Columbus: For Gold, God, and Glory

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

What really happened in 1492? As every schoolchild knows, that’s the
year Christopher Columbus “sailed the ocean blue.” But what do we
know of his motives?

After years of studying every available record and retracing that
famous trip from Spain to the Caribbean, the authors conclude that
Columbus had a motive the history books fail to mention. After exposing
Columbus’s log as “nautical nonsense” and a deliberate trail of
misinformation, the authors conclude that Columbus had a map, knew
exactly where he was headed, and why. The motive? Gold, and lots of it.

This visually elaborate book reads like a detective story and looks
like a pirate’s treasure-trove. The designer used the deep jewel-tones
of red and royal blue to give a feeling of richness and luxury. As a
result, the full-color photos and reproductions of historical art have a
sumptuous, lavish quality.

The photos and period illustrations are seemingly endless—there are
more than two hundred and fifty of them. Photos are layered on photos in
order to pack in more courses in the visual feast. There’s even a
foldout comparing the reported and reconstructed route of the 1492
voyage.

The fast-paced text is stylistically opulent without being stuffy, and
it’s definitely colorful. A huge amount of background is covered
without the slightest overtones of an academic lecture. The text looks
at the question of what Columbus was really up to. The evidence
presented shatters conventional assumptions and makes for fascinating
reading.

The descriptions and photos of how the 1492 voyage was re-enacted in a
replica of the vessel Nina present both the romance and the reality of
ocean travel by sail. Historical detail and present-day adventures merge
in a narrative that is vivid and involving. Anyone interested in
history, navigation, adventure, or book design will welcome this work.