Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. List of Illustrations vii
4. Introduction 1
5. 1 Nature Intervenes 4
6. 2 Around the Bulge 10
7. 3 From Mistaken Expectations to Conquests 17
8. 4 How Trading Replaced Conquest 37
9. 5 Language 52
10. 6 A Painted Ship upon a Painted Ocean 63
11. 7 Gold at Last 73
12. 8 A Star to Steer Her By 85
13. 9 The Deepest River and the Oldest Desert 94
14. 10 A First Glimpse of the Indian Ocean 108
15. 11 Crisscrossing the Atlantic 117
16. 12 Encounters Along the African Coast and in India 128
17. 13 A Dreadful Mistake 146
18. 14 The Salty Tears of the Atlantic 153
19. Notes 159
20. Bibliography 219
21. Index 239