[Verginius Rufus]

I recently read The Circumnavigators by Derek Wilson. Lots of fascinating accounts from Magellan to fairly recent times.

Also Wilbur Smith, The Triumph of the Sun, mostly set in Khartoum and vicinity at the time of the siege by the Mahdi. Published about 2005 but made 10/7 seem like "business as usual."

[KC Burke]

You might like “Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire” by Crowley. This really gave me a much better understanding of the Indian Ocean’s opening to the west.