A review by professor_x
History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration by Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius

5.0

History’s Greatest Voyages of Exploration was a fascinating and exciting listen. The audiobook was narrated by the author Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius (try saying that three times fast!) and I found him pleasant to listen to. You can tell he is passionate about the subject matter and his fervor really shines through as he recounts these amazing stories.

Mr. Liulevicius takes us on the boats of the early Genoese explorers who dared to enter the Atlantic Ocean, only to be never heard of again. We learn about Pytheas the Greek who left Rome and explored the great North. St. Brendan, an Irish Monk went all the way to Iceland, and possibly farther. Marco Polo and Leif Eriksson make an appearance, as do Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama. Ibn Battuta left his home to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, only to go on and explore Asia and not return home for years! Want to learn about Mr. Henry Hudson and Captain James Cook and their treacherous journeys to North America? It’s all here.

I enjoyed the lectures immensely and the things and people I learned about added to my list of books for further reading. I find it fascinating how the world grew, little by little, by each explorer that dared to go out into the unknown. Some explored for conquest and riches, others for science and knowledge, and others simply for the sake of adventure and excitement. Some lived to tell the tale and others perished.

If you’re interested in world exploration and how the map of the world grew into what we know today, I highly recommend these educational and wonderful courses!