The American Discovery of Europe

By Jack D. Forbes

Book Overview

The American Discovery of Europe investigates the voyages of America's Native peoples to the European continent before Columbus's 1492 arrival in the "New World." The product of over twenty years of exhaustive research in libraries throughout Europe and the United States, the book paints a clear picture of the diverse and complex societies that constituted the Americas before 1492 and reveals the surprising Native American involvements in maritime trade and exploration. Starting with an encounter by Columbus himself with mysterious people who had apparently been carried across the Atlantic on favorable currents, Jack D. Forbes proceeds to explore the seagoing expertise of early Americans, theories of ancient migrations, the evidence for human origins in the Americas, and other early visitors coming from Europe to America, including the Norse. The provocative, extensively documented, and heartfelt conclusions of The American Discovery of Europe present an open challenge to received historical wisdom.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252031520
• ISBN13: 9780252031526
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Dr. Jack D. Forbes does it again!!

I have been a huge fan of Dr. Forbes work ever since a good friend of mine introduced me to his book "Aztecas Del Norte; The Chicanos of Aztlan" ten years ago. His latest work does not disappoint, and his magnificent scholarship deserves more attention than it receives. Dr. Forbes exposes the true inspiration for Columbus' voyage and enlightens us with the facts of American contact with Europe many years before 1492. This book is a must have for scholars and academics who research indigenous American culture and history. A student of ethnic and indigenous studies myself, I recommend this book to everyone and look forward to Dr. Forbes' future work. In Ixachilankayoyeliztli aik ixpolwiz!

CREATIVE, SCHOLARLY, & VASTLY ENTERTAINING

What a treasure to read a well researched, provocative book in the intellectual desert of the mainstream. Dr. Forbes' book is an oasis of reason and evidence measured against mainstream books seeking to make career gains by parroting the already said. Dr. Forbes is Professor Emeritus, and although his career is not over, he certainly doesn't have to publish or perish. Clearly, this book was a labor of love, and it is filled with hard work and creativity that few can match. This work challenges the omnipresent mindset that Europeans discovered America and challenges the concomitant assumption that Native Americans do not have agency, nor do they explore or do anything of importance. In other words, Dr. Forbes' book challenges the status quo, something every one of his books has done over the last five decades. I have read almost every book Dr. Forbes has written, and I can say without equivocation that this book delivers. Now, when you challenge the status quo you have to have your game down and provide plenty of evidence to support your case. You have to cite, cite, cite or the naysayer conformists will crucify you and your work. Of course, the naysayer conformists will still crucify you with the complaint that you cited too much. What they are truly upset about is that you provided too much evidence and reason, so they are mad you whooped them on their own court with their ball. So they whine. For the scientific at heart, for people looking for truth and reason in a mainstream fraught with destitute intellectual anomie, this latest book by Dr. Forbes is a refreshing feast of evidence, creativity, and reason spun with his unique blend of humor, wit, and irony. Be sure to read this intellectual work par excellence!