Over the Edge of the World

Acknowledgments

Suzanne Gluck, my literary agent, provided invaluable assistance with the development of this book every step of the way; it is a privilege to have the benefit of her keen insights and good judgment. At William Morrow, I owe a vast debt of gratitude to my editor, Henry Ferris, for his steadfast belief in this book and editorial expertise. I am also grateful to Trish Grader for her enthusiasm and guidance, and I wish to extend additional thanks to Juliette Shapland and Sarah Durand. At HarperCollins UK, I must acknowledge Val Hudson, whose editorial contributions and friendship I have long prized, as well as the support of Arabella Pike.

Magellan’s circumnavigation concerns many different fields, and I conducted research in a wide variety of institutions. In New York, I was fortunate to be able to use the resources of the following institutions: Butler Library, Columbia University; the Center for Jewish History Genealogy Institute; the New York Society Library, where I wish to thank Mark Piel and Susan O’Brien for help with the interlibrary loan program; the Hispanic Society of America; the New York Academy of Medicine Library; and the New York Public Library. I also want to express my appreciation to Columbia University’s John Jay Colloquium, led by the inspirational Peter Pouncey, where I had the opportunity to study classical approaches to writing history with numerous distinguished colleagues.

I owe special thanks to the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University, where Richard Ring, reference librarian; Susan Danforth; and Norman Fiering, director, offered assistance, encouragement, and a sustaining belief in the importance of discovery and exploration as the engine of history. I also received assistance at the Harvard University Archives from Melanie M. Halloran, reference assistant, and Harley P. Holden, university archivist, in researching the papers of Samuel Eliot Morison. My appreciation goes to Mrs. Emily Beck Morison for granting me access to the papers. I must also mention the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, the repository of the Antonio Pigafetta manuscript; the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Washington, D.C.; and the Special Collections Department, Brandeis University Libraries, where Susan C. Pyzynski, Eliot Wilczek, and Lisa Long guided me through their documents pertaining to lawsuits arising from Magellan’s voyage; the Peabody Library, Johns Hopkins University; and John Hattendorf of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

My thanks go also to the NASA scientists who provided up-to-date satellite images of Magellan’s route and a better understanding of the physical nature of the globe. They include my good friends James Garvin, NASA’s lead scientist for Mars exploration; and Claire Parkinson, principal investigator for the AQUA mission. Thanks as well to Marshall Shepherd, research meteorologist, and Chester Koblinsky, head of the Oceans and Ice Branch, for their assistance.

Many other individuals generously offered guidance. In New York, I wish to thank my son Nick for his sailing expertise and my mother, Adele, and my daughter, Sara, for their encouragement; Wilma and Esteban Cordero; Ed Darrach of Bristed-Manning for travel-related services; Daniel Dolgin, for his unstinting advice and patience; Darrell Fennell; Sloan Harris; Emily Nurkin; Roberta Oster; Meredith Palmer; Natalia Tapies; Caroline Sparrow; Susan Shapiro; Joseph Thanhauser III; and the gang at Byrnam Wood. Thanks also to Jennifer O’Keeffe for research assistance in New York. Others who helped in various ways include Alexandra Roosevelt, Martha Saxton, and Robert Schiffman.

Because primary sources about Magellan exist in many languages, especially sixteenth-century Spanish and Portuguese, I am indebted to several translators for bringing these occasionally difficult texts to light, in some cases translating them into English for the first time. They include Isabel Cuadrado, Laura Kopp, Rosa Moran, and Víctor Úbeda.

In the course of my research trips to Spain, I received assistance from Kristina Cordero, my able researcher; Javier Guardiola; and Víctor Úbeda. In Madrid I conducted research at the Museo Naval and the Biblioteca Nacional, and in Seville I consulted the Archive of the Indies, where I am grateful for the assistance of Pilar Lazaro, chief of the Reference Division. Thanks to Francisco Contente Domingues in Portugal; and in Brazil, I extend appreciation to Alessandra Blocker and Elisabeth Xavier, my editors at Objetiva.

One of the highlights of research for this book was my trip to South America in January 2001 to travel along Magellan’s route through the strait that bears his name. In Patagonia I wish to thank the captain and crew of M/V Terra Australis, on which I sailed, and Jon V. Diamond, my traveling companion.

I also owe a debt to specialist readers of the manuscript for their perceptive comments and corrections. They include Dr. Bruce Charash; Daniel Dolgin; Professor Peter Pouncey of Columbia University; Patrick Ryan S.J.; Samuel Scott of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts; and Patricia Telles.

By way of personal thanks, I must acknowledge the contribution of my wife (and first reader) Betsy, who made it possible for me to undertake occasionally demanding travel that was an integral part of the research. During the time I worked on this book, I lost my brother and my father. They enjoyed hearing about it while it was in progress, and I wish they could have seen the finished product. For this reason, and for others that are far more important, I wish to dedicate it to their memory.