historical study

This is a terrific history of Columbus' four trips to the Americas taken mostly from his journals and other contemporary accounts. It is better than good for several reasons.

First, it is novel in that it describes the first voyage beyond the histroy we get in grade school. It describes Columbus' luck as well as his skill which when combined enabled him to make the journey and how he kept the crew thinking that land was always just over the horizon. He establishes every sailor of the time knew the world was round - the fear was the unknown size of the sphere and what lay beyond the horizon.

Next, it describes Columbus' next three voyages. I had seen maps showing them, but never read any accounts.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the book, though, was Mr. Least-Moon's accounts of how Columbus treated and perceived what he named Indians. The author puts these acts and attitudes into the context of the impending slaughter by the Spaniards of the Indians in the name of Christianity. The most remarkable aspect of the author's accounts and comments is that he makes the observations without a hint of political correctness or bias. His nearly emotionless rendition makes the reader's own conclusions more poignant.

This book is a terrific historical account of events about which most of us only have a superficial knowledge. It is strongly recommended.

As an introduction to the voyages of Columbus, this book by William Least Heat-Moon serves the task well. In its brief 180 pages, an overview of where and when Columbus travelled is well chronicled.

There are perhaps too many people who know of Columbus only that "in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue". Yet Columbus did more than just sail. Although he never discovered America and constantly thought he had arrived in Asia, he nonetheless served as the spark to the later journeys that would fully reveal the New World. Unfortunately, both his journeys and those of his followers would do much to injure the indigenous people with the introduction of disease and slavery.

If you are searching for a primer on Columbus and the New World, Least Heat-Moon's book serves that purpose well. If, however, you are looking for something of greater substance, look to other sources.

I received this book "Columbus in the Americas" as a present and enjoyed it very much. I previously read Heat-Moon's Blue Highways as well as River-Horse and this is a quite a departure from those books. Frankly I enjoyed Blue Highways and River-Horse more because Heat-Moon has such a great way of telling stories of his experiences. With Columbus he had to rely upon historical fact and obviously could not put in the first-person details that makes the other books so wonderful.

Considered on its own merits though, Columbus is an excellent interpretation of his voyages. The book has emphasis on the qualities Columbus had that make reading of his accomplishments worthwhile even 500 years after the fact. This book has stirred my interest in learning more about the life and times of Columbus.