First Voyage Around the World (Great Journeys)

These slim, oversized, profusely illustrated volumes are easy-to-read, enjoyable introductions to the challenges faced by those attempting to do something first. Two-page chapters highlight topics, with four chapters in The Conquest. . . devoted to the successful British assault on Everest in 1953. The photos are colorful, sharp, and informative in their support of the text--with one notable exception. A caption incorrectly identifies "the remains of an avalanche" when the photo is actually of an icefall. Layout and other illustrative artwork is satisfactory. Rosen describes enough of the difficulties and personal stories of Everest to make the reading exciting. The single paragraph on mountain ecology seems inadequate, however, as does the description of potential illness from eating "dirty snow." The First Voyage . . . relates the story of Magellan's journey to find a route to the Spice Islands by sailing west. Factual details of this journey are disputed in various sources, in part because, as this text explains, Magellan's papers, logbooks, and letters were burned at his death; thus, most accounts of the journey are based on the diary of one of Magellan's men, Pigafetta. But this doesn't explain why, in the first paragraph, Coote states that they set sail in 1520 and a few pages later gives the date as 1519. Well-chosen illustrations include original artwork, reproductions of historic paintings and maps, and photos of some of the locations cited in the texts. Over four centuries separate the two expeditions, but political troubles, the need for teamwork, dependence on knowledge gained from those who had gone before, physical hardship, danger, and a great toll in lives lost mark both of these stories. --Joel Shoemaker, Tilford Middle School, Vinton, IA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.