logo
Wrong email address or username
Wrong email address or username
Incorrect verification code
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus - Charles C. Mann
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
by: (author)
4.38 225
In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492. Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine... show more
In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492. Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; rather, there were huge numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that it has been called man’s first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land but were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. Challenging and surprising, this a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.
show less
Format: paperback
ISBN: 9781400032051 (1400032059)
ASIN: 1400032059
Publisher: Vintage
Pages no: 541
Edition language: English
Bookstores:
Community Reviews
Merle
Merle rated it
4.5 1491 by Charles Mann
This is an important book. The author compiles historical and archaeological research to provide a history of the Americas before (and shortly after) the arrival of Europeans. And it’s a legit history, in ways I didn’t realize were even lacking in my previous acquaintance with early American history...
Chris' Fish Place
Chris' Fish Place rated it
4.0 Must Read History
This is the type of book that you read, and you actually learn from. The focus is on the societies in the Americas, in particular Meso-America, prior to the discovery or arrival of Europeans. There is quite a bit about the societies but also about why diseases affected Native Americans far differe...
Cassandra Reads
Cassandra Reads rated it
4.0 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus [Charles C. Mann]
In some ways, I'm just really glad to be done with this book. I didn't have a plan for reading this one, so it took longer than it really should have taken. I'd never really considered how the early setterers viewed the Native Americans or how history viewed them later on. It makes no sense to me th...
Books, Dogs, and Other Blogs
Books, Dogs, and Other Blogs rated it
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book. It read like an interesting textbook, engaging and informative, but was almost informal at times. Parts were like a friend telling a story rather than reading a historical account. It was entertaining, but quite dense with information so it took a while to get thr...
wjmcomposer
wjmcomposer rated it
5.0 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Quite frankly an amazing book, and one of the very few I'd suggest is a MUST read. If you're ready to let go the myth of the hapless 'noble savage' and to release your mental image of a loin-clothed squaw with a single rear rolling down her cheek, and are ready to consider the possibility of fairly ...
Other editions (14)
Books by Charles C. Mann
On shelves
Share this Book
Need help?