In an era of intense commercial rivalry between Spain and Portugal, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator sailed to explore the undiscovered parts of the world and claim them for the Spanish crown in one of the largest and best-equipped expeditions ever mounted in the Age of Discovery. Magellan's dramatic maritime expedition in 1519 discovered the straits that enabled Europe to trade with the Eastern spice islands and changed the course of history.
Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Susan Spano said, "The book tells the gripping story of a 60,000-mile ocean turns sorrowful, violent and promiscuous." The New York Times wrote of the book, "It is all here in wondrous detail, a first-rate historical page turner." The Associated Press and Publishers Weekly have also reviewed the book favorably.The astonishing tale of the first sea voyage to circumnavigate the entire globe. The book has received mostly positive reviews. Magellan did not complete the entire voyage, as he was killed during the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines in 1521. Despite a series of storms and mutinies, the expedition reached the Spice Islands in 1521 and returned home via the Indian Ocean to complete the first circuit of the globe. Commanding a fleet of five vessels, he headed south through the Atlantic Ocean to Patagonia, passing through the Strait of Magellan into the Pacific Ocean.
Despite efforts to sail for his native Portugal, Magellan fell out of favor with the Portuguese King Manuel I and was later selected by King Charles I of Spain to search for a westward route to the Maluku Islands (the "Spice Islands") on behalf of the Spanish Empire. Magellan was born into a wealthy Portuguese family in around 1480, and became a skilled sailor and naval officer. Over the Edge of the World is biography of Ferdinand Magellan that chronicles his voyage from Spain to attempt the circumnavigation of the globe. Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe is a book written by biographer Laurence Bergreen, first published by William Morrow and Company in 2003.
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