Scan barcode
A review by wyvernfriend
1421: The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies
4.0
Note: Some extra information is on the website http://1421.tv/
It's an interesting thesis. The idea that in the 15th Century, just before the emperor decided that a thunderstorm and tragic fire were a sign that he was doing something wrong and that exploration was out, that Chinese explorers had made it to America and to Australia and mapped it all out. It does pose some questions about some of the accepted theories, but, and it's a bit but, a lot of it is conjecture and based on secondary sources. Unfortunately some of the primary sources were destroyed when the Emperor decided that isolationism was a good thing, so we may never know the truth of the thesis.
It's an area that needs more research, still, it was possible that others also found America, the Brendan Voyage and other experiments prove that America may have been found several times but not exploited fully.
It's not a bad read, and it's interesting to have a view from a person who is familiar with the seas about the topic, a person who experienced the tides and the changes and some of the ways things are not always as they seem on water. Still needs more research and backing for it. I did find the refer to website and paperback references a bit jarring and his leaps of faith were almost on par with those in the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. I did find it readable and it reminded me not to always take history at face value which is an important reminder in my mind.
It's an interesting thesis. The idea that in the 15th Century, just before the emperor decided that a thunderstorm and tragic fire were a sign that he was doing something wrong and that exploration was out, that Chinese explorers had made it to America and to Australia and mapped it all out. It does pose some questions about some of the accepted theories, but, and it's a bit but, a lot of it is conjecture and based on secondary sources. Unfortunately some of the primary sources were destroyed when the Emperor decided that isolationism was a good thing, so we may never know the truth of the thesis.
It's an area that needs more research, still, it was possible that others also found America, the Brendan Voyage and other experiments prove that America may have been found several times but not exploited fully.
It's not a bad read, and it's interesting to have a view from a person who is familiar with the seas about the topic, a person who experienced the tides and the changes and some of the ways things are not always as they seem on water. Still needs more research and backing for it. I did find the refer to website and paperback references a bit jarring and his leaps of faith were almost on par with those in the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. I did find it readable and it reminded me not to always take history at face value which is an important reminder in my mind.