asia

Menzies' evidence of the Chinese exploration of the Australian continent hundreds of years before Capt. Cook is pursuasive and has appeared elsewhere. The evidence of the Ming fleets reaching the N./S. American continents is less overwhelming, but tantalizing. Clearly something was afoot though, as there are multiple maps showing the area before the acknowledged European explorers (Columbus, Magellan, etc.) visited. If the physical evidence from shipwreck sites appears in the next few years to butress Menzies' claims, then this book will rightly be seen as revolutionary. If not, then it will simply be another speculative stab at history.

From a literary perspective, Menzies' writing style is uneven. At some points, such as when he is documenting Columbus' pre-1492 voyages to Iceland and the statement by the inhabitants to Columbus that they had been visited by Chinese fleets, the reader's interest level is kept high. At other times, Menzies wanders off onto tangents that have very little to do with the subject matter - how many times does he need to remind us that he enjoyed drinking rum on a Carribean beach?

Despite the physical size of the book, however it remains a quick read and can easily be finished in a weekend. About 20% of the book consists of footnotes and other auxiliary material.

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean in search of new land. This is what westernized history would have us believe. Gavin Menzies, a retired Royal Navy Submarine commanding officer and amateur historian, is the author of the book, "1421: The year China discovered the world." Menzies writes about a history that only a few individuals have heard of. In the novel 1421 it is stated that the largest fleet the world had ever seen sailed from China. The Emperor of China and his fleet journeyed across the Indian Ocean to discover new land and were the first to colonize and inhabit North America. Admiral Zheng, who served under several powerful Chinese emperors, commanded this journey using star charts. This book contains compelling evidence that Chinese explorers were able to solve the problem of longitude long before Western seafarers. Artifacts of the Chinese voyage have been discovered all around the coastal areas of North and South America. Zheng and his Chinese fleet not only discovered America 72 years before Columbus but also colonized the new world. Menzies' controversial book is fascinating. His theory that the Chinese had discovered North America before Columbus will appeal to historical conservatives and skeptics alike. One possible area for concern in regards to Menzies' theory is that western scholars will require incontrovertible proof to support his claim. The claim that China predated Columbus' voyage to the America is truly interesting. Despite some shortcomings, Menzies' book offers an interesting read, one that will satisfy inquiring minds and historians alike.

If you read this lively and entertaining book, you'll hope Gavin Menzies is right and will offer further evidence of his notions. This book is certainly a bit fanciful, but just too fun to ignore.

The idea that Europeans were nothing more than "also rans" shakes the bedrock of our historical foundation, but the snippets of miscellaneous 'discoveries' (such as the strange descriptions of kangaroos, the flora and fauna transplants, and the suspicious wreckages located off far-flung coasts) tempt me towards investigating the 'new' frontiers of speculation.

I don't doubt Menzies' sailing expertise, but he needs a battery of other experts to back up some of his tangential theories. I certainly hope he finds them. I look forward to reading the further research that is sure to follow. It would certainly be fun to imagine that the Chinese managed to get an ancient ship lodged in San Francisco, located the North Pole, mined in Australia, and swapped goods with the early Central Americans.

With style and enthusiasm, Gavin Menzies opened up a big 'can-o-worms' that will provide several decades of exciting study and further speculation. This book is a great place to begin that intellectual journey that awaits.

(paperback version)