievement--the first circumnavigation of the globe--was "the terminal event of the European Renaissance," asserts Joyner. Only an uncommonly determined man could have persevered in an extended journey into this unknown. "In 1520 less was known about the Pacific Ocean than we know today of interstellar space." When he was slaugh altered by South Sea Islanders, his chronicler lamented, "They killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide." This book provides a solid account of the explorer's life and accomplishment. Joyner reminds us how the voyage felt to the men who lived through it; success was dubious and distant, perils and discomforts were felt daily. Exceptionally well written, this is the first biography of the explorer to appear in more than two decades. Recommended for both public and academic libraries.
- David Keymer, SUNY Inst. of Technology, Utica
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Intl Marine Pub Co
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 087742263X
• ISBN 13: 9780877422631
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368