Book Log 2012 #15: 1493 by Charles Mann

I was a huge fan of 1491, Mann's book about the pre-Columbian Americas, and the rational way it went about showing the differences between the popular image of the hemisphere prior to Columbus and the vibrant, well-populated civilization that was actually here. I think my enjoyment of that book may have set the bar too high for the follow-up. It's as well-researched and written as the first one, but never quite hit the same heights for me.

As for why this is, I've come up with two theories. The first is that the links between the new and old world that are detailed here aren't as surprising as the revelations in 1491. Thanks to Thomas Friedman and all his world-flattening, the idea that Andean silver fueled Chinese growth isn't as shocking as it may have been a decade ago.

The other is that, in trying to be exhaustive, the book can get a bit exhausting. A later section of the book discusses independent settlements of freed/escaped slaves (such as the quilombos in Brazil or the settlments in the Great Dismal Swamp). It's an interesting topic, but it gets bogged down by the need to discuss all of the major settlements in the Americas.

There are still some interesting connections made - the linkage between various types of mosquitos, malaria bugs, human physiology and slavery, for example - and overall it's well worth reading. You just may find your attention wandering more than you'd expect.