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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Five small ships seek a western road to the Spice Islands, with hunger, mutiny and a vast ocean ahead.
In The First Voyage Round the World by Magellan, Antonio Pigafetta follows Ferdinand Magellan from Spain toward seas unknown to the crew. A young Italian who pays his own way aboard, Pigafetta keeps a journal as the fleet crosses the Atlantic, winters in Patagonia and searches for a passage west. Trade draws the ships onward; cold and conflict test their resolve.
Pigafetta watches more than the course of the ships. He records winds and stars, food and clothing, boats and marriage customs. His steady curiosity brings distant shores close, even as the long Pacific crossing brings hunger and danger. This is one sailor’s view, shaped by loyalty to Magellan—not a balanced account of every person the expedition encounters.
What you’ll discover
- A passage through cold waters Follow the search south toward a narrow, winding channel of bays and turns.
- Life beyond the horizon Discover the foods, boats and customs that catch Pigafetta’s curious eye.
- The strain of survival Face the hunger and mutiny that threaten a voyage driven by trade.
- Words from distant shores Encounter words from languages no European has yet written down, recorded alongside daily observations.
- A loyal witness Read with a traveller whose respect for Magellan shapes what he tells.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love sea voyages, maps and first meetings between distant peoples. It rewards anyone curious about the spice trade or early navigation.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Wounded honor becomes a voyage
- Spain backs a disputed route
- Rules hold the ships together
- Winter brings wonder and mutiny
- A hidden passage rewards belief
- The ocean overwhelms their supplies
- Welcome brings faith and alliances
- An alliance draws Magellan into battle
- Each landing reshapes the voyage
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The First Voyage Round the World by Magellan
Five patched ships leave Seville in 1519 to find the Spice Islands by sailing west, and one comes home.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
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In short
Five patched ships leave Seville in 1519 and set out to reach the Spice Islands by sailing west. Three years later one battered ship comes back with eighteen men aboard.
The First Voyage Round the World by Magellan at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h5 h 35 min fast, 8 h 25 min slow
- Length
- 100,500 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A wounded officer leaves Portugal for Spain
Fernão de Magalhães, known as Magellan, serves Portugal in India and Morocco before he turns to Spain. After a wreck in India, the captains row away, but Magellan stays with the common sailors so no quarrel breaks out over the boats. In Morocco a javelin wounds his leg and leaves him lame.
Back in Lisbon he asks King Manuel for a small rise in his stipend, about half a ducat a month. The king refuses and will not even receive him. Some Portuguese writers call Magellan a traitor for what follows.
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Details
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Cite this edition
Pigafetta, Antonio. The First Voyage Round the World by Magellan. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-first-voyage-round-the-world-by-magellan.
Pigafetta, A. (2026). The first voyage round the world by Magellan. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-first-voyage-round-the-world-by-magellan
Pigafetta, Antonio. The First Voyage Round the World by Magellan. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-first-voyage-round-the-world-by-magellan.
@book{pigafetta2026first,
author = {Pigafetta, Antonio},
title = {The First Voyage Round the World by Magellan},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-first-voyage-round-the-world-by-magellan}
}
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What is The First Voyage Round the World by Magellan about?
It tells how Ferdinand Magellan's fleet of five ships sails from Seville in 1519 to find a western route to the Spice Islands. The survivors complete the first trip around the globe, seen mostly through Antonio Pigafetta's eyewitness record.
Who was Antonio Pigafetta and why does he matter?
Pigafetta was an Italian volunteer who sailed on the voyage and kept a day-by-day journal. He saw Magellan's death firsthand, recorded peoples, plants and customs along the way, and is one of the few who wrote about the whole voyage.
Is the book a true story and when was it written?
Yes, it is a firsthand account of a real voyage that left Seville in 1519 and returned in 1522. Pigafetta wrote his account in the years soon afterward, and it appears here beside other records from the same expedition.
The author
Antonio Pigafetta
1490–1530 · Italian explorer and chronicler
Venetian diplomat, historian, and explorer of the Pacific and Chile.
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