"An exploration narrative of the highest order: the bestselling author of Over the Edge of the World brings alive the extraordinary life and adventures of Sir Francis Drake, whose mastery of the seas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I changed the course of history--as a pirate raiding Spanish galleons, as the first explorer to successfully circumnavigate the globe, and as a naval hero who defeated the Spanish Armada and reshaped the global order" --|c Provided by publisher.

The Island and the Empire -- The Monarch and the Mystic -- "Contrary Winds and Foul Weather" -- Traitor -- Golden Hind -- "The Most Mad Seas" -- "Cruel Courtesy" -- Treasure Fleet -- Cacafuego -- Life among the Miwok -- Deliverance -- Unbroken Blue Water -- Return and Reward -- The Dragon Arrives -- Two Queens, One Throne -- Raid on Cádiz -- Signs and Portents -- Disdain, Revenge, Victory -- A "Top-Earning pirate".