"From the mid-fifteenth to mid-eighteenth centuries, the driving force behind world exploration was Europe's growing passion for the luxuries of life and for discovering the uncharted territories that provided these luxuries. We know the shape of the world today because ships, driven by wind and human muscle, were navigated into every last bay and estuary on Earth, searching for this wealth. The ships that made these voyages were the products of a long evolution, and their navigators were the beneficiaries of centuries of accumulated experience. ... Voyages recounts the extraordinary feats of more than twenty daring maritime explorers ...."--jacket flap.