A fair-haired boy raced through the narrow streets of Genoa to the harbor. There he stopped, as he always did, to gaze at the ships lying at anchor, the strange cargoes on the wharves, and the sprawling sailors. It was young Christopher Columbus. But in spite of his consuming interested in ships and the sea, it was not until he was twenty-two, in the year 1473—when he made his first voyage—that the seafaring career he had so long dreamed about began. He could never have dreamed, however, that some day he would find a new world on the other side of the Sea of Darkness.

That was the name given in those days to the Atlantic. Only a madman, people thought, would ever sail far out into that mysterious ocean, and surely no one who did would ever be seen again. Yet it fascinated Christopher Columbus. In 1492 it was finally possible for him to start on the adventure which he had been planning for years—the crossing of the terrible Sea of Darkness. He had gathered a crew who were ready to risk their lives with him, he had gained the support of Spain's Queen Isabella, and she had given him three small ships for the voyage.

Here, in this brief book, is the thrilling story of Columbus's life and his four famous voyages of discovery. It is the story of a brave man whose faith in his own vision triumphed over mutiny, hostile natives, and physical suffering. William Stobbs' strong and beautiful drawings, on almost every page, play an essential part in this re-creation of a hero and his times.

From the book