The European Discovery of America, Vol. 1: The Northern Voyages, A. D. 500-1600

by Samuel Eliot Morison

Book Overview

The late Samuel Eliot Morison, a former U.S. Navy admiral, was also one of America's premier historians. Combining a first-hand knowledge of the sea and transatlantic travel with a brilliantly... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B001U3CURM
• Release Date: January 1971
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The personal touch

A highly readable history with some novel touches. First the author has personally sailed many of the places he discusses. That gives him insight and appreciation for the brilliance of Columbus and Magellan as sailors using dead reckoning. Second, he can make their stories come alive by describing the feel of the Caribbean and the Strait of Magellan from his own trips there. Third, I've not seen many history books with such extensive discussions of their sources and the history of their translation and reliability as we have here. On the down side, the photos are almost worthless, being mostly poorly reproduced, too dark, and of poor composition. I can't think of one that was worth putting in the book and there are many. There's also way too much info on the minor voyages, but it's quite possible to just read about the two most interesting people, Columbus and Magellan, and skip over the rest.

The Classic Account of the Discovery of North America

Morison was a Harvard professor, a Navy Admiral, a sailor, and a good writer and he turned out two hefty volumes about the discovery of the Americas. This volume concerns European travelers to North America before 1600. Volume 2 is about the southern voyages of Christopher Columbus, Magellan, and others. Morison begins his account with the mythical St. Brendan, proceeds onward to the Vikings, examines the claims of other pre-Columbian "disoverers" of America, and then gets to Cabot, Cartier, and the 16th century explorers. He ends the book with a description of the attempt to found the first British colony in the United States at Roanoke Island, NC. Following each chapters he describes his sources and the work of other historians and discusses some of the more outrageous theories about pre-Columbian discoveries. The book is enhanced by Morison's own experience as a sailor. He is able to refute some of the fantasies of other historians with his on-the-ground and sea experiences. One of the most interesting chapter in the book describes English ships and the life at sea of sailors in the 16th century. Good illustrations and maps enhance the text. Morison doesn't have much interest and empathy for the Indians the early explorers encountered, nor the forces in Europe that caused the European explorers to trust their fortunes to hazardous journeys. He's a man who celebrates the romance of the sea -- and casts a baleful eye on those sailors and historians who fail to live up to his high standards of seamanship and scholarly endeavor. That this is the best book ever written on the discovery and early exploration of North America is almost without dispute. It's a shame that it has been allowed to go out of print. Smallchief

Comprehensive Survey of the Discoverers

When not compiling the history of the United States Navy in World War II, Morison had a passion for chronicling the discovery of the New World. His two volume set constitutes the best, if not the only, repository of each and all European discoverer in the Americas, and this volume captures not only Columbus but also Scandinavian (Leif Eriksson), French (Cartier, Verrezano), English (Cabot) and a host of other expeditions. Also superbly illustrated with often stunning photos by the author of the Eastern seaboard, Labrador and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

A must reference book for home library

Premier historian Morison brings in very narrative form discoveries of America. Decribes one by one each voyage to north of Virginia, and even discusses those that never took place. Seasoned mariner himself, details to reader not only specific voyages, but explains social environment of the era. One chapter tells about ships and seamen. This helps understand what and how the discoverers were thinking, and how they proceeded.Each chapter is followed by discussion of source materials (rare these days). Those who are interested to find out more, will have ready shopping list of additional books, as well as their evaluation by Morison.(...)Many pictures.

Back To St. Brendan and the Irish Monks

In this volume Morison goes back to the voyages of St. Brendan and the Irish monks as well as those of Norsemen such as Leif Erickson. The first post-Columbian voyages the author describes are those of John Cabot in 1497-1498 and the book ends with a discussion of the experiences of the second Virginia colony in 1587.Morison is an entertaining writer who offers many original insights.Some of his thorough research was done as a passenger on a small twin-engined plane flown along the same coasts which were discovered by Cabot, Cartier and Verrazzano.