"In this remarkable collection of illustrated private journals, log books, letters, and diaries, we follow firsthand the voyages of intrepid sailors from the frozen polar wastes to South Seas paradise islands. And we meet a fascinating cast of real characters: officers and crew, cooks and whalers, surgeons and artists, explorers and adventurers- including Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian who sailed with Magellan; Tupia, a Tahitian who joined Captain Cook's first voyage; buccaneer Bartholomew Sharp, who menaced the Spanish Main; and Jeanne Baret, the first woman to circumnavigate the globe"-- Provided by publisher.