1491
New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Second Edition
by Charles C. Mann
Recently I posted an image of a new book on Facebook and a friend asked that I post back after I'd read it in order to inform others what it was like. That got me thinking about reviewing books, something I haphazardly did on Amazon over a decade ago for a short time, but haven't touched since. (Sidenote: while just investigating those old Amazon reviews I discovered a snippet from my review of The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams posted on the author's website, which was cool to see) I figured that rather than posting my thoughts on Facebook it would be better to enter them here on my blog. So here goes.
Earlier this year a colleague recommended 1491 and I spent some time talking about the book with him. I then added it to my list of books that I want to buy. This extensive electronic list both helps me to come up with ideas of what to buy if I come into possession of a gift card, but also serves as a starting point for my wife when she is looking for gift ideas.
Unbeknownst to me my wife purchased this book as a Christmas present for me even before it was recommended several months ago. We opened gifts a day early this year on Christmas Eve since we were spending the week with my in-laws and some of them had to leave where we were staying on Christmas Day. I spent the next couple days reading and by the end of Boxing Day I'd completed my reading of this engaging volume.
The premise of 1491 is that the traditional view of the Americas before Columbus landed are quite far from the mark and most likely portray a very different picture of what was actually present on the continents of North America and South America. The argument presented is that Indian* civilizations were must larger than previously thought, had been on the continents longer than assumed, and had had a much bigger impact on the land. The three sections of the book cover these topics with titles Numbers from Nowhere?, Very Old Bones, and Landscape with Figures.
*Mann acknowledges that there is no single good-term to describe the pre-1492 inhabitants of North and South America (for example technically anyone born on either continent is a "Native American") and has settled on Indian since he says that most people he has interviewed and talked to used the word to describe themselves.
Mann explained that the more he learned the more he was fascinated to discover that the truth might be different than what he was taught. He figured that this undoubtedly fascinating story would make a wonderful book.
I kept waiting for that book to appear. The wait grew more frustrating when my son entered school and was taught the same things I had been taught, beliefs I knew had been sharply questioned. Since nobody else appeared to be writing the book, I finally decided to try it myself. Besides, I was curious to learn more. The book you are holding is the result. ~1491, preface, x
I found the ideas most interesting and the arguments presented persuasive. For example I've been working on researching the Viking arrivals in the New World circa 1000 AD and remember that one of the reasons the saga give for them leaving was the hostility of the natives. While later European settlements in North America didn't always get along with the local inhabitants there were not many times when they were powerful enough to force the colonizers to give up and go home. It would definitely make sense that the Indian population loss after waves of smallpox and other pandemics had swept across both continents several times would preclude them from being able to easily defend themselves and their homelands against invasion.
The most fascinating section to me was the third one that talked about the extensive Indian impact upon the land. For example the often quoted numbers of tens of millions of bison and billions of passenger pigeons throughout North America are quite likely to be population explosions that occurred after the mass die off caused by European diseases. It reminds me of the stories of deer or reindeer on isolated islands where the populations boom, then crash, and then repeat the cycle due to the lack of predators. I can understand the argument that if numerous groups of people had been managing the landscape but were suddenly removed that animals would expand into the habitat. Also that habitat encountered by Europeans that suddenly wasn't densely populated by Indian tribes could seem like natural wilderness when it was instead managed land. "Native Americans ran the continent as they saw fit. Modern nations must do the same. If they want to return as much of the landscape as possible to its state in 1491, they will have to create the world's largest gardens. (p 375)"
The book also includes a number of maps and pictures that illustrate the text. I found the maps quite useful as they list the various locations directly described in the text. I did find some of the map printing a bit hard to decipher against the background, but I was able to make out everything with some work, so it isn't anything big to complain about.
I know I'm not doing an excellent job portraying Mann's arguments, but that truly isn't the point of the review. Rather I'd encourage you to check out his book directly if you're interested in this portrayal of the Americas on the eve of the Colombian Exchange. Speaking of that, I've already placed an order for his sequel/companion book 1493 that covers the aftermath of the European-American interaction. I can't wait for it to arrive next month (sadly free shipping is slow) so that I can read it.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Summary: If you enjoy history and want to discover a different perspective on early American history definitely check out this well-written, reasoned, and compelling volume.
Technical: 553 pages, text: 392 p, appendices: 21 p, notes 53 p (no footnotes in text). Includes index and bibliography. Second edition only available as trade paperback (no hardcover)
~Matt
