Author: [USA] C. E. Morrisson, Chen Taixian, et al.
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-09-01
Features: Christopher Columbus made four voyages across the Atlantic by sailboat, achieving the glorious deeds of "discovering" America, and became a world-renowned navigator, explorer, and discoverer. All modern world history and the history of the Americas mention Columbus and his deeds. Many famous historians have pointed out: "The entire history of North and South America begins with his four westward voyages." Many countries in the Americas still celebrate October 12th each year as "Columbus Day" (the United States changed this date to the second Monday in October starting in 1971), and people take the day off to commemorate his first landing in San Salvador. In 1982, 36 countries jointly proposed to the United Nations to hold a grand international commemorative ceremony on October 12, 1992, to mark the 500th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of America (1492–1992). So, who was Christopher Columbus? How did he achieve his great deeds and become a world-famous figure, enduring for centuries? This requires reading his biography. The "Columbus: The Life of the Admiral of the Ocean Sea" (the original title of "The Life of Christopher Columbus") presented to the readers is one of the best English-language biographies published in the 20th century, as described by the Encyclop?dia Britannica. Its author is Samuel Eliot Morison, a professor of history at Harvard University and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, a renowned prose writer, and a naval rear admiral. The book provides detailed accounts of Columbus's life, early years, the difficult journey of advocating for his westward voyages, his navigation techniques, the routes of his four westward voyages (including the return trips, totaling eight), the places he visited, the problems he encountered, and the achievements he made.
Table of Contents
Volume I
Author's Preface
Notes
Common Abbreviations Used in Notes
Ships and Navigation
The First Forty Years
Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter 2: Genoa
Chapter 3: A Willingness to Sail the Sea
Chapter 4: Portugal
Chapter 5: The Man Called Columbus
Chapter 6: The Enterprise of India
Chapter 7: In Castile
Chapter 8: The Queen Agrees
Chapter 9: The Ni?a, the Pinta, and the Santa María
Chapter 10: The Crew and the Sailors
Chapter 11: Departure
Chapter 12: A Day at Sea
Chapter 13: How Columbus Sailed
Chapter 14: Crossing the Atlantic
Chapter 15: Forward! Forward!
Chapter 16: First Landing
Chapter 17: Seeking Japan
Chapter 18: Seeking the Great Khan
Chapter 19: The Orient
Chapter 20: Hispaniola
Chapter 21: That Christmas
Chapter 22: The Return Voyage
Chapter 23: The Torment in the Azores
Chapter 24: In the Hands of the Portuguese
Portraits, Maps, Charts, and Illustrations
Table of Contents
Volume II
Victory
Chapter 25: The Sailors Return
Chapter 26: A Diplomatic Interlude
Chapter 27: News Spreads
The Second Voyage to the Americas
Chapter 28: A Grand Fleet
Chapter 29: Many Marias
Chapter 30: Saints and Virgins
Chapter 31: Seville
Chapter 32: Cuba and Jamaica
Chapter 33: The Queen's Garden
Chapter 34: Back in Isabella
Chapter 35: The Island's Sufferings
Chapter 36: A Crowded Ocean Voyage
Chapter 37: The Shepherd Who Caused Disaster
The Third Voyage to the Americas
Chapter 38: Preparation
Chapter 39: Trinidad
Chapter 40: Paria
Chapter 41: The Garden of Eden
Chapter 42: Hell on Earth
The Fourth Voyage to the Americas
Chapter 43: The Last Opportunity
Chapter 44: The Hurricane
Chapter 45: Seeking the Strait
Chapter 46: Bélaqua
Chapter 47: Belém
Chapter 48: Sailing in a Leaky Ship
Chapter 49: Trapped in Jamaica
Chapter 50: Rescue and Conclusion
Appendix I: Columbus's Letters from His First Voyage
Appendix II: Where Was Columbus Buried?
Index
Bibliography
Postscript
Illustration Index
Columbus Biography Upper and Lower
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