Skip to content

Spain's Men of the Sea: Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Spain's Men of the Sea: Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century Hardcover - 1998

by Pablo Emilio Perez-Mallaina Bueno; Carla Rahn Phillips (Translator)


From the publisher

In the sixteenth century, Spain's control over its vast New World empire depended on the sailors and officers who manned the galleons and merchant vessels of its Atlantic fleets. In Spain's Men of the Sea, Pablo E. Prez-Mallana paints a stunning portrait of daily life aboard the ships of the Spanish Main. With a novelist's eye for both detail and drama, Prez-Mallana evokes the golden age of seafaring in this thoroughly researched and generously illustrated account.

Spain's Men of the Sea begins in Seville, the gateway to the New World. One of Europe's most cosmopolitan cities, Seville attracted people and goods from around the world. From Seville, Prez-Mallana follows the Spanish fleets to the West Indies ports of San Juan de Ulda, Veracruz, Cartagena, Nombre de Dios, Portobelo, and Havana. He profiles the men and boys who went to sea -- from the scions of seafaring dynasties and fugitives from justice to the orphans and destitute children apprenticed into service as cabin boys. Some signed on because of family tradition, more signed on because of the lure of New World treasure or simply to obtain free passage to the Americas. Most sailors were poorly paid, but the more enterprising among them supplemented their meager wages by small-scale trade or smuggling. Prez-Mallana also describes relations among the ship owners, officers, and crews, and traces the intervention of the Spanish government in disputes over pay and cases of insubordination and mistreatment.

Prez-Mallana paints a bleak picture of life at sea and its physical and mental effect on seamen and passengers alike. The seafaring life was defined by cramped quarters, abominable food, seasickness, vermin infestation, anddisease. More frightening still was the threat of shipwreck and assault by corsairs and pirates that accompanied all sea voyages. Not surprisingly, most sailors were highly superstitious, and Prez-Mallana closes his vivid study with an exploration of their unorthodox religious beliefs, which combined Christian and pagan elements. A significant contribution to maritime history, Spain's Men of the Sea also succeeds as a compelling tale of everyday life and death in the maritime community.

"Prez-Mallana writes well and has an engaging sense of humor. The work is richly illustrated, and the illustrations, including many color plates, are well chosen... This book should appeal to all aficionados of the romance of the sea as well as to specialists in Spanish and Latin American colonial history." -- Benjamin Keen, author of A History of Latin America

First line

Sooner or later, any sailor who traveled to the Indies in Spanish ships made a stop in Seville, the great port on the Guadalquivir River.

Details

  • Title Spain's Men of the Sea: Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century
  • Author Pablo Emilio Perez-Mallaina Bueno; Carla Rahn Phillips (Translator)
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Printing
  • Pages 304
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore
  • Date May 15, 1998
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780801857461 / 0801857465
  • Weight 1.39 lbs (0.63 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.29 x 6.32 x 1.04 in (23.60 x 16.05 x 2.64 cm)
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 97042172
  • Dewey Decimal Code 387.509
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Spain's Men of the Sea: Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Spain's Men of the Sea: Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century

by Pablo E. Perez-Mallaina

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780801857461
ISBN 10
0801857465
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$17.27
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$17.27
FREE shipping to USA
Spain's Men of the Sea : Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Spain's Men of the Sea : Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century

by Perez-Mallaina, Pablo E

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780801857461
ISBN 10
0801857465
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$17.43
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Johns Hopkins University Press. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$17.43
FREE shipping to USA
Spain's Men of the Sea : Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Spain's Men of the Sea : Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century

by Perez-Mallaina, Pablo E

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780801857461
ISBN 10
0801857465
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Dunfermline, Fife, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$17.43
$10.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Johns Hopkins University Press. Used - Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$17.43
$10.00 shipping to USA
Spain's Men of the Sea: Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Spain's Men of the Sea: Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century

by Perez-Mallaina, Dr. Pablo E

  • New
  • Hardcover
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780801857461
ISBN 10
0801857465
Quantity Available
1
Seller
San Diego, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$95.42
$5.45 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998-05-15. Hardcover. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title!
Item Price
$95.42
$5.45 shipping to USA