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Columbus

The Four Voyages
by Laurence Bergreen
Columbus: The Four Voyages. Viking. Sept. 2011. 544p. ISBN 9780670023011. $35. CD: Penguin Audio.
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After encountering the Americas in 1492, Columbus made three more voyages, aimed at showing that he could whip together a crew bound for China and get the heathens there converted. Those voyages failed in many ways but demonstrated that Columbus was a skilled, gutsy sailor. Having assayed other bold explorers (Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe has sold 200,000 copies), Bergreen seems like the right man to bring us up to speed on Columbus. Officially publishing on Columbus Day, though it's on sale beforehand, this seems like good, serious reading. With a six-city tour.
After encountering the Americas in 1492, Columbus made three more voyages, aimed at showing that he could whip together a crew bound for China and get the heathens there converted. Those voyages failed in many ways but demonstrated that Columbus was a skilled, gutsy sailor. Having assayed other bold explorers (Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe has sold 200,000 copies), Bergreen seems like the right man to bring us up to speed on Columbus. Officially publishing on Columbus Day, though it's on sale beforehand, this seems like good, serious reading. With a six-city tour.
Reviewed by Barbara Hoffert , May 01, 2011
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