The Log of Christopher Columbus [Hardcover]

Christopher Columbus (Author), Robert H. Fuson (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1987

In this new translation of Columbus' log of discovery, Robert Fuson is able to create a readable, accurate and deeply moving translation of Columbus' original log. A book for everyone: sailors, history buffs and students. Includes authentic charts and notes. 115 illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Columbus's journal entries, dating from August 1492 to March 1493, offer an account of his journey to the New World 500 years ago. Biographical, nautical and navigational information also is included in this commemorative volume. Illustrated.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA Columbus' log presents an overwhelming picture of circumnavigation during the 15th Century. The prologue gives an overview of the log; Columbus, the man; and the ships themselves. The actual log chronicles daily activities from August 1492 to March 1493. The seven appendixes in the epilogue complete the picture of Columbus' previous journeys, what he actually discovered in 1492, and a fascinating account of how his remains were shuffled around various cathedrals after his death. The format allows readers to read any part or all parts of the biography that interest them. A clear perspective on a well-known historical event. Anne Paget, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, Tex .
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Intl Marine Pub (October 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877429510
• ISBN-13: 978-0877429517
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,317,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( C ) > Columbus, Christopher

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First, June 15, 2008

By 

Ron Braithwaite "Hummingbird God" (El Indio, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Log of Christopher Columbus (Paperback)

I profoundly disagree with a previous reviewer. It is a MISTAKE to judge a fifteen-century man by present standards. This is very important. Time and again, we see politically-correct people make moral judgments on people who died centuries ago. Morally, people should be judged primarily by the standards of their own time. To do otherwise, suggests very little personal insight.

For most of human history people took exactly what they could. We disapprove of this now although I strongly suspect that the impulse is only sublimated. We now commit robbery via our legal system and other institutions. In centuries to come, the politically correct will look on us as immoral barbarians.

So, I don't think it proper to judge Columbus, or any other historical figure, by present day standards. I do think it legitimate to judge him by the standards of his own time. Although a great pilot and pretty good captain, he was a poor administrator and had difficulty hanging onto his coveted title of "Admiral of the Ocean Blue." He, no doubt, like all of us, have plenty of other moral failings, but it is wrong to judge him for what would become the greatest land-grab of history.

Did his drive, determination and brilliance cause incalculable human grief? Yes. But by the standards of his own time, he was a hero. Did his actions jump start the fabulous European civilizations of the Americas? Again, yes. But Columbus couldn't have known this, either, so perhaps he shouldn't be given excessive credit.

I think his log is an invaluabe asset to those of us who would know what the explorer was thinking even as he was attempting discovery. It's amusing how he attempts to identify this or that tree as valuable. It's clearly a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. He needs to justify his sovereigns' investment in what, by Spanish standards, was an extremely expensive endeavor. He couldn't recognize that he had discovered the most valuable prize in the world.

Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Columbus Log, August 8, 2000

By 

M. Higgins (DEAVER, WY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Log of Christopher Columbus (Hardcover)

Fuson translated (and reconstructed where necessary) the logs of Columbus. Loaded with pictures, maps and explanatory comments this work gives us a look at the famous explorer in his own words. I'd guess this is the best and closest one could get to a primary source for Columbus's journals. This would be a great resource for teachers and students who cover the Discovery. Too bad it's out of print

2.0 out of 5 stars Chris's account is self-serving, August 14, 2011

By 

Caroline George (Monticello, New MexicoUnited States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Log of Christopher Columbus (Paperback)

By coincidence, I read the Velvet Doublet by James Street, just days before I unpacked the Log of Christopher Columbus. The two books cover virtually the same material from two distinctly different points of view. The detail and expanded coverage of the former (from the point of view of the Pinta/Nina sailors and captains) was highly instructional for reading and evaluating Chris' alleged version of the same events. For the price of the log, (expensive because it is out of print), the James Street book is reasonable, much more entertaining, highly constructive, and causes the reader to question the self-serving entries and omissions in 'the log'. If you are going to read a copy of a lost copy of a translation twice removed, why not just go to the well-written historical novel, which is much more readable?