Sir Francis Drake: British Library Historic Lives

Francis Drake assured his place in history when, in his lone ship the Golden Hind, he sailed the Pacific to become the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. Drake the man, however, is the enigma and relatively little is known about him personally and what motivated him. Historians today have struggled to reconcile the heroic legend with the facts, which show that Drake achieved his status almost exclusively through acts of theft, piracy and terrorism. In this new biography, Peter Whitfield, a leading expert in exploration and map history, examines this dilemma to shed light on Drake the man and the legend. Illustrated throughout with original documents, maps and portraits, the biography offers an accessible and highly readable account of one of the greatest explorers of all time.