In 1993, an astonishing discovery was made at a tomb in Guodian in Hubei province (east central China). Written on strips of bamboo that have miraculously survived intact since 300 B.C., the "Guodian
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. François Leguat (1637–1735) was a French Huguenot who became the leader of a group of seven Huguenot refugees forced to colonise the island of Rodriguez in 1693, after the French claimed their intended destination, the Ile de Réunion. He remained on the island for two years, before escaping via the neighbouring island of Mauritius. Volume 2 describes his imprisonment on Mauritius and in Jakarta before his return to Europe via the Cape of Good Hope in 1698.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. This 1891 volume contains two sixteenth-century accounts, one Spanish and one German, of the exploration and conquest of the basin of the River Plate, which includes parts of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. The account of Ulrich Schmidt was written as a reply to that of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, the deposed governor of the area, and presents a radically different version of events. Both narratives reveal that the early Spanish conquerors of South America were riven by dissent and ambition.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. François Leguat (1637–1735) was a French Huguenot who became the leader of a group of seven Huguenot refugees forced to colonise the island of Rodriguez in 1693, after the French claimed their intended destination, the Ile de Réunion. He remained on the island for two years, before escaping via the neighbouring island of Mauritius; after imprisonment in Jakarta, he returned to Europe in 1698. Volume 1 describes his journey to Rodriguez and provides descriptions of the island's now extinct flightless birds and giant turtles.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. Shipwrecked on the Maldives in 1602–1607, Pyrard de Laval learnt the local language and studied the culture, flora and fauna of the islands. On his escape to Goa he continued his cultural investigations in Portuguese India, before returning to France by way of Saint Helena and Brazil in 1611. His book, which included practical advice for French traders travelling to Asia and a phrase book for visitors to the Maldives, was an immediate success. This three-volume translation of the 1619 edition appeared in 1887–1890.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. Shipwrecked on the Maldives in 1602–1607, Pyrard de Laval learnt the local language and studied the culture, flora and fauna of the islands. On his escape to Goa he continued his cultural investigations in Portuguese India, before returning to France by way of Saint Helena and Brazil in 1611. His book, which included practical advice for French traders travelling to Asia and a phrase book for visitors to the Maldives, was an immediate success. This three-volume translation of the 1619 edition appeared in 1887–1890.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. Volume 86, published in 1893, contains a translation of the journal of Christopher Columbus during his first voyage, together with documents relating to the subsequent voyages of John and Sebastian Cabot and Gaspar Corte Real. Cabot was commissioned by Henry VII to explore in English interests. Less well known to most readers, Corte Real was a Portuguese who was sent by King Manuel I to look for a passage to Asia but seems to have reached only Greenland and north-east Canada before being lost.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. This 1895 volume contains the first English translation of the then recently discovered reports of Pedro Sarmiento de Gambóa, a sixteenth-century Spanish explorer, astronomer, historian and scientist. As commander of the Pacific naval station, he explored the west coast of South America, and founded Spanish settlements (which subsequently failed due to famine) along the Magellan Straits, which he was also the first to survey.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. This volume, first published in 1897, contains the first English translation of the Greek monk Cosmas Indicopleustes' description of the universe and of his voyages to India, written c.550 C.E. His vivid descriptions of India, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia provide invaluable information on vanished monuments and cultures, though his book also insistently proposes that the earth is flat and denounces the 'Pagans' (mainstream ancient philosophers including Ptolemy) who, like most of Cosmas' Christian contemporaries, argued in favour of a spherical earth.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. Amerigo Vespucci (1454–1512) was an Italian explorer who became a controversial figure. He made several voyages to South America between 1499 and 1502, and wrote accounts of these voyages to his patron. However the publication of two letters with outrageous claims attributed to him in 1502 and 1504 brought accusations that Vespucci was attempting to undermine Christopher Columbus' fame. These letters, together with other contemporary documents, are published in this volume to allow an independent judgement to be made on these claims.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. Vasco da Gama (c. 1460–1524) was a Portuguese explorer who commanded the first European expedition to sail directly to India. This voyage and his combination of force and diplomacy while in India was integral to Portugal's success as a colonising power in the early sixteenth century. Translated and edited by E. G. Ravenstein, this volume contains an anonymous journal which is the last surviving first-hand account of Vasco da Gama's historic voyage. Contemporary diplomatic reports concerning the voyage are also included in this book.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. This volume, first published in 1847 and revised in 1870, consists of letters of Christopher Columbus to the Treasurer of the King and Queen of Spain, describing his first, third and fourth voyages, and a letter from Diego Alvarez Chanca, a royal physician who went on the second voyage and reported his experiences to the town council of Seville. In this edition by R. H. Major, the letters are given in the original languages with an English translation, editor's preface, explanatory notes and index.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. This volume contains an English translation of a description of Ethiopia written by Francisco Alvarez (c.1465–c.1540) during the six years he spent as a missionary with the Portuguese embassy to the Emperor of Ethiopia. Alverez describes Orthodox Christian monasteries and churches, compares the Orthodox and Catholic rites, and provides the first known descriptions of the ancient city of Axum in this, the earliest surviving Western description of Ethiopia, first published in English in 1881.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. This 1874 volume contains an account of the first circumnavigation of the globe in 1519–1522 by Antonio Pigafetta, a Venetian member of Magellan's expedition. It also contains Pigafetta's treatise on navigation, and other material relating to Magellan's voyage, including log-books, records by the pilot and others, and details of the crew and the cost of the fleet. Pigafetta vividly recorded the geography, climate, flora, fauna and the inhabitants of the places that the expedition visited, as well as Magellan's death in the Philippines.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. Volumes 53, 55, 62 and 69 of the series contain the English translation of The Commentaries of the Great Afonso Dalboquerque, translated and edited by Walter de Grey Birch. Afonso de Albuquerque (1453–1515) was a Portuguese naval officer and nobleman whose successful military campaigns helped establish Portugal's colonies in India. Volume 3 contains an account of his second, successful conquest of Goa in November 1510 and the capture of Malacca in 1511.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. This 1881 volume contains accounts by William Baffin (1584–1622) and others of Baffin's voyages exploring the coasts of Greenland and Spitsbergen, and his search for the North-West Passage. Although he did not find a route east, he got considerably further north than previous navigators, and provided much useful information on the conditions and natural resources of the area. His meticulous chart making and record keeping, and his use of lunar observations to calculate longitude, were groundbreaking and remarkably accurate, as later explorers found.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. Volumes 53, 55, 62 and 69 of the series contain the English translation of The Commentaries of the Great Afonso Dalboquerque, translated and edited by Walter de Grey Birch. Afonso de Albuquerque (1453–1515) was a Portuguese naval officer and nobleman whose successful military campaigns helped establish Portugal's colonies in India. Volume 1, published in 1875, contains an account of de Albuquerque's expeditions to India from 1503 to 1509 and his first conquest of Ormuz (modern Hormuz Island, Iran).
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available edited (and sometimes translated) early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. Volumes 53, 55, 62 and 69 of the series contain the English translation of The Commentaries of the Great Afonso Dalboquerque, translated and edited by Walter de Grey Birch. Afonso de Albuquerque (1453–1515) was a Portuguese naval officer and nobleman whose successful military campaigns helped establish Portugal's colonies in India. Volume 2 contains an account of his imprisonment in 1509 as a result of political rivalries, and his first conquest of Goa in February 1510.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. Pedro de Cierza de León (c.1520–1554) was a Spanish solider who participated in many expeditions throughout South America. Between 1548 and 1553 he travelled across Peru, interviewing local officials and Inca prisoners and collecting information about the landscape and indigenous people. Volumes 33 (Travels of Pedro de Cierza de León) and 68 of the Hakluyt series were the first English translation of his work; this, the second volume, appeared in 1883 and contains a detailed description of Inca society and the Spanish conquest of Peru.
The publications of the Hakluyt Society (founded in 1846) made available early accounts of exploration. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from Christopher Columbus to Sir Francis Drake, and covering voyages to the New World, to China and Japan, to Russia and to Africa and India. Pedro de Cierza de León (c.1520–1554) was a Spanish solider who participated in many expeditions throughout South America. Between 1548 and 1553 he travelled across Peru, interviewing local officials and Inca prisoners and collecting information about the landscape and indigenous people. Volumes 33 and 68 of the Hakluyt series were the first English translation of his work. The first contains detailed descriptions of the geography of Peru and an ethnographical account of different indigenous cultures and the second describes Inca society and the Spanish conquest of Peru.
