A Brief History of the Circumnavigators

by Derek Wilson

"Going round the world" is an idea that has excited people ever since it was realized that the earth was a sphere. The appeal has something to do with encompassing all the known environment and exploring the unknown, not only on the surface of the planet but within the spirit of the explorer. The story of circumnavigation is thus a long saga of human adventure, travel and discovery. Beginning with the fateful day in 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan was speared to death on Mactan and Juan de Elcano took up the challenge of bringing his surviving companions home, the story continues through four centuries crammed with astonishing exploits by men and women of many nations. Some of the names that feature are well-known, others less so.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Adventure

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 1989

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

[Fady · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like reading about history in general then you will love this book. it gives you the right amount of information you need to know about circumnavigation.
We take this world for granted! This book changes that. what is obvious and easy now wasn't for the first circumnavigators who went on journeys to the unknown. It simply is an amazing book. i rarely write reviews on books, but I couldn't resist not sharing my thoughts about this book to whomever is out there reading this review.

[sheofseidhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made for an entertaining and engaging read. There were one or two chapters that were a bit dull but all in all, it was smooth, colorful, and readable. You get the sense that this is somewhat a broad, general view but it has the important bits and gave good context about all the different periods of circumnavigation so it's easier to follow. Overall, it's a good introduction if you're looking to read about this topic. I enjoyed it, will recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent guide to all types of circumnavigation from the first trip to the first tourist and the first solo trips.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review

On balance, A Brief History of the Circumnavigators is an excellent popular history book, with exciting tales of sailing (mostly) men, who risked it all for adventure, thrill, wealth, fame, prestige, the unknown, and the sea. Wilson seems to have chosen his subjects well, from Magellan to Drake, pirates to Nova Scotia's own Joshua Slocum. I was rarely bored with this history, and often completely enthralled and filled with that spark of adventure which often calls me to travel and explore. I particularly loved learning about the true character of Magellan; Sir Francis Drake (aka The Man); the tragic tale of Thomas Cavendish who perhaps 'flew to close to the sun' and shone like a crazy diamond; the tale of Schouten van Hoorn; Wilson's (and sailors') fascination with the free-loving Tahitian islanders; Wilson's detailed knowledge of scurvy remedies and science over the years; the included excerpts from Joshua Slocumb's books; Wilson's description of Clipper Ship captains and emigrations; and his description of (perhaps) the first pleasure yacht cruise, that of the haughty Victorians Thomas and Annie Brassey.

Wilson and the book do stumble from time to time: I would have liked to hear more of Drake's attacks on the Spanish South American ports and more clarity as to whether he landed at San Francisco or not; I would have liked to see more maps for the non-redundant explorer's voyages, such as those of Schouten van Hoorn; Wilson, particularly in the first half of the book, includes sometimes bizarre modern sailing references which are often not properly contextualized and add nothing to the book; Wilson has an obvious and somewhat silly anti-French bias (eg pgs 186-187); and there are various typos throughout this edition at least.

But all these minor problems and quibbles are only worth a star in my opinion. Overall, this is a well-researched, well-constructed history book, put together by an historian with a very impressive maritime and related history publishing background, crammed with adventure and intrigue. A juicy find for fans of history, seafaring, and adventure!

True Rating: 4.3 Stars








Some highlighted sections and bits with mild spoilers:

- Wilson makes a point I had never considered: that "over the centuries, dishonest [ships] chandlers were probably responsible for as many maritime disasters as storms shoals and poor navigation." (pg 58)

- The fascinating island of Juan Fernandez off the coast of Pacific South America is constantly mentioned

- Alexander Selkirk and his links to Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island

- a 1720 early capitalist bubble bursting (the South Sea Company), pg 118

- the incredible tale of George Anson and his crew (pg 119 onwards)

- John "Foulweather Jack" Byron and the two forward-thinking measures of his expedition: 1) a copper-sheathed wooden hull, and 2) offering his men double pay to continue the voyage after revealing his true orders to them (pg 145)

- naked sailors surviving the cold by laying on top of each other (pg 172)

- Tahitian islanders post-Christianity (pg 230)

- James 'Bully' Forbes, clipper ship captain (pg 249)

- compressed wool cargo spontaneously combusting on clipper ships (pg 255)

- "During these days a feeling of awe crept over me. My memory worked with startling power. The ominous, the insignificant, the great, the small, the wonderful, the commonplace -- all appeared before my vision in magical succession. Pages of my history were recalled that had seemed so long forgotten that they belonged to a previous existence. I heard all the voics of the past laughing, crying, telling what I had heard them tell in many corners of the earth." - Joshua Slocumb (pg 279)

- Cocos Keeling Island (pg 294)

- Francis Chichester and the expression "cocked a snook."

[Kevin F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson recounts the stories of the great circumnavigators in a way that makes for a dramatic, page-turning read. The theme of circumnavigation is used to trace the history of seafaring from Magellan to the modern day. This is a broad review covering centuries of history, so don't expect a rigorous historical study. I would have appreciated, however, a bit more focus on non-English/Anglophone sailors.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids and I read this for school and though it took a while, it was well worth it. We learned about both early pioneers of circumnavigation, we learned about circumnavigators from the 1970's and 1980's as well. We learned about champions and overcoming hardships; we learned about those who ended feeling disgraced. We certainly came out with some favorites.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly complete history of the first known men who circled the globe in boats. Very interesting, and I am glad he included more recent circumnavigations. It took special, maybe
crazy people, to want to spend the time and energy and emotional angst to sail around the world.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am fascinated by the exploits of the early seafaring explorers and there were a few in here that I didn't know a great deal about. Recommended, if you like the subject matter. It has detailed information and is immensely readable.