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The conquest of paradise : Christopher Columbus and the Columbian legacy / Kirkpatrick Sale.

By:

Sale, Kirkpatrick

Publication details: New York : Knopf : Distributed by Random House , 1990.Edition: 1st edDescription: viii, 453 p. : maps ; 24 cmISBN:

9780452266698

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

LAS 973.16 SAL

LOC classification:

E112 .S16 1990

Summary: What distinguishes this book from numerous others (some 150) published on Columbus in this century is Sale's attempt to separate the man from the legend. He returns to the original sources to take stock of the ``historical Columbus'' and then traces the growth of the ``heroic Columbus.'' Overall, his portrait of Columbus is not flattering. A rootless man who never fully understood the enormity of his discovery, Columbus spent his declining years making unreasonable demands of his sovereigns for his heirs. Sale reminds us that part of the Columbian legacy was environmental despoliation and destruction of native cultures. Most fascinating is his tracing of the Columbus legend from its origins in the 16th century to the present. The story of his transformation from a simple sea captain to a tragic hero is an engaging one, well told and copiously documented here.

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Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Latin American Studies	Biblioteca Pública de San Miguel de Allende, A.C.	LAS 973.16 SAL (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Available		036999

Includes bibliographical references (p. [393]-428) and index.

What distinguishes this book from numerous others (some 150) published on Columbus in this century is Sale's attempt to separate the man from the legend. He returns to the original sources to take stock of the ``historical Columbus'' and then traces the growth of the ``heroic Columbus.'' Overall, his portrait of Columbus is not flattering. A rootless man who never fully understood the enormity of his discovery, Columbus spent his declining years making unreasonable demands of his sovereigns for his heirs. Sale reminds us that part of the Columbian legacy was environmental despoliation and destruction of native cultures. Most fascinating is his tracing of the Columbus legend from its origins in the 16th century to the present. The story of his transformation from a simple sea captain to a tragic hero is an engaging one, well told and copiously documented here.

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