THE SECRET VOYAGE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE: 1577–1580

Maritime historian Bawlf skillfully uncovers new information regarding Drake's circumnavigation of the globe, which began, amidst political and religious upheaval in Europe, in 1577. Until now, Drake's secret voyage—the exploration of the Pacific Northwest in hopes of finding the fabled Northwest Passage to eastern trade routes, and to establish a British colony in the New World—was hidden under a "cloak of secrecy" due to Drake's complicated relationship with Queen Elizabeth and England's precarious political situation with Spain. With braided historical, nautical, geographical and imagined narrative elements, Drake's voyage unfolds slowly at first, and at times lags under the weight of all Bawlf attempts to include. But once underway, it becomes an increasingly compelling tale, as Drake earns his reputation as "one of the greatest mariners that sail[ed] the seas, both as a navigator and as a commander," feared by his enemies for the "alarming scope of his [pirating] success." The account is thoroughly researched and carefully plotted, but Bawlf's true accomplishment is his humanization of historical icon Drake, a demanding, unyielding captain and ruthless sacker of Spanish ships and colonies, while at the same time a man who was deeply religious, who treated his captives with courtesy and was eager to establish strong bonds with the indigenous people he encountered along his journey. In the end, what resonates most is Drake's disappointment at being denied public ownership of his most important discoveries. This sympathetic, thorough treatment adds greater dimension to an already celebrated life. 60 b&w illus., 20 maps. (June)