Columbus and the Age of Discovery

Fülszöveg

Columbus and the Age of Discovery
is the companion volume to the epic, seven-part PBS series of the
same name, yet it stands alone as a unique and important contribution to the literature
of the sooth anniversary of Christopher Columbus's journey to the New World.
Lavishly illustrated in color, it is not merely a biography of Columbus or an account of his
famous voyages but also a major effort to show the Columbus story as a
fulcrum of social, political, and intellectual history. As compelling as any modern-day tale of
high drama and adventure, it speaks directly to our time, showing that Columbus
took us all from the world he left to the world we know today.
Zvi Dor-Ner
with William Scheller
In the tradition of such popular and distin-
guished PBS-series companion volumes as The
Civil War and The Story of English, here is Co-
lumbus and the Age of Discovery, the sumptuous
and lavishly illustrated complement to the PBS
documentary of the same name to air in the... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Columbus and the Age of Discovery
is the companion volume to the epic, seven-part PBS series of the
same name, yet it stands alone as a unique and important contribution to the literature
of the sooth anniversary of Christopher Columbus's journey to the New World.
Lavishly illustrated in color, it is not merely a biography of Columbus or an account of his
famous voyages but also a major effort to show the Columbus story as a
fulcrum of social, political, and intellectual history. As compelling as any modern-day tale of
high drama and adventure, it speaks directly to our time, showing that Columbus
took us all from the world he left to the world we know today.
Zvi Dor-Ner
with William Scheller
In the tradition of such popular and distin-
guished PBS-series companion volumes as The
Civil War and The Story of English, here is Co-
lumbus and the Age of Discovery, the sumptuous
and lavishly illustrated complement to the PBS
documentary of the same name to air in the fall
of 1991 and again in 1992. While the seven chap-
ters of the book roughly parallel the seven parts
of the television series, the book stands by itself
as a unique and valuable contribution to the
literature of the Columbus quincentenary.
Not merely a biography of Columbus or an
account of his explorations, Columbus and the
Age of Discovery conveys a sense of Columbus's
story as a fulcrum of social, political, and in-
tellectual history. Five hundred years after Co-
lumbus sailed out of Spain into worlds
unknown, he is for many such a vibrant symbol
of energy and success that they name their
towns, their colleges, and even their spaceships
after him. Yet to others he also represents the
double-edged nature of much of human
achievement, as his legacy includes the deci-
mation of entire New World peoples at the
hands of alien disease and European rapacity.
This book explores the complexities of the
Columbus legend, showing how this one
man came to symbolize both the spirit of hero-
ism and the costs of colonization. It tells the
story of one individual among forces of great
economic, political, scientific, and cultural
change-a story of worlds lost as well as found,
as compelling as any modern-day tale of high
adventure and drama. More directly than any
historical novel or costume drama ever could,
Columbus and the Age of Discovery speaks to our
time, vividly portraying how Columbus took
us from the world he left behind to our world
today.
Setting sail on replicas of Columbus's ships,
the authors combine actual experience with ar-
chival material to create a living history of the
wonders of exploration. Along the way they
(continued on back flap) Vissza