As he set sail in 1492 on the voyage that would culminate in the discovery of the New World, Christopher Columbus resolved to "write down everything that I might do and see and experience on this voyage, from day to day and very carefully." True to his pledge, he kept a daily account of his adventures, which he presented to Queen Isabela upon his return to Spain in 1493.
The Log of Christopher Columbus presents the first historically accurate and readable translation/reconstruction of Columbus' famous Voyage of Discovery, based on authentic source materials. Author/translator Robert Fuson effectively combines sound scholarship with a brilliant ear for the vernacular to create a lively, credible, and deeply moving rendition of Columbus' original log. The reader can follow, day by day, in Columbus' wake and share his vivid impressions of the New World, as yet untouched by European civilization.
This is also the first modern translation to reflect the authoritative new landfall theories advanced by the National Geographic Society in 1986, which place Columbus' first landing site not on Watlings Island but at Samana Cay. Fuson was a consultant to the National Geographic expedition and has been an active participant in the landfall controversy for more than 30 years. Columbus' log itself is accompanied by a treasure trove of supplementary material on the many suggested landfalls and their proponents, medieval ships and navigation, and Columbus' own mysterious personal history. A foreword by Luis Marden, chief emeritus of the National Geographic foreign bureau as well as a veteran sailor, will be of particular interest to readers who contemplate sailing in the track of Columbus.
With the Quincentennial of the Discovery in 1992, The Log of Christopher Columbus is more than a historical artifact; it is a profound allegory of our own times. Greed, idealism, duplicity, generosity, courage—the best and worst of the human spirit—are all here, all part of the legacy that is contemporary Western civilization. To share Columbus' original words and vision is to experience a powerful sense of deja vu, with excitement and wonder touched by deep sadness.
—from the dust jacket
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