Book Review: 1493 by Charles C. Mann

1493
Uncovering the New World Columbus Created
by Charles C. Mann

Last year I read (and reviewed) Charles C. Mann's 1491.  When I found out that he'd published a sequel of sorts I rushed to buy it.  I enjoyed it and tried to not rush through the reading of it so that it would last longer.  I just finished it up recently and decided that it deserved a review of its own.

Presenting the latest research by biologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians, Mann shows how the post-Columbian network of ecological and economic exchange fostered the rise of Europe, devastated imperial China, convulsed Africa, and for two centuries made Mexico City—where Asia, Europe, and the new frontier of the Americas dynamically interacted—the center of the world. In this history, Mann uncovers the germ of today’s fiercest political disputes, from immigration to trade policy to culture wars. In 1493, Mann has again given readers an eye-opening scientific interpretation of our past, unequaled in its authority and fascination.
--from Charles C. Mann author website

We all know the world changed after Columbus voyaged in 1492, but I don't think we always realized exactly what happened.  In this book Charles Mann sets out to explore the world that was created as a result of the Colombian Exchange.  Both hemispheres were inexorably altered in many different ways.  One of the most fascinating things I learned was the extent to which Africans outnumbered Europeans in many areas of the New World.  I knew that many hundreds of thousands of slaves had been brought over the Atlantic, and knew that in some areas like the American South or Brazil they outnumbered Europeans, but I didn't realize how this was true in many other areas.  It was fascinating to learn about all of the independent colonies founded by escaped slaves throughout both continents.

I also knew that tomatoes and potatoes were New World crops that made huge inroads elsewhere via the Irish Potato Famine or can you imagine Italian cooking without tomato sauce?  However, I didn't realize the extent to which crops and trade impacted places like China and may have impacted the rise and fall of several dynasties.

Overall Mann does a great job explaining the many, many changes the world has seen in the past slightly over five centuries and the great mixing that has occurred.  He also brings out many things you may not have thought about--like the impact of the potato on Chinese imperial history.  Or in discussions of invasive species why are food crops never mentioned?  If you garden in North America the chances are that virtually none of the crops you plant were domesticated within thousands of miles of where you are located.  Throughout the book the text flows very well and is quite engaging.  I had to stop myself from finishing it too quickly several times as I wanted to savor the read.  If you enjoy history I encourage you to check out the book.  You may not agree with all conclusions, but it is well worth your time to read through and you'll likely end up learning something new.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Summary: An examination of the global changes wrought by the mingling of the eastern and western hemispheres after 1492.
Technical: 535 pages, hardcover with dust jacket.  Includes black and white photographs, drawings, and map throughout the text.  Two appendices, end notes, works cited, and index included.

~Matt