I just finished reading another of my bargain basement charity shop book purchases – A Brief History of The Circumnavigators by Derek Wilson. As the name suggests, the book tells the tale of the various mariners who led the most historically important ocean voyages around the globe (plus a few other less important but dor other reasons distinctive voyages). It begins with Magellan, or more correctly Sebastian D’El Cano because Magellan died part way round so contrary to popular opinion he was most certainly not the first person to circumnavigate the globe. Other notable mariners covered include Drake, Bouganville, Cavendish, Cook and, more recently, Chichester.
I’m not really sure why, but I have always enjoyed reading about marine history and the great voyages of exploration. My interest probably comes from my father who, if he had had more time would certainly have been quite obsessed by them, but I’m not aware of any reason why he had such an interest. Perhaps some research on his family tree might discovery an interesting maritime link.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would – I had put off starting it a few times because the text looked perhaps a little dense, but it was actually an easy read packed full of quirky incident and interesting personalities.
Tim O'Hare 