The story of the first ever round-the-world expedition of Fernand Magellan. In 1519, 5 ships and 265 crew members sailed from Spain to the west, in 1522 one Victoria returned from the east with 18 sailors. The diary of Antonio Pigafetta, one of the surviving members of the expedition, is the basis of this publication. His account of this great and tragic expedition, supplemented by Stefan Zweig's biographical sketch "Magellan," is a fascinating, full of drama and fascinating exposition of the twists and turns of an extraordinary life and an outstanding feat of the great Portuguese navigator.