About the Author

Felipe Fernández-Armesto, the Prince of Asturias Professor of History at Tufts University, is the author of several books, including The Americas, Millennium, Columbus, and Near a Thousand Tables: A History of Food. He is the recipient of many honors and awards, including the Cairo Medal, the John Carter Brown Medal, and the Premio Nacional de Investigación of Spain’s Sociedad Geográfica Española. His work has appeared in twenty-four languages, and his journalism and broadcasts appear frequently in Spanish and British media.

Reviews

"An imaginative, intelligent and sprightly volume that, in the space of some two hundred pages, races through the history of the Western hemisphere-from prehistoric times to the present."
-The Washington Post Book World
"This wonderfully sharp and provocative book should become essential reading for anybody interested in the history of America."
-The Times Literary Supplement (London)"
"
"Fernandez-Armesto can personalize broad historical trends without sinking into triviality. . . . History written at its best." -Booklist

"An imaginative, intelligent and sprightly volume that, in the space of some two hundred pages, races through the history of the Western hemisphere-from prehistoric times to the present."
-The Washington Post Book World
"This wonderfully sharp and provocative book should become essential reading for anybody interested in the history of America."
-The Times Literary Supplement (London)"
"Fernandez-Armesto can personalize broad historical trends without sinking into triviality. . . . History written at its best." -Booklist

Five hundred years ago, America was named by means of a map that referred to the newly explored Western Hemisphere with that label. The cartographers were printing it to honor the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512). In this fascinating biography, Fern ndez-Armesto (history, Tufts Univ.; Millennium: A History of the Last Thousand Years) writes that the mapmakers of St. Die, France, were "suckered" by misleading publications written by or attributed to Vespucci. How did this happen? The author analyzes Vespucci, his voyages, and his times, taking into account existing scholarship to understand this geographic tribute. A master of reinvention, Vespucci went through a number of careers: jewel dealer, supplier of New World fleets and settlements, navigator (he did voyage to South America), astronomer, author, and chief pilot. Fern ndez-Armesto's mastery of previously published research and his expertise in addressing the many concerns raised by Vespucci's writings (many of which are excerpted in the text) are intriguing and sometimes amusing. The mapmakers retreated from their labeling of America as an honor to Vespucci, but the popularity of the publication made later efforts at renaming unsuccessful. Highly recommended for all libraries.-Margaret Atwater-Singer, Univ. of Evansville Libs., IN Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

"An imaginative, intelligent and sprightly volume that, in the space of some two hundred pages, races through the history of the Western hemisphere-from prehistoric times to the present."
-The Washington Post Book World
"This wonderfully sharp and provocative book should become essential reading for anybody interested in the history of America."
-The Times Literary Supplement (London)"
"
"Fernandez-Armesto can personalize broad historical trends without sinking into triviality. . . . History written at its best." -Booklist
"An imaginative, intelligent and sprightly volume that, in the space of some two hundred pages, races through the history of the Western hemisphere-from prehistoric times to the present."
-The Washington Post Book World
"This wonderfully sharp and provocative book should become essential reading for anybody interested in the history of America."
-The Times Literary Supplement (London)"
"Fernandez-Armesto can personalize broad historical trends without sinking into triviality. . . . History written at its best." -Booklist