Columbus Then and Now: A Life Reexamined

Columbus Then and Now: A Life Reexamined

*New*

Christopher Columbus, known as the discoverer of the New World or as the murderer of innocent people whose lands he invaded, has become a figure of near-mythical status in the popular imagination. In this thought-provoking study, Miles H. Davidson examines the myth of Columbus as it is portrayed in numerous recent biographies. By comparing these biographies to a vast collection of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century sources, Davidson exposes the flaws, omissions, and biases present in modern accounts.

The author presents the events of Columbus's life in a chronological order, utilizing manuscripts, diaries, private correspondence, court and naval records, and shipping logs to create a historically reliable portrayal. This study incorporates sources that have never been utilized in previous book-length works, including the recently discovered Libro copiador (a collection of letters written by Columbus himself) and Columbus's holographs (over two thousand notes written in the margins of four of his books). By distinguishing fact from fiction, Davidson sheds new light on pivotal moments in Columbus's life, such as the original contract given to him to seek islands in the west, the alleged influence of Marco Polo on Columbus, the purported sinking of the Santa María, and the role played by Jews in connection with his first voyage.

Combining a retelling of Columbus's life with a critique of other interpretations, Columbus Then and Now will be of great value to Columbus scholars, Latin American scholars, and biographers in general.

FEATURES