Overview
"In this grand and thrilling narrative, the acclaimed biographer of Magellan, Columbus, and Marco Polo brings alive the singular life and adventures of Sir Francis Drake, the pirate/explorer/admiral whose mastery of the seas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I changed the course of history ""Bergreen masterly portrays ... the swashbuckling life and times of the explorer who achieved what Magellan could not--and made England's fortune in the process."" --Kirkus, STARRED review Before he was secretly dispatched by Queen Elizabeth to circumnavigate the globe, or was called upon to save England from the Spanish Armada, Francis Drake was perhaps the most wanted-and successful-pirate ever to sail. Nicknamed El Draque by the Spaniards who placed a bounty on his head, the notorious red-haired, hot-tempered Drake pillaged galleons laden with New World gold and silver, stealing a vast fortune for his queen-and himself. For Elizabeth, Drake made the impossible real, serving as a crucial and brilliantly adaptable instrument of her ambitions to transform England from a third-rate island kingdom into a global imperial power. In 1580, sailing on Elizabeth's covert orders, Drake became the first captain to circumnavigate the earth successfully. (Ferdinand Magellan had died in his attempt.) Part exploring expedition, part raiding mission, Drake's audacious around-the-world journey in the Golden Hind reached Patagonia, the Pacific Coast of present-day California and Oregon, the Spice Islands, Java, and Africa. Almost a decade later, Elizabeth called upon Drake again. As the devil-may-care vice admiral of the English fleet, Drake dramatically defeated the once-invincible Spanish Armada, spurring the British Empire's ascent and permanently wounding its greatest rival. The relationship between Drake and Elizabeth is the missing link in our understanding of the rise of the British Empire, and its importance has not been fully described or appreciated. Framed around Drake's key voyages as a window into this crucial moment in British history, In Search of a Kingdom is a rousing adventure narrative entwining epic historical themes with intimate passions. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook."
Full Product Details
Author: Laurence Bergreen ,
Michael Page
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: HarperCollins
Dimensions:
Width: 13.70cm
, Height: 1.50cm
, Length: 17.00cm
Weight: 0.091kg
ISBN: 9781799951919
ISBN 10: 179995191
Publication Date: 16 March 2021
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Audio
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Not yet available
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.
Reviews
Bergreen details Drake's round-the-world adventures as well as political intrigues and mutinous sailors. -- Booklist (starred review)
Author Information
LAURENCE BERGREEN is the bestselling author of Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe. His other books include Columbus: The Four Voyages, 1492-1504; Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu; and Voyage to Mars: NASA's Search for Life Beyond Earth. A graduate of Harvard, Bergreen lives in Manhattan. Michael Page has been recording audiobooks since 1984 and has over two hundred titles to his credit. He has won numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. As a professional actor, he has performed regularly since 1998 with the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He is a professor of theater at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
