"Voyages to the New World and Beyond" (used book)

Voyages to the New World and Beyond

by Gordon Miller

About the book

Used book. Hardcover. Dust jacket included. Good condition. Slight tearing to the dust jacket

From the mid-fifteenth to the mid-nineteenth century, the driving force behind world exploration was Europe’s growing passion for the luxuries of life and for discovering the uncharted territories that provided these luxuries. We know the shape of the world today because ships, fueled by wind and human muscle, were driven into every last bay and estuary on Earth, searching for this wealth. They sought spices and other exotic products from the Orient, then gold and ivory from Africa, followed by gold and beaver pelts of sea otters from the Northwest Coast of North America.

The ships that made these voyages were the products of a long evolution, and their navigators were the beneficiaries of the centuries of accumulated experience. Voyages illustrates and recounts the extraordinary feats of more than twenty daring maritime explorers, including Christopher Columbus, Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco de Gama, John Cabot, Giovanni da Verrazano, Jacques Cartier, Martin Frobisher, Ferdinand Magellan, Francis Drake, and James Cook.

In narrating these explorers’ tales, Gordon Miller touches on the great themes of maritime history: the development of new maritime technologies, the extreme risks and dangers of sailing unknown waters, the rise and fall of maritime empires, the courage (and often brutality) of life at sea and the discovery of new continents, cultures and products.

Exquisitely illustrated with almost 100 of the author’s paintings and many detailed maps and drawings of sailing ships, Voyages recounts the history of Europe’s early navigators as they ventured into the unknown, braving uncharted territory. In carrying out their voyages, these ships and sailors defined the true dimensions of the oceans and coastlines of the world.