Seeking the legendary Great South Land, the Spanish conquistadors of the late 16th and early 17th centuries sailed from South America into the unknown southwestern Pacific. Crossing the planet's largest ocean in small wooden ships with rudimentary navigation, these conquistadors encountered for the first time the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, the south coast of New Guinea, and the east coast of Australia. In addition, the book recounts such little known details as the attempts to colonize that ended in death and disaster, the violent confrontations and tentative friendships with the indigenous people, and the search for King Solomon’s mythical land, Ophir.

Miriam Estensen is the author of Discovery: The Quest for the Great South Land, The Life of George Bass, and The Life of Matthew Flinders.