The World Encompassed: Drake's Great Voyage 1577-1580

by Derek Wilson

In 1577, five tiny ships with 164 men set sail from Plymouth. At that time, Francis Drake had no idea that he was embarking on the greatest personal maritime adventure ever, nor that he would circumnavigate the globe. No mariner had attempted the feat for fifty years; no captain had ever successfully negotiated all the world s uncharted oceans to bring his vessel safely home let alone bring back enough gold and silver in her hold to meet the expenditure of the government for a whole year and to give the voyage s backers a 4,700% return on their investment. The World Encompassed is a stirring day-to-day account of Drake s great voyage, an exciting story of courage, braggadocio and magnificent seamanship, re-told in detail by a master historical narrator, with the page-turning compulsion of an adventure novel - and every word is true.

Genres: History

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Derek Wilson has been a writer of historical fiction and non-fiction for 50 years. His much acclaimed prize-winning works have largely centred on 16th and 17th century Europe. He has used various pen names for his fiction, his current Thomas Treviot Tudor crime series being written under the name D.K. Wilson. The first 2 books in this series - The First Horseman and The Traitor's Mark are based on real unsolved Tudor mysteries and have received enthusiastic plaudits. Readers have favourably compared this innovative series with the books of C.J. Sansom and S.J. Parris.
Recent non-fiction triumphs include The Plantagenets, Holbein: Portrait of an Unknown Man, and Charlemagne: a Biography.
Derek Wilson graduated from Cambridge and spent several years travelling and teaching in Africa before becoming a full-time writer and broadcaster in 1971. He has frequently written and appeared on radio and television and is popular as a public speaker having appeared at several literary festivals,British Museum, Hampton Court Palace, The British Library and other prestigious venues.

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depending on your perspective, Sir Francis Drake was either a hero or a pirate. He was certainly brave, as he became the first captain to complete the circumnavigation of the world (Magellan died before the first completion). I have always seen him as a dashing rake, although this book helped set me straight a bit.

Imagine being so bold as to not only circle the seas but to raise hell along the way. Drake was a terror to the Spanish and to almost everyone else, too. While he obviously loved the idea of plundering his way to wealth, he also seemed to be hell-bent on having a blast along the way which made reading about all his adventures quite an armchair ride. Drake's Passage, New Albion (California), the looting of the Spanish ships, the Moluccas...he was a cruel man (Doughty's execution, the slaughter of natives) and overly ambitious. His financial backers ended up receiving a 4,700% return on their initial investment!

The book felt very academic, which is okay, nothing wrong with that, but I just wanted a bit more zap. The research is all there, so I would recommend it to anyone interested not just in Drake but also with maritime exploration in general.

Book Season = Summer (draw up the anchors)

[David Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good account of the voyage although I disagree with Wilson on his interpretation of the Doughty affair.

[Verl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sir Frances Drake was either a Pirate or a Hero, depending upon your point of view. This book gives you a glimpse of what life was like 450 years ago.