The Old World and the New: 1492-1650

This short book contains four lectures on how the discovery of America influenced Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. The title might be a bit misleading. This book doesn't actually discuss historical events from the new world at all. In fact it assumes quite a bit of prior familiarity with early Spanish colonial history. Instead of discussing the colonies the author shows how the discovery of America changed European views, economies and political circumstances. In the first two lectures he vividly illustrates the mental obstacles that 16th century Europeans faced in trying to understand the new world. The other two lectures focus mainly on the economic impact of America, especially on the finances of the Spanish crown and on the show more rivalry between protestant and catholic monarchies. All in all this book provides a broad perspective on European thoughts about America in this period. The lecture format precludes deep analyses but this book might still serve well as a complement to more detailed works. show less