Product Description

"Voyages that Changed the World" tells, chronologically, the stories of the most momentous sea voyages in history and, in doing so, provides an intriguing look at the unveiling of our world. Each chapter describes the background to a remarkable voyage or series of voyages, the events and personalities of the journey, and the historical consequences. Liberally illustrated, the story behind each voyage is accompanied by maps of the routes, and illustrations and photographs of adventurers, explorers, seafarers and their vessels.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60311 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

From the Inside Flap
Dramatically told, often in the words of the voyagers
themselves, and beautifully illustrated with maps, portraits and historic
illustrations, these are the gripping stories of how a handful of sailors,
adventurers, pirates and mavericks shaped the course of world history.
From ancient Phoenician seafarers to the explorers of the oceans' depths,
Voyages that Changed the World includes the journeys of Bartholomew Dias
and Vasco da Gama, the discoveries of America, the first circumnavigation
of the globe, Francis Drake's adventures in the Golden Hind, the story of
the real Robinson Crusoe, the voyage of the Mayflower, Captain Cooks'
charting of the Pacific, Charles Darwin's epiphany aboard the Beagle,
Isambard Kingdom Brunel's race to cross the Atlantic, and Scott, Amundsen
and Shackleton journeying to the ends of the Earth.

From the Back Cover
"He was wrong about his armour... the flashing steel plates
making him an easy target. The man who had discovered the gateway to the
Pacific Ocean had been killed in a minor island skirmish, and would never
complete the circumnavigation of the globe."
For Ferdinand Magellan, like Captain Cook and Scott of the Antarctic, a
great voyage of discovery would bring not glory, but brutal death on land
far from home. For others, like the Pilgrim Fathers, it would bring
salvation; for Drake and the conquistadors, gold and riches. For Brunel and
Amundsen, there would be victories in history's great races, and for Vasco
da Gama and Columbus, the unveiling of new worlds.
But for all of the seafarers and explorers told of in this book - from the
ancient Phoenicians to the submariners of the Mariana Trench - their
exploits would bring immortality for the parts they played in the voyages
that changed the world.
"At ten o'clock Columbus thought he could see a light on the horizon. It
seemed to be a fire and it flickered like a candle... At about two hours
after midnight there was no doubt about the fires... This time it was not a
false alarm. On the Friday morning the little convoy found that it was
approaching an island. The sailed closer. The island was inhabited..."

About the Author
Peter Aughton is the author of the hugely successful popular history titles Endeavour The Story of Captain Cook's First Great Epic Voyage, Resolution, Newton's Apple and The Transit of Venus. Formerly a computer engineer in the aerospace industry, where he worked on the world's first supersonic airliner, he went on to lecture at the University of the West of England for 25 years. He now lives in Leeds with his family.