FROM WHOM DID COLUMBUS OBTAIN THE ROUTE PLAN USED TO DISCOVER AMERICA?
Christopher Columbus' biographers have been baffled down through the centuries as to how he obtained the route plan for his voyage. Both the plan itself, consisting of four distinct legs, and the necessity of it have been recognized, but the source has remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, it is outlined and documented by a history student-navigator, Paul H. Chapman, in The Man Who Led Columbus to America. Direct quotations from ancient manuscripts tell the story in the words of the men who made the “scouting” trip nine centuries ahead of Columbus and four centuries prior to the Vikings. Each leg of their journey has been plotted by Chapman and shown on charts in this book (22 total). Photographs of the landing sites then reveal how accurately these men described their arrival points. Sketches by artist John Kollock illustrate the real-life nature of the “miraculous events” described.
Paul Chapman brings to the table the expertise of a trained, experienced navigator. Combined with insightful analysis of the Medieval story of St. Brendan's voyages, he demonstrates exactly where those treks went and affords the old manuscript much greater validity as a factual document. He then ties it to Columbus quite well to offer a great value thesis to understand what that voyager knew and how he knew it. The book generally gives the reader a better and more accurate sense of what came before Columbus. It is well worth reading.
Columbus did not sail due west to America. Instead, he employed a route plan for the round trip, which took advantage of the trade winds. How did Columbus, without having been there, know about the trade wind route? This was the key to his success. But until now, the source of this information has not been solved by researchers. Now, a history student-navigator with working knowledge of both cartography and navigation (Columbus' two fields) presents the solution in The Man Who Led Columbus to America. In solving the mystery, Chapman first explains the navigation described in ancient manuscripts, then plots the courses described, and then includes photographs showing the remarkable accuracy of the early descriptions; finally, an artist is employed to illustrate the natural happenings that had previously been thought to be "miraculous events."
