Conquest of Eden: 1493-1515 : Other Voyages of Columbus Guadeloupe Puerto Rico Hispaniola Virgin Islands [Hardcover]

Michael Paiewonsky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-- The rather ironic title sets the tone for this collection of letters and eyewitness accounts by Columbus and his contemporaries during three voyages to the New World. Included in this fascinating account is his well-known letter to Queen Isabella describing the beauty, wealth, and natives of the islands. Excerpts from journals and logs of others who made the journey, including Columbus's sons and brothers, tell of Carib Indians' reactions to the intruders; adventures of lost exploring parties; meetings with cannibals; and the ruthless justice meted out by the Crown against the Indians and its own citizens when crossed in its intent to accrue more wealth and power. The later writings reveal the increase in Indian slavery, the usurping of the food supplies on the islands, the wasting of resources, and the conflicts among Columbus, the Crown, and other nobles as they jockeyed for positions in the new Spanish Empire. The clearly written text is enhanced by beautiful illustrations by artists of that era, woodcuts, old maps, and photographs of the islands as they must have looked then. A valuable perspective on history. --Deanna Kuhn, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA

Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This is a wonderfully illustrated essay on the discovery and conquest of the Caribbean, and by extension, America. The book begins with Columbus's initial voyage of discovery (1492) and traces in summary fashion subsequent events in the Caribbean up to the destruction of the Native American population of St. Croix in 1515. Much of the text is from reports and letters of Spanish participants in the conquest and highlights Spanish lust for gold and the destruction of native life. Although there are more substantive and critical analyses of the conquest, the author effectively captures the larger significance of Columbus's "discovery" and its more immediate consequences. The book should be successful in whetting the appetites of nonspecialists, generating interest in fuller analyses of the European invasion of America.
- Daniel T. Reff, Ohio State Univ . , Columbus
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Academy Chicago Pub; 1 edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0926330039
• ISBN-13: 978-0926330030
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,603,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Special Perspective of Eden With Local Knowledge, February 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Conquest of Eden: 1493-1515 : Other Voyages of Columbus Guadeloupe Puerto Rico Hispaniola Virgin Islands (Hardcover)

Mr. Paiewonsky's terrific account and rich accompaniment with period art, valuable maps and charts, and contemporary perspective, gives us all a chance to review this history with new eyes.

As a Virgin Islander, Mr. Paiewonsky, was raised in a family that has for generations collected the history, art, and artifacts associated with the region. Finally we get reasonable interpretaions of the accounts of the New World process of discovery and indeed conquest. His understanding of this is all the more valuable because of his local knowledge, just from growing up in the region. He has sailed the routes, accompanied the archeological digs, and can interpret the art and the drawings of the old cartographers.

The description of the Reefbay petroglyphs on St. John alone, from this author, is worth the price of the book, which will no doubt become an historial treasure of its own one day.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the tragic encounter of two worlds beautifully conveyed, November 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Conquest of Eden: 1493-1515 : Other Voyages of Columbus Guadeloupe Puerto Rico Hispaniola Virgin Islands (Hardcover)

This book is a gem. The sad results of the encounter of the Spanish with the indiginous population of the Caribbean Islands is presented objectively and the few accounts of the Tiano Peoples' own words are effectively used to hint at who these early victims of European expansion really were. The use of modern photos and historic illustrations opens up the real lost world where these events unfolded and every illustration adds to and interacts with the text. The result is both a good read and a rigerous scholarly introduction to the foundations of the American experiance. This is the first work of its kind that interperts the historic documents as understood by an island inhabitant who understands details the first explorer encountered from personal experiance.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Columbus' voyages come to life!, June 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Conquest of Eden: 1493-1515 : Other Voyages of Columbus Guadeloupe Puerto Rico Hispaniola Virgin Islands (Hardcover)

History books on the voyages of Columbus can only take you so far -- until now. This book really ties the historical details together with the drama and adventure that the original explorers must have felt. It is impossible to put this book down -- for the reader interested in history or for the person seeking an adventure.