Rate this book

1493: Uncovering The New World Columbus Created (2011)

by Charles C. Mann(Favorite Author)

4.03 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0307265722 (ISBN13: 9780307265722)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Alfred A. Knopf (NY)

review 1: Unabridged audio 17:46 hr narrated by Robertson Dean1493 is the title but the contents deal with plenty that happened centuries after, the chain of events created by the discovery of the New World. Parts of this book were fascinating such as those chapters dealing with the origns of slavery in the new world and parts were maddening- like the parts with all you wanted to know about Rubber plants but were afraid to ask-(actually i ‘d not too long ago read Fordlandia and Mann covers much of the same territory), oh yes the mosquito too. Parts were outstanding like in chapt 3 which is about the early history of South Carolina, until he credits the Mosquito with having driven Cornwallis out of SC during the Revolutionary War. Mann omits the the fact that it was a bit more comp... morelicated and they gave up the fight after it went beyond Charleston into Williamsburg County and further into the Pee Dee and the Santee river area with British Officer Tarleton giving up on catching Capt Francis Marion who he called a ‘fox.‘ and said that “… as for this damned old fox, the devil himself could not catch him!” I have an ancestor who fought with Marion in the swamps of SC against the Brits till the Brits gave up and went packing. I cannot find any evidence of Francis Marion or my ancestor having been a mosquito. Other than that I think the book is interesting and worth a read.
review 2: Big disappointment for this book. The point of view adopted by Charles Mann to analyze the Columbian Exchange is somewhat strange and unattractive to me. I only appreciate the impact of malaria on the new world, but for the rest the book is depressing. The investigation of the progeny of the various Spanish conquerors (Cortes, Pizarro), the motions of freedom and the enclave of freed slaves in Brazil, Suriname, Haiti, etc.. What's the matter?To me that is just a little. Read in the original language (English). less

Download links for: 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created

Advertising