A Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama 1497-1499

About this book

This volume presents the original journal of Vasco da Gama’s first voyage to India, 1497‑1499, together with extensive front matter that situates the expedition in its historical context. The opening pages list scholarly introductions on the importance of the voyage, biographical notes, and comparative assessments with Columbus, followed by a detailed itinerary that tracks the fleet from Lisbon through the Cape Verde Islands, around the Cape of Good Hope, and along the African coast to Calicut. The work then proceeds to the return journey, and is supplemented by a wealth of appendices, letters from King Manuel, contemporary Portuguese accounts, ship inventories, a muster‑roll, and a series of early maps illustrating the route. Illustrations range from portraits of da Gama to facsimiles of his signatures and nautical charts, offering a richly documented picture of the expedition’s progress and its geopolitical ramifications.

Written in a formal, 17th‑century scholarly style, the text blends narrative travelogue with meticulous annotation, reflecting the period’s reverence for discovery and its attendant imperial ambitions. Readers who relish primary sources, maritime history, or the early modern interplay of geography, commerce, and politics will find this journal rewarding. Its detailed descriptions of ports, cargo, and diplomatic encounters, together with the accompanying maps and letters, make it especially valuable for historians, classicists, and anyone interested in the foundations of global trade routes.