Mysterious History of Columbus: An Exploration of the Man, the Myth, the Legacy

by John Noble Wilford

Sheds new light on the life, times, and legacy of Christopher Columbus, answering questions about his voyages, the myths surrounding him, and his impact on world history

Genres: History, Biography

315 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

John Noble Wilford is a science correspondent for 'The New York Times'. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes (1984 & 1987). He was the McGraw Lecturer at Princeton University in 1985, and Professor of Science Journalism at the University of Tennessee in 1989-1990. In 1998, he was elected tot the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Wilford has worked for 'The Wall Street Journal', 'Time', and, since 1965, the 'Times'.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great in-depth look at the world of Columbus, the man, his time, how he became who he was and how history has been evolving in it’s view of him as time moves on. I am amazed at how much we actually lack of information on him, yet somehow so much is written about him. As much as I know this, I am still surprised as to how much historical facts are not really presented in their true honest form for others to judge, but are presented in someone else’s opinion disguised as fact. This book does its best to uncover the basic facts, present all points of view and let the reader be the judge.

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best-known biography of Columbus has long been Morison’s Admiral of the Ocean-Sea, published in 1942, which I remember reading with great enjoyment back in the late 1950s. However, the magisterial Morison tended to hero-worship and besides, fashions in history change. Historians nowadays generally give Columbus his share of the blame for helping to institute a imperial Spanish reign of terror in the New World that last for nearly four centuries. Wilford is a science writer who became interested in the subject when he discovered just how little was actually known about Columbus’s ships -- how little agreement there was, in fact, on anything about the four voyages. Columbus is almost the archetype of the extremely human man converted to heroic legend and myth, and that’s what Wilford investigates. He’s an excellent and judicious writer and while he doesn’t presume to draw “final” conclusions about such puzzles as the Admiral’s first landing place or last resting place, he neatly summarizes the arguments of others. He also does an excellent job of describing Columbus’s history in the five hundred years since his physical death.

[Yemoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilford navigates the vast opinions of Columbus scholars, dispersing the haze of legend surrounding the celebrated discoverer in a truly engaging format. Columbus successfully bridged the Old and New Worlds as Europe's agent. It is generally agreed that his seamanship was masterful - by looking at the night sky alone he could forecast his course of direction and the weather. How he went about his explorations (recklessly & brutal) and why (driven by greed, status and religious zeal) provide infinite branches for historians to hang onto. I am surprised the term "fanatic" wasn't used as an apt descriptor in this book, the suggestion is clear. We can no longer say "regardless of what he did" he discovered America - doing so excuses his fallacies, of which there were several, including inhumane treatment of the Caribs. This approach was absolutely unnecessary - for what good did it bring unto mankind? This work gets your wheels churning and that's what I most enjoyed from it.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent book - well written with some great insights into Columbus and the circumstances around his life.

[Selene · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to read in greater detail about Columbus, both the "facts" and the myths.

[Fernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colon was not aware of what he found, he always thought that he was somewhere in the far east: "But the observer's medieval mind betrayed him". p.209