Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491 (Downtown Bookworks Books) [Hardcover]

Charles C. Mann (Author)

Book Description

Series: Downtown Bookworks Books

A companion book for young readers based on 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, the groundbreaking bestseller by Charles C. Mann.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 6 Up—In this beautifully illustrated and concise adaptation of 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus (Vintage, 2006), Mann paints a superb picture of pre-Columbian America. In the process, he overturns the misconceived image of Natives as simple, widely scattered savages with minimal impact on their surroundings. Well-chosen, vividly colored graphics and photographs of mummies, pyramids, artifacts, and landscapes as well as the author's skillful storytelling will command the attention of even the most reluctant readers. Eye-catching sidebars and oversize chapter headings seem to pop from the pages. Mann constructs the narrative around three crucial questions that continue to confound historians today: Was the New World really new? Why were the Europeans successful? What ecological impact did Natives have on their surroundings? From the pre-Columbian genetic engineering of maize to the existence of pyramids older than the Egyptian variety, Mann's lucid answers to these questions represent current scholarly opinion and point the way toward future exploration and discovery. Students and teachers will benefit greatly from this engaging exploration of America's most overlooked and misunderstood historical periods.—Brian Odom, Pelham Public Library, AL END

About the Author

Charles C. Mann is the author of 1491, which won the U.S. National Academy of Sciences’ Keck award for the best book of the year. A correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, Science, and Wired, he has covered the intersection of science, technology, and commerce for many newspapers and magazines here and abroad, including the New York Times, Vanity Fair, the Washington Post, and more.  In addition to 1491, he was the co-author of four other non-fiction books. He is now working on a companion volume to 1491. His website is www.charlesmann.org.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416949003
• ISBN-13: 978-1416949008
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 10.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Children's Books > History > Prehistoric
  • #21 in Books > Children's Books > History > Exploration & Discovery

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A note from the author, December 10, 2009

By 

C. C. Mann (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491 (Downtown Bookworks Books) (Hardcover)

Quite often when I've given talks about the material in "1491," elementary- and middle-school teachers have asked me if there was an equivalent book for younger readers. They wanted to make sure their students learned more about the first 20,000 years of American history than I, for example, had learned in my school. Or than my son had learned in his school. I was always unable to think of another book. So when a publisher asked if I would do this, I was more than ready to do it.

The only problem was that I had never written anything for young readers. I wasn't at all sure I could get the tone and vocabulary right. My agent put me in touch with Rebecca Stefoff, who had written books for young people that handled complicated historical and scientific material without dumbing it down -- exactly what I hoped this book could do. So I prepared a detailed outline, Rebecca wrote up a terrific first draft, and then we passed the ms. back and forth.

Now for the reason for this note. Due to an editorial error, Rebecca's name was left off the cover of this book (though not, hooray, this Amazon page). I feel terrible that the book does not credit her, a mistake the publisher has promised to rectify in future editions. If anyone who is looking at this note has enjoyed the book, you should know that much of your enjoyment is due to Rebecca.

Thanks, Rebecca!

Charles C. Mann

PS: I know it's cheesy to give your own books 5 stars. But Amazon won't let you submit a comment unless you rate the book. And I wasn't going to give the book Rebecca and I put together 1 star, because I'm proud of it, so I thought, what the heck.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading on the History of the Western Hemisphere, December 11, 2009

By 

Lance M. Foster "Solvitur ambulando" (Helena, Montana, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491 (Downtown Bookworks Books) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This beautiful book was written and is marketed as a short and sweet "student's version" of the book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, by the same author, Charles C. Mann. The original book was a New York Times bestseller and won several national book prizes. This more colorful but more approachable book aimed at younger readers takes the high points and delivers them in a direct and colorful package.

Part One looks at "How Old was the New World?" with four chapters on "Cities in the Desert" (the Peruvian desert's Caral and other sites of the Norte Chico, including Huaricanga, the oldest known American city at 3500 B.C.-- second oldest after Mesopotamia and building big pyramids before the Egyptians), "Genetic Engineering" (development of maize and the milpa field system in Central America), "From Olmec to Maya" (civilizations and sites of Central America: Tres Zapotes, La Venta, Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, and Maya), and "To the Land of Four Quarters" (Tawantinsuyu, the Inca empire).

Part Two asks "Why Did Europe Succeed?" with four chapters on "The Great Meeting" (Cortez and the Aztecs at Tenochtitlan), "Long, Long Ago" (the first Americans, the PaleoIndians, and Monte Verde in Chile), "Extinction" (the demise of the megafauna, including mammoths), and "Disease-Free Paradise? (the impact of European disease on the Native Americans)."

Part Three examines "Were the Americas really a Wilderness?" in its three chapters "Amazonia," (Indian tree-farms and the secret of fertility known as terra preta), "Land of Fire" (the use of controlled burns by Indians in maintaining a living mosaic of prairies, parkland and forest), and "The Created Wilderness" (the destruction of the Indian populations meant a change in the landscape that was no longer maintained through burning, and more).

The end material includes a glossary, a brief list for further reading with websites, credits and index. The binding is reinforced and hardcover with a dust cover.

I have the original book that this book was based on, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, and I do suggest buying the two books together as they are complementary. This book serves as a image-packed version for younger readers as well as those older readers who just want the highlights. The original book is much thicker, more scholarly and detailed with all the references and footnotes other reviewers of this book were looking for. But even readers of the original book will also enjoy the photographs in this book. Buy both books together...Required reading!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars visually appealing and information-packed, September 30, 2009

By 

Shannon B Davis "Nepenthe" (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491 (Downtown Bookworks Books) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

As a huge fan of 1491: Before Columbus, I was so excited to see that this full-color companion book was being published. I often reference the research presented in the original book and recommend it highly to others, and it consistently ranks as one of my favorite books (alongside Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies).

Before Columbus is a coffee-table sized books with big color pictures. It is geared towards young readers, but the reading level is nothing to be sniffed at. It could easily be marketed as an adult coffee table book. The writing is mature and doesn't "talk down". It is definitely more at the level of middle school and above.

This book follows along with the topics of the original, with three sections. The first section focuses on the ancient beginnings of civilizations in the New World. The next section asks the question "Why did Europe Succeed?", and focuses on smallpox and other diseases that decimated the Americas. Finally, the final section uses the Amazon rainforest and the mound-builders of the southern United States to show how indigenous people reshaped the American landscape. The book finishes with a glossary and list of suggested websites and reading. An index makes it easy to look up articles of interest.

The photographs and illustrations, as well as the creative typesetting, makes the book very visually appealing.