A majestic tale of breakthrough thatchanged many long-held views approximately the world In 1519 Magellan and his fleet of five ships set sail from Seville, Spain, to find a water route to the fabled Spice Islands in Indonesia, where in fact the most sought-after goods — cloves, pepper, and nutmeg — flourished. Three years later, a handful of survivors returned with an abundance of spices using their meant destination, but with just one ship transporting eighteen emaciated guys. During their impressive voyage around the world the team endured hunger, disease, mutiny, and torture. A lot of men passed away, including Magellan, who was simply violently killed within a fierce battle.

This is the first full account in nearly half a century of the voyage into history: a tour of the world emerging from the center Ages into the Renaissance; a startling anthropological account of tribes, languages, and customs unidentified to Europeans; and a chronicle of a desperate get for industrial and politics power.