A straightforward but tepid biography from fisheries biologist Joyner of the great visionary Magellan, whose resolve to reach the Spice Islands by sailing around the lands encountered by Columbus and others prompted the first circumnavigation of the globe. Joyner begins with an overview of the history of seafaring and of Portuguese exploration of sea routes to India. Magellan, member of a rural branch of the Portuguese royal family, emerges from obscurity in the midst of the struggle in the Indian Ocean over control of the spice trade, proving himself a brave and resourceful fighter. But his less endearing demands for greater recognition earn him King Manuel's enmity, forcing him to cut his ties to Portugal in order to try his luck in Spain. With powerful backing, Magellan finds King Charles more receptive to his plans to open a spice route to the West, and in September 1519 five ships set sail under his command. Dissension plagues the voyage almost from the start, but Magellan carries on even with a fleet reduced by mutiny, reaching the Pacific through the icy waters of the strait now bearing his name. After he arrives in the Philippines, his achievements cloud his judgment to such a degree that he is killed in 1521 while leading a pointless assault on the village of a rebellious chief. His crew continues on, arriving back in Spain, emaciated and cramped into one remaining ship with a cargo of spices, three full years after setting out. Research includes original documents and subsequent narratives of the voyage, as well as the author's firsthand experiences along the coast of southern South America, but Joyner proves unequal to the task of conveying either the spirit of this momentous event or of the remarkable man behind it. (Ninety illustrations.)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-87742-263-X
Page Count: 368
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1992
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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