"Over the Edge of the World : Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe" by Laurence Bergreen

Now, there should be no excuse for those claiming a lack of good historical sources of the first voyage around the globe

For lovers of the non-fiction accounts of sacrifices made in pursuit of honor, riches and glory, this book should be a great find. Readers will be convinced beyond doubt of the struggles Magellan and his crew endured in their historic voyage. Masterfully recreated from several historical resources, biographer Laurence Bergreen brings to life the cost of bearing the title of Discoverer. Resurrected in the story are the deviousness of the human character, the lust for currency greater than gold – the spices, the once undoubted might of the former Spanish armada and the terrible cost for it all – the loss of human life.

Carefully constructed story coupled with an excellent writing, this should be on the reading list of every reader dreaming of the voyages of the glorious past.

- by Simon Cleveland