Rating: 
Summary: Marvelous Read!!!
Review: How wrong I was about this book! When I initially paged through it, I thought it would be dry, boring and humorless. Instead, it was utterly fascinating, all 670 pages of my edition. Not to mention all the wonderful charts and maps. Down to the very last paragraph. Perhaps I could have wished for a tad less sailing data, as I am no mariner, and understood very little, but Morison himself actually sailed the four voyages that Columbus took (one in conjunction with Harvard University) and his obvious love of sailing shows on every page. Published in 1942, it won the Pultizer Prize for biography in 1943, deservedly so. And yet - while Columbus was without question one of the world's greatest navigators, all of his exploration was for gold, spices, a way to the Orient of Marco Polo, in other words, wealth, and not for the sheer joy of discovery. And the Spaniards' treatment of the Edenic Indians, for which Columbus was responsible, and certainly did his own share, was heartwrenching. Sorry to have finished it.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Interesting !
Review: I knew a fair amount about the first voyage of Columbus from the perspective of the political and the historical but very little about the voyage itself or the man Columbus. The Admiral of the Ocean Sea is an excellent source for information on all of the voyages themselves as well as the general information from a historical point of view. Morison does an excellent job of describing the man Columbus. While many people in our own century will have a very difficult time seeing him as a man of morals due to the manner in which treated non-European people, Morison shows us a picture of a man consumed with the understanding of morality in his day. The lengths that Columbus went to attain piety are rarely taught or written of today and I found the sections dealing with these very informative. I also found the description of the sailing vessels and of the conditions of the sailors to be quite interesting. The majority of the material dealing with sailing itself (a good part of the book) I lacked sufficient understanding to really enjoy. I know little of navigation and little of astronomy so celestial observations are bit beyond me. However I was able to understand in general terms the result (ie Columbus was off a lot or a little) While I had learned a great deal about the dealing of later explorers with the Indians I knew little of the first explorers relations with them. Naturally what I learned about the Spaniards did not surprise me. What did surprise me was how many times traveling along the various coasts the Spaniards met with hostile locals. True most of the Indians were friendly to their own detriment but some did indeed show a little fight. Also �The Admiral of the Ocean Sea� does a really good job of placing the events of the discovery of America into their proper context. The Spanish inquisition was in full swing. The Crusades were a part of recent history and the intermingling of European royal blood for political purposes was at its height. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a balanced biography of Columbus. Afterall it won the Pulitzer for a reason.
Rating:
Summary: biased book, still good reading for the beginner
Review: Morison (RIP) was in love with Columbus, thus, don't hold your breath waiting to find out details of the natives' Holocauts (yes). And the "other" Holocaust will be forever part of his biography. Columbus was in large part responsible for introducing penalty of cutting off hands of Indians who failed to produce the quota of gold dust. Greedy Columbus himself was killing natives at the wholesale. After all, in his first journal the word "gold" is repeated countless times. Columbus was first the businessman, and then a superb mariner. Such abuses are polished by Morison, making the book unreliable source. Still, author uses good narration to explain life of Columbus, and sets in invironment. If you know nothing about Columbus, you may buy the book for its easy reading. If you are looking for fair and detailed bio, look further (John Boyd Thacher, "Cristopher Columbus", 1903, is still the best source). Worthwile to note: this book comes also in 2 volume version, which, beside of more pictures, includes an extra chapter on origin of syphilis (Morison in general minimizes massive raping of women).
Rating:
Summary: biased book, still good reading for the beginner
Review: Morison (RIP) was in love with Columbus, thus, don't hold your breath waiting to find out details of the natives' Holocauts (yes). And the "other" Holocaust will be forever part of his biography. Columbus was in large part responsible for introducing penalty of cutting off hands of Indians who failed to produce the quota of gold dust. Greedy Columbus himself was killing natives at the wholesale. After all, in his first journal the word "gold" is repeated countless times. Columbus was first the businessman, and then a superb mariner. Such abuses are polished by Morison, making the book unreliable source. Still, author uses good narration to explain life of Columbus, and sets in invironment. If you know nothing about Columbus, you may buy the book for its easy reading. If you are looking for fair and detailed bio, look further (John Boyd Thacher, "Cristopher Columbus", 1903, is still the best source). Worthwile to note: this book comes also in 2 volume version, which, beside of more pictures, includes an extra chapter on origin of syphilis (Morison in general minimizes massive raping of women).
Rating:
Summary: The Great Discoverer
Review: Morison was both a true sailor and a true writer. This, his pre-war masterpiece (his WW2 history of the U.S. Navy being his other) was intended for the 450th anniversary of the First Voyage which, sadly, was overshadowed by other events. The first point Morison makes is that Columbus did, after all, discover America: Africans, Chinese, Vikings and (obviously) the Indians had encountered it before 1492, but only Columbus got back home to spread the word. Discovery is not just finding something, it's telling everyone else about it. The other early point debunked is that Columbus never "proved" the world was round, as no-one ever doubted it was: his thesis was that the world was not as big as everyone said - therefore China was only a month's sail away. In this, he was utterly, utterly wrong, but the by-product of his error was the unfolding of the New World. Finally, Morison comes to Columbus the man. He was no saint - his treatment of the Carib peoples is a terrible stain on his and his masters' reputations - but as a navigator, few approach his skill, and none his achievements. It remains the standard English-language work on the four voyages of the Admiral (as Morison likes to call him), and it reigns supreme over all other Great Explorer books as the one tome which is doubly literate - both well written and fully conversant in sailing lore.
Rating:
Summary: The Great Discoverer
Review: Morison was both a true sailor and a true writer. This, his pre-war masterpiece (his WW2 history of the U.S. Navy being his other) was intended for the 450th anniversary of the First Voyage which, sadly, was overshadowed by other events. It remains the standard English-language work on the four voyages of the Admiral (as Morison likes to call him), and it reigns supreme over all other Great Explorer books as the one tome which is doubly literate - both well written and fully conversant in sailing lore. The first point Morison makes is that Columbus did, after all, discover America: Africans, Chinese, Vikings and (obviously) the Indians had encountered it before 1492, but only Columbus got back home to spread the word. Discovery is not just finding something, it's telling everyone else about it. The other early point debunked is that Columbus never "proved" the world was round, as no-one ever doubted it was: his thesis was that the world was not as big as everyone said - therefore China was only a month's sail away. In this, he was utterly, utterly wrong, but the by-product of his error was the unfolding of the New World. Finally, Morison comes to Columbus the man. He was no saint - his treatment of the Carib peoples is a terrible stain on his and his masters' reputations - but as a navigator, few approach his skill, and none his achievements.
Rating:
Summary: A great book by a great historian and a great prose stylist
Review: This remains the definitive biography of Columbus. Morison was one of the greatest historians ever to practice the craft--his scholarship still holds up today. He was also a master of the written word, unlike most professional historians today. Morison enumerates the reasons why he admires Columbus, but he also catalogs the man's misdeeds--for example, Morison uses the word "genocide" to describe Columbus's treatment of the Indians as governor of Hispaniola. Morison gives his readers the facts they need to form their own opinion of Columbus. (I do not share Morison's admiration for the man.) I must correct the astonishingly ignorant remarks of the reviewer who identified himself as "A reader from New York City" and entitled his review "So much ignorance my God..." Here goes: 1) The reviewer asserted that Morison was not, in fact, an admiral. Actually, Morison did receive the title. FDR made Morison an honorary admiral when he commissioned the scholar to write the naval history of the US role in WWII. (Morison produced a 12-volume epic. It's still in print.) 2) The reviewer regurgitates a number of questions about Columbus's origins that he apparently drew from another book by a revisionist historian (Kirkpatrick Sale?). The questions the reviewer repeats are good ones, but they are questions that remain open because the evidence to answer them conclusively probably does not exist. If the reviewer were a trained historian, he might understand that.
Rating: 
Summary: So much ignorance my God...
Review: This was one of the most enjoyable biographies I've read. The most distinguishing thing about this book of course is the fact that Morison recreated the voyages before his writing the book. This recreation lends credibility to his writing. But more than that, it makes much of the book, particularly those parts at sea, seem as if the reader is experiencing the voyages through the person of Columbus. Not only the particulars of what he saw, but the smells of land breezes, the feel of the trade winds, the motion of the boat. Morison's obvious love of the sea and of sailing work very much in his favor. Another strength is the historical perspective carefully provided by Morison. Knowing what was going on with Catholic Spain during Columbus' life (the defeat of the Moors, the expulsion of the Jews, political intrigue and conflict involving France, England, Portugal, and others) helps to explain the motivations of Columbus and his contemporaries. I was a bit wary of a 60-year old book, Pulitzer or no Pulitzer, in light of the more recent reconsiderations of Columbus. Some people would have us believe that the voyage of 1492 was some sort of original sin inflicted upon the paradise that was the western hemisphere. But in his preface, Morison makes it clear that he is concerned with Columbus, the "man of action", and is leaving analyses of his motivations to others. And at any rate, Morison's sensibilities are very much in tune with those of the year 2000. He makes few apologies for Columbus and takes him to task where warranted, particularly for his treatment of the natives. One chapter, "Hell in Hispaniola", is almost exclusively devoted to this area. One word of warning: If your knowledge of sailing isn't good, then you may want to bone up on some of the rudiments before starting this book. Morison provides an explanation of some of the terminology, but not enough for someone who knows as little about sailing as I did coming in. But please don't be put off by that - this book is a real pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: The Best on the subject...
Review: What other Author on Columbus was also an Admiral? ... and sailed the same pathways on a clipper ship?... Morison has written many books on Cristobal... and this one is the cadaliac. I have a slip-covered collectors edition, but have bought many used copies to give to friends as gifts (plus a few for myself). If you like truthful history written with style and professionalism... this in a book to own.
Rating:
Summary: The Best on the subject...
Review: What other Author on Columbus was also an Admiral? ... and sailed the same pathways on a clipper ship?... Morison has written many books on Cristobal... and this one is the cadaliac. I have a slip-covered collectors edition, but have bought many used copies to give to friends as gifts (plus a few for myself). If you like truthful history written with style and professionalism... this in a book to own.
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