Book of Privileges Issued to Christopher Columbus by King Fernando and Queen Isabel, 1492-1502

by Helen Nader (Introduction), Luciano Formisano (Philologist)

From the moment King Fernando and Queen Isabel sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyage, they began issuing contracts, decrees, and privileges implementing the project. Previous editions of these collected documents, known as the Book of Privileges , have been published. Yet, because their ordering of the materials has followed that in which Columbus left them, use of these books has proven problematic. The Repertorium Columbianum edition is the first to present these documents in chronological order—providing a continuous historical narrative of the monarchs' and Columbus's enterprise. (The documents also appear, separately, in Columbus's arrangement.) Superbly translated, with historical and philological commentary, this edition of the Book of Privileges is certain to become the standard.

472 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 1996

About the author

A specialist in the history of early modern Spain, Helen Nader was Emerita Professor of History at the University of Arizona, where she taught from 1995 until her retirement in 2006. She earned a B.A. from the University of Arizona, an M.A. from Smith College, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to her appointment at the University of Arizona, Nader taught at Indiana University from 1976 until 1995, where she was the Ruth N. Halls Professor of History.