The Story of Geographical Discovery, chapter 7: Magellan's passage through the Strait

What it is

This is chapter 7 of a book called The Story of Geographical Discovery, published in 1916. The chapter is titled "To the Indies Westward—The Spanish Route—Columbus and Magellan." It explains that Portuguese sailors had long tried to reach the Indies by the eastward route, while a Genoese sailor, Columbus, and later Spanish navigators, tried to reach them by sailing west. The chapter then describes Magelhaens beginning his passage through the many twists of the strait that bears his name. The author is not named in the facts.

Why it matters

This chapter is a secondary account written long after the voyage. It draws on earlier ideas about the earth's shape, from ancient writers such as Eratosthenes and Ptolemy, and it places Magellan's route beside Columbus's. A text like this shows how writers in the early 1900s explained the age of exploration to young readers, and it reflects the views and sources of its time.

Look closer

• Why does the author place Columbus and Magellan in the same chapter, and what link does the author draw between them?
• Which parts of the story come from ancient sources, and which come from the explorers' own time?
• How might a book written in 1916 describe the voyage differently from a sailor who sailed it?