High Voyage, The

Customer Reviews:

No, the Third Voyage is the best!.......2006-03-16

This book contains primary sources ONLY. (How do I "rate" the letters of Christopher Columbus? :-) You can read about the life and times of an historical character by the very best historians for years, but until you read what that character actually wrote about his own experiences, you're groping in the dark. Nothing compares to getting it from the horse's mouth.

These letters, beautifully translated, free of anyone's opinions, are history's nuclear core. Any gut sense YOU get from these words may well be closer to the truth than what you've read by any scholar. Occasionally you might realize that your favorite historian didn't actually finish reading some of the letters they're basing an argument on! Then you are in a position of knowing more than he/she does.

I do wonder why Penguin doesn't fix the date of Columbus's death. The editor has him dying in 1509 (not a typo since it's repeated) which is a shame. Columbus died 500 years ago this spring, and a quincentenary only happens once. It's "Goodbye, Columbus" May 20th, 2006.

FAVORITE VOYAGE: NO. 3, when he blesses the continent of South America with his tears (red with blood from exposure and illness) and warns the Monarchs that this is the Earthly Paradise and no one may enter without God's leave.

great description of Columbus voyages.......2005-11-02

This book is a great description of the events related to the exploration of the new world made by Columbus. The first two voyages are the most interesting because of the discovery of the caribbean island and the natives inhabitants living there, the arawaks and the caribs. The latter were very particular on account of its cannibalism.

In the third voyage, Columbus finally reach mainland and the fourth voyage was the toughest of all due to huge storms that lasted several days and the attacks of indian while there were repairing. At the end of the book there is an account made by Diego Mendez, a truly survivor and loyal servant of the Admiral who saved the lives of all of them while they were waiting in Jamaica, for a year.

I my opinion Columbus was a great navigator and a brave man. It is sad how the life of the Admiral ends and the poor retribution from the kings of Spain.

Columbus Resurrected.......2004-03-12

J. M. Cohen's translation of various 1st-hand or near first-hand accounts, including that of Columbus' son, Hernando Colon's LIFE OF THE ADMIRAL brings the Columbus story to life.

The Introduction, coming from a translator of literature rather than a historian, is rather uninspiring; however, he does provide a rather thorough rebuttal of the argument, made by many supporters of Bartolome de Las Casas and referred to without explanation by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto in COLUMBUS, that Hernando Colon's work is a forgery. Indeed, since it appeared long before Las Casas' HISTORY was published, the issue of forgery may go in the other direction!

The book, through early Spanish sources, looks at the rumor that Columbus relied on the map of an ailing Portuguese sailor. It makes plain Columbus' error in thinking he was near Japan (Chipangu) and his belief that he would reach Cathay! We see his rather innocent introduction to the potent tobacco plant and how the natives fed his belief that gold, pearl and spices were nearby.

Columbus is shown to be of mixed character: on the one hand, he generally seems to respect the natives he meets and makes an alliance with one chieftain against the 'cannibal' Caribs. On the other, he takes several natives captive (to have them trained in Spanish so that they can serve as translators on future voyages), gives some Carib women to his men (who raped them as in the case of the vile Michele de Cuneo) and discusses conquest and enslavement of idolators [not particularly shocking considering the long history of conflicts and mutual enslavement between the muslim moors of Spain & Northern Africa and the Christians of Spain & Portugal].

Columbus' biggest problem appears to be his tendency to leave his men (39 on the first voyage) as colonies while he explores elsewhere. Whenver he returns, the natives have either killed the colonists or were at war with them - often due to the Spaniards' greed and licentiousness. Indeed, at one point, he leaves his brother in charge and the Spaniards, being forbidden to sleep with the native women revolt and found a rebel colony where the women were supposed to be more accomodating! Columbus ultimately is forced into an accomodation with these Spaniards and eventually conquers the natives. We also see the separate voyage of Ovando to Hispaniola and the beginnings of the gold mines. Columbus, not unlike a number of his successors, suffered arrest and trial and, after his last voyage, was deprive of power and authority.

Columbus' voyages, following in the footsteps of the Henrican discoveries, would likely have eventually been made by someone but Columbus seems especially driven to exploration. It was an unfortunate fact that he was also a very poor (and often absent) governor. His actions, sometimes courageous and thoughtful, sometimes harsh and reflexive probably represent the more civilized men of his time - when the Middle Ages was just ending, slavery and religious wars continued in Spain, Portugal, North Africa and Italy, and people were still being burned at the stake for heresy.

Amazing. An in debt look at Columbus and hislifeBuDdaHlOvAh.......1998-10-29

This book was excellent. It taught me so much more about Columbus and his journey's. Being a school teacher, this book sure will help me while teaching my students. I now have much more knolege on the subject.

The Diario of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage to America, 1492-1493 (American Exploration & Travel Series, Vol 70)

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A must-have for any Columbus scholar

The Diario of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage to America, 1492-1493 (American Exploration & Travel Series, Vol 70)
Oliver Dunn , and James E. Kelley
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0806123842

Customer Reviews:

A must-have for any Columbus scholar.......2000-11-03

This is the largest fragment of Columbus's first voyage log, as abstracted by Bartolome de Las Casas. Of the many editions in print, Dunn & Kelley stands head and shoulders above the rest. The format has a new Spanish transcription on the left-hand pages, exactly as hand-written in the original manuscript by Las Casas: same abbreviations, strike-outs, diacriticals, and marginal notes. The right-hand pages contain an English translation.

But perhaps the most valuable addition for the scholar is the Spanish concordance of the entire text, giving folio and line numbers for every appearance of almost every word. (Common words such as prepositions are given only with word counts, not references.) All in all, a must-have for any serious scholar or afficianado of the Admiral of the Ocean Sea.

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Amazing Story...and it was never told before?!!?!

IT'S A NOVEL.

"He chose to live a bold life rather than settle for mediocrity" (a history teacher's review)

The Myth and the Man

Great Read!

The Last Voyage of Columbus: Being the Epic Tale of the Great Captain's Fourth Expedition, Including Accounts of Mutiny, Shipwreck, and Discovery
Martin Dugard
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0316154563

Book Description

This thrilling adventure narrative recreates the epic, never-before-told story of Columbuss fourth and final journey to the New Worlda voyage that was by far his most dangerous, unexpected, exhilarating, and consequential.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Story...and it was never told before?!!?!.......2007-10-09

Dugard is a fantastic writer. Although the beginning of the book begins slowly, the tale of the fourth voyage is one of the most thrilling adventures I ever read. The fact that this was a true story and not fiction makes the reader hold onto their armchair as Dugard's narrative reads beautifully and steers the reader along, and it does so as masterfully as the great Columbus himself, who tenaciously led his frightened men to the New World. And despite Columbus' later misfortunes during this fourth voyage, he was an extremely clever man with outstanding resolve that although never found that elusive passage to Asia did manage to return home safely after a nerve-racking series of disasters. That is astounding by any mortal's standards.

I was glad to see that the History Channel made a movie on Dugard's book, as it is a crucial piece of history and an amazing story. Despite Columbus' failed mission he led his crew through, while even being deathly sick, to finally being rescued. That so many men did follow him, regardless of the mutiny, which was understandable at that crisis, it seems the main issue many others and I have is about Columbus being a tyrant. This whole issue truly needs factual evidence to prove that it was Columbus rather than his officers who committed those gross misdeeds on Hispaniola that tarnished Columbus' name, honor and right to govern.

In comparison to King Ferdinand's Spain, which was entering its most ugly period of pogroms by first expelling the Muslims and currently on a mission to begin the Inquisition, Columbus appears to have been an angel. If harsh punishments were meted out on Hispaniola, it seems the evil King Ferdinand, who was killing people in mass, was no one to reprimand Columbus or his men for harsh treatment. Many factors indicate that the King's aim was to demote Columbus and his monopoly on the New World, which he and his evil bishop, Fonseca, managed to do. They were ruthlessly expelling Muslims and Jews, and Columbus was just another expendable victim added to the list. Hence, this vital information needs to be finally resolved by ALL historians writing about Columbus.

However, this book is titled "The Last Voyage of Columbus", so I can't criticize Dugard too much in this regard, yet his storyline does address this previous issue, and therefore should to some extent. But as for the tantalizing fourth voyage, this is nothing short of extraordinary and almost too unreal to believe.

This was a fascinating tale, written in a fascinating and engaging style. Bravo Dugard! And thanks for bequeathing to the world this great and important tale. A MUST READ!

IT'S A NOVEL........2007-09-25

Sigh. Dugard is such a good writer -- an awe-inspiring writer -- but a book with an index promotes itself as nonfiction. He's got the basic outline of the Columbian story, but the very vividness of his talent makes his historical blunders all the more jarring. Eventually they become unbearable, which is sad.

He keeps tripping over his own cursory research, bedecking Columbus in the correct colorful Renaissance attire, for example, at a time when the real Columbus wore monk's robes. He has Columbus the father holed up with his son Ferdinand in a hurricane -- getting to know each other "after a lifetime apart." What lifetime was that? Ferdinand's mother was Columbus's partner from 1485 to his death. Family life with her, their son Ferdinand, and Columbus's elder son, the motherless Diego, probably made seven years of waiting bearable for him. Cordoba, where Beatriz lived, was his home base, and we know that he stayed there with her and his children between voyages as well: At one point Ferdinand tells us in his biography that Columbus finally sent the two boys back to school because the next voyage was hopelessly delayed.

One night in a storm together may have made for vivid memories, but they knew "each other very, very well" already. With some research, this book could have been a masterpiece.

"He chose to live a bold life rather than settle for mediocrity" (a history teacher's review).......2007-09-01

"The only certainty about Columbus is that, for better or worse, he chose to live a bold life rather than settle for mediocrity." (p. 268)

That is how Dugard ends a lively and informative biography of Christopher Columbus. As the title indicates, Dugard focuses on the fourth voyage of Columbus and its successes and mishaps. In order to properly place this voyage in its correct context, he uses the first half of the book to give the reader a fairly comprehensive biography of Columbus, as well as a thorough look at the politics of the day and other voyages of exploration, especially those of the Spanish and Portugese.

Columbus has been a whipping boy for the politically correct crowd for decades now. Dugard does a solid job of putting Columbus's actions in their proper context without becoming an apologist for his actions. Dugard is unabashadly admiring of Columbus's skills as a navigator and his bravery, but he's quite critical of his abilities as a colonial administrator. His narrative would be a wonderful movie except for two things: #1) Columbus is still radioactively politically incorrect; #2) No one would believe it.

It is a fascinating story and I highly recommend this read. However, I cannot give it 5 stars because Dugard does the unthinkable for a writer of any history - he fails to provide any sort of footnotes or endnotes. None. He does provide an extensive bibliography, but that is not good enough. I require my high school students to provide footnotes or endnotes. Dugard should do the same thing.

The Myth and the Man.......2006-12-04

This book is divided into two parts, the first deals with Columbus, his time spent getting some one (anyone) to back him finacially on a hairbrain scheme to get to China/India by sailing West, and his first three voyages and their results. The second deals with the Fourth Voyage (which he calls his "High Voyage) it's triumph(s), tragedies and their aftermath.

But what makes this book worth reading is what it really deals with, and that when a man's dreams come true they are not always what he expected nor what he wanted in the first place (or thought he did). Columbus wanted to sail west, discover a way to the Orient, make himself a fortune, be showered with lands medals and titles and leave a great legacy for his children and posterity.

Because of his political naivete, what he got was short term acclaim, then humiliation and banishment, the smugness and pettiness of syncophants and courtiers, privation and deprivation, and lastly he almost lost credit for discovering the "New World" to a man (Amerigo Vespucci) who might never have actually commanded a ship of discovery. Keep in mind that the two continents are called America not Columbia (or Colonia, or Colomboia).

Dugard does a marvellous job of bringing out the personalities of all the people involved, from Ferdinand (miser and ingrate) and Isabella (friend and admirer), to his schizophrenic crews (who could never make up their minds on whose side they were on), the indigenous people (some who fought him and others that saved him from starvation); to the man himself who thought that he was protected by God, and never lost his belief in the miraculous help of prayer.

Great Read!.......2006-09-21

This is exciting stuff! I enjoy the honest portrayal of Columbus, showing his strengths and weaknesses and how he was both an opportunist and a victim of the system. The narrative is spell binding and gripping. It is a great story and very well written. One thing the reader should be aware of is that the first half of the body of the book is background information. It interesting and important information to have before you read the account of the voyage, but there is a lot of it and the title may mislead you into thinking that the body of the book primarily consists of the account of Columbus's fourth voyage, when the account is really about half. Secondly, I wished that there were more maps marking the important places the book mentions in Spain, Africa and the New World. There is a map of the New World and the lines marking Columbus's four voyages, but not enough of the important points are included on that map. Having that would have aided my mental picture of what was happening. Also, one of the other reviewers mentioned the lack of source citations. I have noticed the same thing about other recent reader's-history books lately. I wonder if it is becoming a trend to cite less, in order to prevent distraction to the reader. I hope not. Citing sources is an important part of validating one's research and it reassures folks that undue embellishments are not being made. Nonetheless, these are all nit-picky points compared to the almost magical way that Dugard draws you into the story. Buy the book! You won't be able to put it down you will be amazed at what Columbus and his crew endured.

The Log of Christopher Columbus' First Voyage to America in the Year 1492

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The Log of Christopher Columbus' First Voyage to America in the Year 1492
Christopher Columbus , and Bartolome De Las Casas
Manufacturer: Linnet Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0208022473

The Journal of Christopher Columbus (during His First Voyage, 1492-93) and Documents Relating to the Voyages of John Cabot and Gaspar Corte Real

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The Journal of Christopher Columbus (during His First Voyage, 1492-93) and Documents Relating to the Voyages of John Cabot and Gaspar Corte Real
Christopher Columbus
Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 140219501X
Release Date: 2001-10-05

Product Description

Translated by Clements R. Markham. This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1893 edition by the Hakluyt Society, London.

First Voyage to America: From the Log of the "Santa Maria"

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Good secondary-level textbook.

First Voyage to America: From the Log of the "Santa Maria"
Christopher Columbus
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486268446

Book Description

Dramatic, revealing entries — including Columbus' own words — document epochal voyage, heavy seas, discouraged crew, first sighting of land, appearance of island natives, more. Translated into English, reset in large type. 44 illustrations, including a number from rare sources. Fascinating historical document. Publisher's note.

Customer Reviews:

Good secondary-level textbook........1996-12-12

This reprint of the 1938 illustrated edition of Columbus' journal covers the crossing of the Atlantic from August 3 to October 14, 1492. The (uncredited) translation is from Las Casas' abridgement of the journal in the HISTORIAS DE LAS INDIAS. The note at the beginning of the Dover edition explains the origin of the text. This book would be suitable for instruction with advanced middle school and high school students. It is unfortunate that the text is truncated upon arrival in Hispaniola since it omits many of the interesting passages concerning early contact with the islanders and Columbus' return voyage to Spain

Columbus' First Voyage: Latin Selections from Peter Martyr's De Orbo Novo

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Columbus' First Voyage: Latin Selections from Peter Martyr's De Orbo Novo
Constance P. Iacona , and Pietro Martire D' Anghiera
Manufacturer: Bolchazy Carducci Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0865166137

Product Description

Five selections in Latin from Peter Martyr of Anglerias De Orbe Novo are presented with vocabulary help on the facing page. After each Latin selection, background notes including information from other primary sources (Columbus own 1493 letter, the abstraction of Columbus journal by Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, the biography of Columbus by his son Ferdinand, and Oviedos Natural History of the West Indies) are included along with the pertinent Latin selection from Peter Martyr. When Peter Martyr was writing in the fifteenth century, it was agreed upon by scholars and men of literature at the time that the proper Latin to use was that of Marcus Tullius Cicero. Hence Martyrs Latinity is quite classical and, in fact, the simplicity of his literary style resembles that of Julius Caesar.

Columbus menu: Italian cuisine after the first voyage of Christopher Columbus, 1492-1992

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Columbus menu: Italian cuisine after the first voyage of Christopher Columbus, 1492-1992
Stefano Milioni
Manufacturer: Italian Trade Commission
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006OX2DW

Pedro's Journal: A Voyage With Christopher Columbus August 3, 1492 - February 14, 1493

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A Wonderful Book!
Read Pedro's Journal
An Outstanding Traveling Novel
Pedro's Journal for 5th grade Class
Bringing Columbus' voyage to life for students

Pedro's Journal: A Voyage With Christopher Columbus August 3, 1492 - February 14, 1493
Pam Conrad
Manufacturer: Boyds Mills Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1878093177

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Book!.......2004-10-01

A enjoyable book for my 9 year old. A story that captures and keeps the attention thoughout the book.

Read Pedro's Journal.......2003-12-03

Pedro's Journal, written by Pam Conrad, is about a boy who loved the sea. He went out to sea with Christopher Columbus to find the new land. The captain thought he would be useful because he can read and write. He goes back and forth from ship to ship each day. The weather is terrible. The storms are on and off. Finally they get there. They find that the Indians are very useful. So they bring some Indians aboard. It took them longer to get back to Spain. Finally they get back to Spain. The last place Pedro is seen is when he is walking up toward his mother's house. I would recommend this
book to a friend.

An Outstanding Traveling Novel.......2003-02-07

Pedro's Journal by Pam Conrad is a heartwarming story about trust. Pam really brought out the characters by using lot's of detail.

Pedro is a boy who went sailing with Christopher Columbus. He's the only person on the ship who knew how to read and write.

Pam kept you reading by her creative chapter endings. She changed font and size when writing about what the characters were saying and thinking.

Anyone who reads this book will say it's hard to put down. Don't miss this good chance to read this outstanding book.

Pedro's Journal for 5th grade Class.......2002-11-02

Pedro's Journal was read by my 5th grade classes to learn more about Christopher Columbus and his journey. It was perfect for a class of mixed ability readers, it's history was well researched, and it engaged the students. We used it for a Literary Circle book. I highly recommend it for Social Studies, Language Arts, or an example of journal writing.

Bringing Columbus' voyage to life for students.......1998-11-22

I read selections of this book out loud to my fifth grade Hispanic students who were intrigued with the young sailor and his experiences. It lent a "you were there" aspect to the study of history and it provided a model of diary style writing. This book was recommended by our history series.

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