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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An intriguing book that may challenge conventional thinking about the discovery of Australia and New Zealand,
By Jared M (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Beyond Capricorn: How Portugese Adventurers Secretly Discovered and Mapped Australia 250 Years Before Captain Cook (Paperback)
The Portuguese have long been consider the pioneers of maritime exploration, initially thanks to Henry the Navigator's (1394-1460) interest in expanding the horizons of the known world. This was not strictly due to a desire for knowledge of the world, but more for the commercial benefits that might derived from new lands. By the time of Henry's death in 1460, Portuguese explorers had pushed well down the Atlantic coast of Africa, and by the turn of the 16th century, the Atlantic had been crossed and colonies established on the coast of South America. Within a few years, the spice trade was flourishing in the East Indies. It was commonly believed that a Great Southern continent existed to balance that of the European continent. Yet, despite the navigational skills and the natural curiosity of those skilled sailors sponsored by the European colonial powers, the great lands of Australia and New Zealand remained largely unmapped until around the 18th century. Or did they?
There have long been speculation that the first white men to discover Australia and New Zealand was not the Dutch, among whom is Abel Tasman, widely regarded as being the first European to sight New Zealand (despite the subtitle of Beyond Capricorn, Captain Cook did not discover Australia or New Zealand, but he certainly did accurately map much of the coastline of both countries). But if not the Dutch or the English, then who? Because of their well known skills in seafaring, as evidenced by their efforts in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, there is a school of thought that the Portuguese explorers penetrated much further into the Pacific than any one gave them credit for. In "Beyond Capricorn", Peter Trickett puts a strong case forward for his thesis that the Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover both Australia and New Zealand. The author has based his views primarily upon some old maps found in Australian archives, on which he believes is recorded the west coast of Australia. This may not mean much at all except these maps were believed to have originated from a German cartographer in 1581. Which is of course well before the recognised date of discovery of Australia. It transpires that the German cartographer, rather than making up a fictional coastline (as some cartographers of the period were prone to doing), may have based his maps upon long secret Portuguese maps. Having established the maritime history of Portugal in the early chapters of his book, the author discusses various local legends that may well have been born of long ago visit to Australian shores by Portuguese sailors. Trickett then spends much of the later part of his book correlating features of Australian and New Zealand coastline with the maps he discovered. This is interesting, but it does become a little repetitive for the reader, as Trickett discusses yet another accurate correlation! While it could be argued that any actual similarity between map and coast may well be coincidental, Trickett also discusses the physical evidence supporting his hypothesis as well. There have been many discoveries in Australia and New Zealand of artifacts of European, if not Portuguese, origin which appears to predate the 17th century. In New Zealand, it is well known that a helmet (of supposed Portuguese origin) was retrieved from Wellington Harbour in the late 19th century. There are mysterious constructions, believed to be of European origin, but predating the recognised dates of discovery for both Australia and New Zealand. Trickett argues that this is evidence of the extent of Portuguese exploration. In Australia, a cannon was discovered, and Trickett also mentions the possibility of a long lost Aboriginal tribe with whom marooned Portuguese sailors may have lived. Beyond Capicorn is undoubtedly an interesting read, and may well challenge conventional thinking about the discoveries of Australia and New Zealand. Trickett puts forward a persuasive argument, leaving this reviewer open to the possibility that a long forgotten Portuguese captain did indeed reach the coast of New Zealand.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rewriting history,
This review is from: Beyond Capricorn: How Portugese Adventurers Secretly Discovered and Mapped Australia 250 Years Before Captain Cook (Paperback)
This book takes an engaging look at the discovery of Australia and New Zealand and offers an entirely original discussion on the matter. It puts forward a persuasive argument in favor of a review of established thinking. Its in-depth analysis shows strong evidence to support the thesis that the Portuguese were the Europeans to discover both Australia and New Zealand. The argument is strikingly convincing. In short, this book is a challenge to what we had been led to believe in the past. It may turn out that history will have to be rewritten. This is an enlightening book. Except for some pages of meticulous detail (needed as further evidence), this book is also a pleasure to read.
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