The Conquest of the Ocean

From the early Polynesians to the first circumnavigations by the Portuguese and the British, these are awe-inspiring tales of epic sea voyages involving great feats of seamanship, navigation, endurance, and ingenuity. Explore the lives and maritime adventures, many with first-person narratives of land seekers and globe charters such as Christopher Columbus, Captain James Cook, and Vitus Bering.

Brian Lavery is a British naval historian and Curator Emeritus at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and is probably the world's leading authority on the ship of the line. He is the author of DK'sShip, as well as Empire of the Seas: How the Navy Forged the Modern World and the highly successful two-volume history of sailing battleships,The Ship of the Line. Lavery was a historical consultant on Peter Weir's 2003 blockbusterMaster and Commander: The Far Side of the World. He has also consulted on the replica constructions of Captain Cook'sEndeavour and the emigrant ship Susan Constant.