Amerigo Vespucci (Famous Explorers)

Rating:
Summary: The explorer who gave his name to the Americas
Review: I have to admit that when it comes to famous explorers I do not tend to put Amerigo Vespucci on that list. My understanding was that Vespucci gave his name to the Americas because he was featured prominently on an important map. But this juvenile biography by Jeff Donaldson-Forbes makes the case that Vespucci gave his name to the American continents because he was the person who figured out they were continents and not part of Asia. This book explains how Vespucci was first and foremost a navigator who was able to make computations that proved the Americans were a far way from India. Vespucci made no more than three voyages to the New World and his main contributions were providing the first detailed maps of South America and naming Venezuela (for Venice, oddly enough). Obviously there is not as much known about Vespucci as other famous explorers, but this book certainly covers all the high points. The book is illustrated with historic paintings, maps and etchings, including several portraits of Vespucci, as well as some fascinating photographs of ancient navigational instruments such as the astrolabe and the quadrant. At the end of the book Donaldson-Forbes claims that naming the continents of North America and South America after Vespucci was a just tribute, and there is certainly a case to be made on the basis of what young students read here. After all, the obvious alternative would have us all being Columbians...

Rating:
Summary: The explorer who gave his name to the Americas
Review: I have to admit that when it comes to famous explorers I do not tend to put Amerigo Vespucci on that list. My understanding was that Vespucci gave his name to the Americas because he was featured prominently on an important map. But this juvenile biography by Jeff Donaldson-Forbes makes the case that Vespucci gave his name to the American continents because he was the person who figured out they were continents and not part of Asia. This book explains how Vespucci was first and foremost a navigator who was able to make computations that proved the Americans were a far way from India. Vespucci made no more than three voyages to the New World and his main contributions were providing the first detailed maps of South America and naming Venezuela (for Venice, oddly enough). Obviously there is not as much known about Vespucci as other famous explorers, but this book certainly covers all the high points. The book is illustrated with historic paintings, maps and etchings, including several portraits of Vespucci, as well as some fascinating photographs of ancient navigational instruments such as the astrolabe and the quadrant. At the end of the book Donaldson-Forbes claims that naming the continents of North America and South America after Vespucci was a just tribute, and there is certainly a case to be made on the basis of what young students read here. After all, the obvious alternative would have us all being Columbians...