When Columbus crossed the Atlantic in 1492, his journey prompted the exchange of not only information but also food, animals, insects, plants and disease between the continents. In a new book, Charles C. Mann describes the aftermath of Columbus' arrival in the Americas.
Stephen King returns to the scene of JFK's assassination, while Ali Smith presents an intricate tale of a dinner party gone wrong. In nonfiction, Charles C. Mann reassesses Columbus, Juliet Eilperin investigates sharks, and Paul Hendrickson revisits Hemingway.
When Columbus crossed the Atlantic in 1492, his journey prompted the exchange of not only information but also food, animals, insects, plants and disease between the continents. In a new book, Charles C. Mann describes the aftermath of Columbus' arrival in the Americas.
by John Ydstie
Our founding myth suggests the Americas were a lightly populated wilderness before Europeans arrived. Historian Charles C. Mann compiled evidence of a far more complex and populous pre-Columbian society. He tells John Ydstie about 1491.
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