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1421: The Year China Discovered America
 
 
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1421: The Year China Discovered America (Paperback)
by Gavin Menzies (Author) "OVER TEN YEARS AGO I STUMBLED UPON AN INCREDIBLE discovery, a clue hidden in an ancient map which, though it did not lead to buried..." (more)
Key Phrases: tokelau disease, stone observation platforms, frizzle fowl, Zhu Di, Zheng He, South America (more...)
  3.4 out of 5 stars 239 customer reviews (239 customer reviews)  

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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A former submarine commander in Britain's Royal Navy, Menzies must enjoy doing battle. The amateur historian's lightly footnoted, heavily speculative re-creation of little-known voyages made by Chinese ships in the early 1400s goes far beyond what most experts in and outside of China are willing to assert and will surely set tongues wagging. According to Menzies's brazen but dull account of the Middle Kingdom's exploits at sea, Magellan, Dias, da Gama, Cabral and Cook only "discovered" lands the Chinese had already visited, and they sailed with maps drawn from Chinese charts. Menzies alleges that the Chinese not only discovered America, but also established colonies here long before Columbus set out to sea. Because China burned the records of its historic expeditions led by Zheng He, the famed eunuch admiral and the focus of this account, Menzies is forced to defend his argument by compiling a tedious package of circumstantial evidence that ranges from reasonable to ridiculous. While the book does contain some compelling claims-for example, that the Chinese were able to calculate longitude long before Western explorers-drawn from Menzies's experiences at sea, his overall credibility is undermined by dubious research methods. In just one instance, when confounded by the derivation of cryptic words on a Venetian map, Menzies first consults an expert at crossword puzzles rather than an etymologist. Such an approach to scholarship, along with a promise of more proof to come in the paperback edition, casts a shadow of doubt over Menzies's discoveries. 32 pages of color illus., 27 maps and diagrams. Book-of-the-Month Club alternate.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Menzies makes the fascinating argument that the Chinese discovered the Americas a full 70 years before Columbus. Not only did the Chinese discover America first, but they also, according to the author, established a number of subsequently lost colonies in the Caribbean. Furthermore, he asserts that the Chinese circumnavigated the globe, desalinated water, and perfected the art of cartography. In fact, he believes that most of the renowned European explorers actually sailed with maps charted by the Chinese. Though most historical records were destroyed during centuries of turmoil in the Far East, he manages to cobble together some feasible evidence supporting his controversial conclusions. Sure to cause a stir among historians, this questionable tale of adventure on the high seas will be hotly debated in academic circles. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details
  • Paperback: 656 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial (January 6, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 006054094X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060540944
  • Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars 239 customer reviews (239 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,194 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
"OVER TEN YEARS AGO I STUMBLED UPON AN INCREDIBLE discovery, a clue hidden in an ancient map which, though it did not lead to buried treasure, suggested that the history of the world as it has been known and handed down for centuries would have to be radica" Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
tokelau disease, stone observation platforms, frizzle fowl, original cartographer, recent gene flow, evidence showing links, chromosome cotton, marsh cress, obscured islands, longitudinal error, gilded sterns, fulvous tree duck, sixth voyage, supporting reports, treasure fleets, correct latitudes, mappae mundi,