Sir Peter Russell was until his retirement King Alfonso XIII Professor of Spanish Studies and for many years also director of Portuguese studies at the University of Oxford. A fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society, he is also a commander of the Order of Prince Henry, Portugal. Most recent of his many books is From John of Gaunt to Henry the Navigator and Beyond.

"To register the immense difference separating Henry's mind and world from what followed is the central achievement of this accomplished and delightfully written book. It rests not only on Professor Russell's mastery of the most recent scholarship, but on the closeness and acuteness of his own reading of often fragmentary and incomplete sources... The outcome may well be the finest work of history to be published this year." J. M. Roberts, Times Literary Supplement "An outstanding volume that will take decades to supersede." Frank McLynn, New Statesman "Russell presents a... fascinating man in a superbly written and thought-provoking book." Economist "An illuminating and well-written life of the founding figure of the Age of Exploration... A complete, scholarly, and thoroughly readable look at one of the key shapers of the modern world - lavishly illustrated with period maps and paintings." Kirkus Reviews

Sir Peter Russell was until his retirement King Alfonso XIII Professor of Spanish Studies and for many years also director of Portuguese studies at the University of Oxford. A fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society, he is also a commander of the Order of Prince Henry, Portugal. Most recent of his many books is From John of Gaunt to Henry the Navigator and Beyond.

"To register the immense difference separating Henry's mind and world from what followed is the central achievement of this accomplished and delightfully written book. It rests not only on Professor Russell's mastery of the most recent scholarship, but on the closeness and acuteness of his own reading of often fragmentary and incomplete sources... The outcome may well be the finest work of history to be published this year." J. M. Roberts, Times Literary Supplement "An outstanding volume that will take decades to supersede." Frank McLynn, New Statesman "Russell presents a... fascinating man in a superbly written and thought-provoking book." Economist "An illuminating and well-written life of the founding figure of the Age of Exploration... A complete, scholarly, and thoroughly readable look at one of the key shapers of the modern world - lavishly illustrated with period maps and paintings." Kirkus Reviews

Sir Peter Russell was until his retirement King Alfonso XIII Professor of Spanish Studies and for many years also director of Portuguese studies at the University of Oxford. A fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society, he is also a commander of the Order of Prince Henry, Portugal. Most recent of his many books is From John of Gaunt to Henry the Navigator and Beyond.

"To register the immense difference separating Henry's mind and world from what followed is the central achievement of this accomplished and delightfully written book. It rests not only on Professor Russell's mastery of the most recent scholarship, but on the closeness and acuteness of his own reading of often fragmentary and incomplete sources... The outcome may well be the finest work of history to be published this year." J. M. Roberts, Times Literary Supplement "An outstanding volume that will take decades to supersede." Frank McLynn, New Statesman "Russell presents a... fascinating man in a superbly written and thought-provoking book." Economist "An illuminating and well-written life of the founding figure of the Age of Exploration... A complete, scholarly, and thoroughly readable look at one of the key shapers of the modern world - lavishly illustrated with period maps and paintings." Kirkus Reviews