The Nine Lives of Christopher Columbus

In this well-researched, rakish debunking of the many myths surrounding Christopher Columbus, Restall demonstrates that conspiracy theories, far from originating with modern social media, are recurrent throughout history. No, Columbus was not a converted Jew. No, he was not the first to argue that the world was round. And no, there is no evidence to suggest he was gay or had sex with sea creatures. While dispelling rumors passed down through the ages, Restall also resists Great Man iconography, preferring to paint Columbus as very much a product of his late-medieval times. Born of humble origins in Genoa, and obsessively self-promoting, Restall’s Columbus was primarily motivated by the desire to gain wealth and status, for himself and his offspring. Although Norse expeditions reached North America centuries earlier, Columbus does indeed get credit for being the first European explorer to establish lasting transatlantic routes to the Americas. And he deserves opprobrium for having butchered and enslaved indigenous populations. Columbus was also lucky: the Spanish crown, his patron, had just conquered the Canary Islands—a convenient port of call on his way to the New World.