Great Age of Discovery

by Paul Herrmann

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Genres: History, Nonfiction

507 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book outlines the major efforts of European explorers, from Colombus in the late 15th century to Livingston in the 19th. It covers the Spanish conquest of central and south America, the exploration of the Pacific, and later expeditions into Africa.

The book does a great job highlighting major points as it covers hundreds of years of history. It gives the details of the explorations, including first-hand accounts, and also provides valuable historical context, which can be vital to understanding the motivations of the explorers.

It should be noted that this work was originally published in 1953. Since then historians have tried to shift away from a euro-centric view of the events covered by this book. In fact, I asked my friend - a PHD student in an archaeology program - about this book, and some of its assertions. As it turns out he had read it, and agreed that it makes some pretty out-dated assertions. For example, the book quotes the reports of Cortez to the King of Spain regarding the conquest of Mexico. Today there's a lot of skepticism about the validity of these reports, as Cortez obviously had many reasons to lie about what happened in Mexico to improve his image. The book also pushes the "Kon-tiki" theory of Polynesian contact with South America, but this has since fallen out of favor.

This is all to say that I think this book is well worth reading, but the reader should be aware of the author's bias and may want to read some additional sources to balance this one. My archaeologist friend I mentioned earlier recommended "Histories Greatest Voyages", part of the Great Courses series. I've started this and I'm really enjoying it!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. In fact, I read it twice (as an audiobook). I am keenly interested in this time period, especially in the great voyages of discovery, and the narrative here did not disappoint.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book - although I did expect it to have a broader scope. Still - a good book overall

[Rick Patch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrific history lesson for me. Spain and Portugal entrepreneurs at a level I would likely have never survived.

[Bruce Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical material is incredibly important, you won't get it public school.