Magellan: Ferdinand Magellan and the First Trip Around the World(Exploring the World)

A biography outlining the life of Ferdinand Magellan who led an expedition and exploration to the Spice Islands by sailing west, and circumnavigating around the world.

About the Author :
Michael Burgan has written numerous books for children and young adults during his nearly 20 years as a freelance writer. Many of his books have focused on U.S. history, geography, and the lives of world leaders. Michael has won several awards for his writing, and his graphic novel version of the classic tale Frankenstein (Stone Arch Books) was a Junior Library Guild selection. Michael graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in history. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his cat, Callie.

Review :
Another of the new "Exploring the World" series, Magellan portends useful books to follow. Ferdinand Magellan is set within the world of the great Age of Exploration. It's fascinating to follow the map as he fights the sea, mutineers and ultimately native Philippinos in his quest for a new route to the Spice Islands. While Magellan himself loses his life in the Philippines, one of his original five ships ultimately returns to Spain, completing the first successful circumnavigation of the world. The text is informative and Burgan writes well to his age group. It is joined by handsomely reproduced graphics and photographs, as well as the usual back matter of glossary, index, and so forth. The result is a new book recommended for use in lower school social studies units.-- "Children's Literature" This very slender (its covers bulk larger than the pages they enclose) yet lavishly detailed volume, obviously designed for schoolchildren, I chose "sight unseen" from our local public library's computerized catalogue, not to dodge heavy reading or even because "it was there" as Mount Everest was to Mallory, but because I wanted to know more about Magellan and his famed first circumnavigation, or voyage around the world. However brief and simple the book's text, it has doubled or trebled my knowledge of the given subject. There are very few words of text indeed, a result achieved - or perhaps concealed? - in almost every possible way. The actual text occupies parts of only 38 pages, sharing each page perhaps 50-50 with illustrations. Further, the typeface is large, with generous leading (pronounced "ledding" and referring to the blank spaces between lines occupied only by the framing lead [metal] in the Linotype system.) This type is also set in two columns per page, resulting in a central blank space. Supposing page 19 to have an average makeup, there may be on the order of 85 words of regular text per page, equating to little more than 1/4 the textual contents per page that I'd expect in a more typical page for adult reading. Lastly as many extra pages as possible, it seems, are filled with supplementary information. Magellan's story, as Burgan tells it, thus is quickly taken in. I found plenty of time time to read the entire work (of perhaps about 4,000 words, equivalent to a single fictional short story) in one easy sitting. It was however an entertaining and informative read, and also tempted me to seek further information in more detailed sources. exemplifying the book's lavish visual details, although the paper used is of high quality, it has been coloured slightly beige along its top and bottom edges to simulate aging. Wherever possible, illustrations are reproduced in full colour, and beige shading is often used to make illustrations seem to stand out in a third dimension from the pages holding them. Antique maps and the like are faintly reproduced to form backgrounds of the Frontispiece, the Table of Contents, a Glossary, and other "extra" features.-- "The Midwest Book Review"