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When Columbus was born in the mid-fifteenth century, Europe was largely isolated from the rest of the Old World - Africa and Asia - and ignorant of the existence of the world of the Western Hemisphere. The voyages of Christopher Columbus opened a period of European exploration and empire building that breached the boundaries of those isolated worlds and changed the course of human history. This book describes the life and times of Christopher Columbus on the 500th aniversary of his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. Since ancient times, Europeans had dreamed of discovering new routes to the untold riches of Asia and the Far East, what set Columbus apart from these explorers was his single-minded dedication to finding official support to make that dream a reality. More than a simple description of the man, this new book places Columbus in a very broad context of European and world history. Columbus's story is not just the story of one man's rise and fall. Seen in its broader context, his life becomes a prism reflecting the broad range of human experience for the past five hundred years. Respected historians of medieval Spain and early America, the authors examine Columbus's quest for funds, first in Portugal and then in Spain, where he finally won royal backing for his scheme. Through his successful voyage in 1492 and three subsequent journeys to the new world Columbus reached the pinnacle of fame and wealth, and yet he eventually lost royal support through his own failings. William and Carla Rahn Phillips discuss the reasons for this fall and describe the empire created by the Spaniards in the lands across the ocean, even though neither they, nor anyone else in Europe, know precisely where or what those lands were. In examining the birth of a new world, this book reveals much about the times that produced these intrepid explorers.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Acknowledgements
• A Note on Names
• 1 The worlds of Christopher Columbus
• 2 Old worlds in isolation
• 3 The quest for trade and Christians
• 4 Tools of expansion
• 5 Columbus's early years in Genoa and Portugal
• 6 Columbus in Spain
• 7 The first voyage
• 8 Columbus and the New World
• 9 Conquest and colonisation: Spain in the Caribbean
• 10 Coercion and commerce: the birth of Empire
• 11 The post-Columbian world
• Bibliography
• Index

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Library Journal Review

Another study published in conjunction with the Columbus quincentenary. This work firmly places Columbus within the broader context of 200 years of earlier European maritime efforts aimed at gaining wealth through trade with Asia and expanding Christianity. By 1491, the geographical theory and navigational techniques had been well established, making a westward search for Asia inevitable. The authors perceive Columbus as one whose skills and perseverance made him the right man in the right time and place. They also delineate the enormous worldwide consequences of his fateful encounter with a ``new world,'' including the catastrophes let loose on its native population. The Phillipses succeed in their aim of presenting a balanced view, which they hope will challenge the equally distorting myths of Columbus as hero or as villain. Based on the standard documentation, this readable though scholarly work is recommended for public and academic libraries seeking not just a biography but a history of European exploration before Columbus. For more books on Columbus, see ``Rediscovering Columbus,'' LJ 8/91, p. 120-122.--Ed.-- Wil liam F. Young, SUNY at Albany Lib. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

A highly readable "life and times" of Columbus, written by two historians at the University of Minnesota to bring Columbus to a broader readership and to assess the historiography speculative, conjectural, or certain. A survey of the Old World in the 15th century and discussion of motivation sets the scene for a narrative of Columbus's early life, residence in Portugal, marriage, and overtures to the crowns of Portugal and Castile that preceded the first voyage, which is described in detail. Subsequent voyages and Columbus himself are treated in the context of an adverse political climate, Spanish foreign policy, and transition from exploration to conquest and settlement. The Columbus legacy included demographic catastrophe in America, exchange of flora and fauna between Old and New Worlds, and development of a Spanish American Empire. The American impact on Europe forced Europeans to redefine themselves and their cosmos, and brought economic change. The authors emphasize that Columbus was part of a process and that others shared his vision. His salesmanship, fund-raising, and negotiating skills were exceptional but it was his single-mindedness that set him apart. The Phillips's correct inherited "truths." They show Columbus married not into an impoverished family but into one with wealth and connections, debunk the modern misconception that the flat-earth view prevailed, correct assertions that the crew members of his first voyage were mostly jailbirds, and reject the "false log" theory. His debt to Portuguese antecedents is acknowledged. Comprehensive notes; maps; illustrations. Undergraduate and general readers.-A. J. R. Russell-Wood, Johns Hopkins University