The Last Voyage of Columbus
Encyclopedia
The Last Voyage of Columbus: Being the Epic Tale of the Great Captain's Fourth Expedition, Including Accounts of Swordfight, Mutiny, Shipwreck, Gold, War, Hurricane and Discovery (also referred to as The Last Voyage of Columbus,) is a non-fiction book, authored by Martin Dugard
and published in 2005 by Little, Brown and Company
. The plot is a life-long account of explorer Christopher Columbus
and his founding of what is now often referred to as the New World
. The book received positive reviews by critics.
The books topic focuses on Christopher Columbus, who was one of the first Europe
an founders of the Americas
. The book tells the story of his life, as well as the problems he faced with his journeys. Columbus had seduced some of the most powerful woman in Europe to pay the expenses of his trip. The book follows Columbus' departure from Spain
prior to his first voyage before sunrise on August 3, 1492. After three days of sailing on the Pinta, the rudder became loose, unable to cope with the strength of the seas, Columbus and his fleet stayed for a month on the Canary Islands
. After repairing the ship, the fleet resumed sailing, despite pleas from fellow crew members for Columbus to turn back, which he ignored. On October 11, 1492, after seeing a distant light, it was later confirmed this was the area which would soon be marked as the New World
, claiming the land to for the Spanish sovereigns, as well as claiming numerous other islands for Spain
. In reward for this, Columbus was given ten thousand Spanish maravedis and 1/10 of all Royal profits.
comments "Dugard's book breathes life into that futile, unquenchable, 500-year-old dream. There's adventure for you." Ben Sisario of The New York Times
noted about that book that "In a rich, fluent account, Dugard offers both a gripping naval adventure and a revealing history of the competitive mercantile politics of the turn of the 16th century, and portrays Columbus as a star-crossed striver eager to legitimize his quest." James Neal Webb of Book Page comments "The Last Voyage of Columbus, a new book by Martin Dugard, is of the latter variety, and in it we find a figure who, while familiar, is more human and thus more interesting than the Christopher Columbus we know from history textbook."
Martin Dugard (author)
Martin Dugard is an American author living in Rancho Santa Margarita, Orange County, California. He lives with his wife and three sons. His works include:* Chasing Lance* Surviving the Toughest Race on Earth...
and published in 2005 by Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
. The plot is a life-long account of explorer Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
and his founding of what is now often referred to as the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. The book received positive reviews by critics.
Plot
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an founders of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. The book tells the story of his life, as well as the problems he faced with his journeys. Columbus had seduced some of the most powerful woman in Europe to pay the expenses of his trip. The book follows Columbus' departure from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
prior to his first voyage before sunrise on August 3, 1492. After three days of sailing on the Pinta, the rudder became loose, unable to cope with the strength of the seas, Columbus and his fleet stayed for a month on the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. After repairing the ship, the fleet resumed sailing, despite pleas from fellow crew members for Columbus to turn back, which he ignored. On October 11, 1492, after seeing a distant light, it was later confirmed this was the area which would soon be marked as the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, claiming the land to for the Spanish sovereigns, as well as claiming numerous other islands for Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. In reward for this, Columbus was given ten thousand Spanish maravedis and 1/10 of all Royal profits.
Reception
Ben Cosgrove of The San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
comments "Dugard's book breathes life into that futile, unquenchable, 500-year-old dream. There's adventure for you." Ben Sisario of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
noted about that book that "In a rich, fluent account, Dugard offers both a gripping naval adventure and a revealing history of the competitive mercantile politics of the turn of the 16th century, and portrays Columbus as a star-crossed striver eager to legitimize his quest." James Neal Webb of Book Page comments "The Last Voyage of Columbus, a new book by Martin Dugard, is of the latter variety, and in it we find a figure who, while familiar, is more human and thus more interesting than the Christopher Columbus we know from history textbook."