A biography of the Portuguese explorer who opened up the lands to the east of Europe by discovering a waterway to India.

Recounts Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama's epic voyage around the bottom of Africa to India, which opened up trade and travel to these areas. Ages 8-18.

A sweeping historical epic and a radical new interpretation of Vasco da Gama's groundbreaking voyages, seen as a turning point in the struggle between Christianity and Islam In 1498 a young captain sailed from Portugal, circumnavigated Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean, and discovered the sea route to the Indies and, with it, access to the fabled wealth of the East. It was the longest voyage known to history. The little ships were pushed beyond their...

In this history, each century is examined through the perspective of a city that helped define the age. Maps drawn from a bird's eye's point of view introduce each chapter, then follows a dramatic historical event which represents the spirit of the age under examination. Forming a two-page border around this main illustration is a selective international chronicle of the century's key historical, cultural, scientific and technological events.