The Four Voyages: Being His Own Log-Book, Letters and Dispatches with Connecting Narratives.. (Penguin Classics)
by Christopher Columbus
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No gamble in history has been more momentous than the landfall of Columbus's ship the Santa Maria in the Americas in 1492 - an event that paved the way for the conquest of a 'New World'. The accounts collected here provide a vivid narrative of his voyages throughout the Caribbean and finally to the mainland of Central America, although he still believed he had reached Asia. Columbus himself is revealed as a fascinating and contradictory figure, fluctuating from awed enthusiasm to paranoia show more and eccentric geographical speculation. Prey to petty quarrels with his officers, his pious desire to bring Christian civilization to 'savages' matched by his rapacity for gold, Columbus was nonetheless an explorer and seaman of staggering vision and achievement. show lessTags
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As to the Spanish in this book, I cannot comment. The English worked fine for me though. This contains letters and selected documents by Columbus or to him during each of his four voyages. It was nice to have alongside the biography I was reading to fill in some gaps and get an idea of the terminology and phrasing used in the 1400s. From his comments, it seems that Columbus was well read for his day. He seemed to be an eternal optimist until the weight of perceived and real injustices done to him crushed his spirit. That, along with his poor health. His family and friends were loyal though and he always had good words to say for them and for those who sailed under him, even seeming to forgive most of the mutineers.
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A man of imagination, dreams, and perseverance, Columbus, the Genoese, persuaded King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to sponsor his search for the Orient through a Western route. Columbus made four voyages to the New World, always landing in the West Indies and believing he was very close to the "Island of Cipango" (Japan). Difficulties show more with his crew and with his native subjects led to his dismissal as Spanish governor of the islands, although King Ferdinand remained an admirer of his nautical prowess. Fernando Colon (Ferdinand Columbus), his son, wrote The Life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus. The five-hundreth anniversary of Columbus's first trip to the Americas was celebrated in 1992. The approach of this anniversary prompted a renewed look at Columbus and his significance. As a result, there has been increased controversy about Columbus's role. Some continue to admire him as a visionary who expanded the horizons of Europe and helped usher in a new age. Others, however, view him as a despoiler of the New World who plundered its resources and destroyed the culture of its indigenous people. Elements of truth can be found in both views. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- People/Characters
- Christopher Columbus
- Important places
- Atlantic Ocean
- Dedication
- To Mark, who suggested the subject and gave me most generous help with the book.
(J. M. Cohen translation, 1969). - First words
- Christopher Columbus's four voyages of discovery to the New World were recorded in a number of letters and dispatches written by him and the officers who sailed with him.
Introduction (Penguin Classics, J. M. C... (show all)ohen translation, 1969).
Some say that these lands were first known many centuries ago, and that their situation was written down and the exact latitudes noted in which they lay, but their geography and the sea routes by which they were to be reached... (show all) were forgotten, and that Christopher Columbus, a learned man well read in the science of cosmography, set out to make a fresh discovery of these islands.
General and natural history of the Indies by Captain Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo. Book II (Penguin Classics, J. M. Cohen translation, 1969). - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And we can believe that of His great goodness He indeed received the Admiral into His glory, into which may He lead us with him. Amen.
(J. M. Cohen translation). - Original language
- Spanish
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