Columbus Was Last/from 200,000 B.C. to 1492, a Heretical History of Who Was First (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The best book so far to answer the question Who discovered America?, this synthesis of the archaeological evidence documents extensive, repeated transoceanic contacts long before Columbus's celebrated voyage. Radiocarbon dating of skeletons and artifacts from mounds in Maine and eastern Canada, Huyghe contends, strongly suggest a Scandinavian presence 4000 years ago. A megalithic, Stonehengelike structure, carved with Celtic inscriptions declaring that it was once an astronomical observatory, stands in New Hampshire. Across America, tablets, stone monuments and coins bearing Phoenician, Basque, Libyan, Celtic and Roman inscriptions attest to ancient contacts. Artifacts and cultural parallels reviewed by Huyghe, a contributor to Science Digest and Omni, indicate numerous pre-Columbian voyages from China, India, Cambodia and Polynesia to the New World. Colossal Olmee stone heads in Mexico have unmistakeable African features, and analysis of human remains supports a strong Negroid presence in ancient Mexico. This important, spellbinding report replaces sugar-coated myths about Columbus's invasion of America with indispensable history.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

A challenge to myths about Columbus's "discovery" of the New World cites authentic archaeological discoveries that prove that Chinese, Japanese, Polynesians, Phoenicians, Romans, Celts, Libyans, Jews, Hindi, and native Americans inhabited the Americas prior to 1492.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 262 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Books; 1st edition (October 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562829408
• ISBN-13: 978-1562829407
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #556,659 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Smoke and Fire" Theories, September 20, 2004

By	J. S. Kaminski "j_s_k" (Aberdeen, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Patrick Huyghe has put together an interesting book with "Columbus Was Last." Each chapter deals with the possibility that a different civilization made landfall and, in some cases, thorough explorations of North and/or South America prior to Columbus in 1492. Though it is likely that not all of those mentioned did so (there are 17 chapters in the book), it is also likely that at least a few are accurate.

Huyghe provides as much evidence as he can muster for each possibility. And some of it seems to make sense. Pottery connections between different parts of the world, similar cultural practices, similar words for the same object, transplanted flora, etc. I am convinced that a few of the assertions are on the mark. But there are also a few chapters where the evidence seems sketchy at best.

Even so, it was interesting to read about them, whether you're persuaded or not. It stands to reason that there had to be at least a few contacts with either Asia, Europe or Africa before 1492 or even 1000 (Vikings). Which ones you believe in are up to you!

Four stars. Good "revisionist" history!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview of New World exploration. , August 7, 2004

By	AvidReader (Murrieta, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Patrick Huyghe, the author of this interesting book, demonstrates that numerous visits occurred in the interval between the First Americans (Native Indians) approx. 50,000 years ago and Columbus in 1492.

This book is well written and, although biased toward acceptance of some quite flimsy evidence, presents the arguments on both sides of most exploration claims.

Although I was familiar with some of this material, especially the Vinland settlement and St. Brendan's saga, its nice to have a one book compilation of all the possible (and in some cases probable) explorers to reach America well before Columbus.

Its amazing to the author, and to me, how archaeologists refuse to recognize any of these visits except for the Greenland Norse ....... and even Vinland was considered a fable until 1960 when Ingstad excavated L'Anse aux Meadows and forced the truth down their throats.

Early Japanese in Ecuador (pottery), Polynesians in SA (sweet potato), and Nubian/Egyptians in Mexico (easy drift currents, step pyramids) are shown by Huyghe to be almost certainties.

This is a subject that is constantly being revised as new discoveries are made. An updated revision to this book would be nice ........ its been 12 years and I'm sure evidence and opinions have changed somewhat re many of these early visitors.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Undiscovered Discovery Book Around, July 7, 2004

By A Customer

Patrick Huyghe pulls together solid scientific material in a book that is easy to read, scholarly, and still ignored by other authors who cover some of the same areas.

Pick up the original...

Great read.