Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen (4 stars)

Just a really astonishing journey, mostly because some people actually lived long enough to return and tell us about it. Magellan sets off to circumnavigate the globe in a handful of small ships with hardly any food, quite a bit of wine, and no idea of how to prevent scurvy.

Of the food that Magellan took on at Seville, nearly four-fifths consisted of just two items, wine and hardtack.

Wine was considered the most important; it was tax free, and an official was required to come aboard and make certain it had not soured or become contaminated.

And this journey was crazy super dangerous. Basically everyone was expected to die. Reading this account you just have to respect the courage it took to take off on such an adventure.

Going to sea was the most adventurous thing one could do, the Renaissance equivalent of becoming an astronaut

Magellan does some amazing stuff, not the least of which is surviving some spectacular mutiny attempts. But just the sailing and navigation feats through unknown waters with primitive instruments is impressive in its own right.

Magellan’s skill in negotiating the entire length of the strait is acknowledged as the single greatest feat in the history of maritime exploration.

But at some point his decision making goes haywire and he starts picking unnecessary fights with native peoples of various islands which gets him killed. Then the remainder of his crew basically turn into pirates, pillaging villages and any ships they come into contact with.

Just when it seemed that a measure of order had returned to the fleet, they attacked a large proa to obtain information about the whereabouts of the Moluccas. In a bitter struggle, they slaughtered seven of the eighteen men on board the little craft. Pigafetta mentioned the matter only in passing, without remorse. In the past, the needless deaths of the Chamorros and the Patagonian giants had caused sorrow and guilt, but by now he had become desensitized to the business of killing, which he reported with less emotion than he would a passing storm.

The thing that bothered me the most about this book was the uncritical descriptions of sex the Europeans had with the native peoples, which are largely presented as consensual orgies. I suspect the reality was much less consensual and extremely brutal for the women involved. Later in the journey when the crew kidnaps a woman "whose chief role was to serve in a harem" on the ship I found that description disgustingly uncritical for a modern author who should be capable of calling a rape a rape.

Despite those shortcomings and it being occasionally pretty slow, which may be unavoidable due to the tedium of this type of ocean travel, it's truly an astonishing story.

4 stars.