1493 How the Ecological Collision of Europe and the Americas Gave Rise to the Modern World eBook Charles C Mann
Download As PDF : 1493 How the Ecological Collision of Europe and the Americas Gave Rise to the Modern World eBook Charles C Mann 
Two hundred million years ago the earth consisted of a single vast continent, Pangea, surrounded by a great planetary sea. Continental drift tore apart Pangaea, and for millennia the hemispheres were separate, evolving almost entirely different suites of plants and animals. Columbus's arrival in the Americas brought together these long-separate worlds. Many historians believe that this collision of ecosystems and cultures - the Columbian Exchange - was the most consequential event in human history since the Neolithic Revolution. And it was the most consequential event in biological history since the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Beginning with the world of microbes and moving up the species ladder to mankind, Mann rivetingly describes the profound effect this exchanging of species had on the culture of both continents.
1493 How the Ecological Collision of Europe and the Americas Gave Rise to the Modern World eBook Charles C Mann
This is a terrifically interesting and entertaining book, which presented me with at least two blockbuster ideas that changed the way I think about the past. I'll get to those in a minute, but first a few general points. Charles Mann is a science journalist:who seems to specialize in BIG topics. His 2005 book ("1491", which argues that the pre-Columbian population of the Americas was much larger and more sophisticated than generally assumed), was very well received. I enjoyed it so much, and thought it so valuable a book, that I was very anxious to read "1493"."1493" lived up to my (high) expectations. Mann is remarkable writer, with an extraordinary ability to present very complex facts and ideas in way that's not just accessible to the lay reader, it's fun for the lay reader. This isn't to say that the book isn't carefully researched -- the text is followed by almost 100 pages of footnotes, and throughout he cites and acknowledges the scientists and others from whom he has drawn information. It's just that Mann manages to combine a myriad of facts and hypotheses into a compelling narrative. And he often puts this in very concrete terms, focussing on individual people, commodities or events. It adds up to a fascinating read.
It is also a very important one, with implications for the future as well as about the past. Mann's subject in this book is the Columbian Exchange, the sudden movement of plants, microbes, animals and people between the eastern and western hemispheres after Columbus' voyage to the Americas in 1492. A well known effect of this was the eastern hemisphere adoption of western hemisphere foods (tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate, coffee, and on and on). Another effect that's only been recently come to be widely understood is the devastating impact on the pre-Columbian population of the Americas; as many as 80% died in the epidemics that followed the introduction of diseases to which they had no immunity. But the population die-off and the exchange of plant species are not the only effects of the Columbian Exchange. Mann's book explores the myriad ways in which the Exchange -- globablization -- has shaped the world of today.
Two things I learned from the book struck me particularly. First, like most Americans of my generation (older) I learned in school that the colonization of the Americas was carried out by white people, who moved into a largely uninhabited continent. "1491" took care of the uninhabited: "1493" takes care of the white. Mann says that from 1500 to 1840, about 3.4 million white Europeans emigrated to the Americas. Over the same period, about 11.7 million captive Africans were sent to the Americas. Except for New England, much of the United States and most of Latin American was far more black than white. (And probably in 1840 still more Indian/Native American than anything else). The racial balance changed as white immigration ramped up and as millions upon millions of blacks died too young, but the picture of early America looks very different to me now.
Secondly, Mann discussed at length the 19th century ecological disaster that engulfed China. I had always assumed that the floods that killed so many millions in China had always happened, and were the result of geography. There have indeed always been floods, but their severity and human cost grew logarithmically in the 19th century. New crops led to more food and to rising population growth, and at the same time to more potential cash crops, increasing the pressure on existing land holdings, and leading to vast land clearances. That made the floods far worse when they came, undermining the political structure and compounding China's problems. This was interesting not just a light on the past, but as a warning signal for the future.
The review is already too long, so, to sum it up: Great book!! Read it!! Give it to friends and family!!
Product details
|
Tags : Buy 1493: How the Ecological Collision of Europe and the Americas Gave Rise to the Modern World: Read 612 Books Reviews - Amazon.com,ebook,Charles C. Mann,1493: How the Ecological Collision of Europe and the Americas Gave Rise to the Modern World,Granta Books
People also read other books :
- The Pug That Ate Paris edition by DB Gilles Literature Fiction eBooks
- The Secrets of Egypt Roger D Grubbs 9780981668093 Books
- Titus Andronicus Classic Reprint William Shakespeare Books
- Fear of Fire edition by Michael Harold Brown Religion Spirituality eBooks
- La amante del griego Bianca Spanish Edition edition by Lynne Graham Literature Fiction eBooks
1493 How the Ecological Collision of Europe and the Americas Gave Rise to the Modern World eBook Charles C Mann Reviews
A very interesting read. I have always been interested in how foods or inventions are integrated into different cultures and how they affect civilizations. This is a well researched and well written documentation of the changes which occurred when the two worlds met after 1492. Very enjoyable. I bought the kindle version, as usual with books that you want to glance back through, it would be interesting to have a hard copy.
It is rare that an author has the talent to impart facts, attendant theories, and well researched history without putting his readers to sleep; Charles C. Mann is such an author and "1493" is such a book.
Taking up where his earlier work, "1491", left off, Mann's continued historical explanation and analysis of the so called "Columbian Exchange" does much to inform his reader of when and how human caused globalization began to impact the western hemisphere and change Earth's ecosystems forever after. The exchange of plants, animals, viruses, bacteria, minerals and, perhaps most earth-shaking, human beings falls into an epoch that Mann labels the "Homogenocene", an era that continues to affect our world and its environments. This book - like 1491 - is well researched, well argued when Mann tilts toward theories of causation, and very well written overall. Two thumbs up! Or five stars even!
I am enjoying this book as an amateur history of spices buff. It is an eye opener for making one realize how isolated people were pre-Columbus and the effects of his exploration on opening up trade and culinary experiences around the world. It is fascinating learning out crops today that are important economic contributors to various countries were acquired post-Columbus. Rubber is a case in point. From South America to the vast planations of SE Asia. Red peppers, the basis for many Thai and Chinese dishes were unheard of in these countries pre-Columbia.
Some of these migrations were good, some was bad. Mr. Mann covers both sides of the story in a readable book.
After his best-selling book, 1491 New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus, Charles Mann wrote a sequel, 1493 Uncovering the New World Columbus Created.
1491 reconstructs what North and South America were like before European contact, showing that the Americas were among the most densely populated regions of the world. Some of the cities in Mesoamerica and South America were bigger and more sophisticated than Europe’s most advanced cities at the time.
1493 chronicles global changes resulting from the interaction between continents, what Mann calls the Homogenocene, rewriting global ecosystems through the transportation of immigrants, slaves, new crop plants, livestock, pests, and diseases. Mann shows how malaria imported from Africa shaped colonies and influenced slavery in the New World, and how African colonization was often a bigger force in reshaping the Americas than European colonization. He shows how exploited riches of gold and silver sparked global trade networks and enriched some, but also flooded the markets with such vast wealth as to devalue precious metals and cause economic collapse instead of prosperity. Mann follows the trail of American crops that were introduced to the rest of the world, such as potatoes, tomatoes, maize, sweet potatoes, and rubber, showing how American foods helped stabilize and grow European populations, fueling global empire-building, and of course, crashes such as the Irish potato famine. From Asia to the Americas to Europe, Mann demonstrates how the discovery of the Americas reshaped the entire world, for better or worse, into a more homogenous mix of people, crops, and pests. It is a great read for understanding world history and the roots of globalization.
This is a terrifically interesting and entertaining book, which presented me with at least two blockbuster ideas that changed the way I think about the past. I'll get to those in a minute, but first a few general points. Charles Mann is a science journalistwho seems to specialize in BIG topics. His 2005 book ("1491", which argues that the pre-Columbian population of the Americas was much larger and more sophisticated than generally assumed), was very well received. I enjoyed it so much, and thought it so valuable a book, that I was very anxious to read "1493".
"1493" lived up to my (high) expectations. Mann is remarkable writer, with an extraordinary ability to present very complex facts and ideas in way that's not just accessible to the lay reader, it's fun for the lay reader. This isn't to say that the book isn't carefully researched -- the text is followed by almost 100 pages of footnotes, and throughout he cites and acknowledges the scientists and others from whom he has drawn information. It's just that Mann manages to combine a myriad of facts and hypotheses into a compelling narrative. And he often puts this in very concrete terms, focussing on individual people, commodities or events. It adds up to a fascinating read.
It is also a very important one, with implications for the future as well as about the past. Mann's subject in this book is the Columbian Exchange, the sudden movement of plants, microbes, animals and people between the eastern and western hemispheres after Columbus' voyage to the Americas in 1492. A well known effect of this was the eastern hemisphere adoption of western hemisphere foods (tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate, coffee, and on and on). Another effect that's only been recently come to be widely understood is the devastating impact on the pre-Columbian population of the Americas; as many as 80% died in the epidemics that followed the introduction of diseases to which they had no immunity. But the population die-off and the exchange of plant species are not the only effects of the Columbian Exchange. Mann's book explores the myriad ways in which the Exchange -- globablization -- has shaped the world of today.
Two things I learned from the book struck me particularly. First, like most Americans of my generation (older) I learned in school that the colonization of the Americas was carried out by white people, who moved into a largely uninhabited continent. "1491" took care of the uninhabited "1493" takes care of the white. Mann says that from 1500 to 1840, about 3.4 million white Europeans emigrated to the Americas. Over the same period, about 11.7 million captive Africans were sent to the Americas. Except for New England, much of the United States and most of Latin American was far more black than white. (And probably in 1840 still more Indian/Native American than anything else). The racial balance changed as white immigration ramped up and as millions upon millions of blacks died too young, but the picture of early America looks very different to me now.
Secondly, Mann discussed at length the 19th century ecological disaster that engulfed China. I had always assumed that the floods that killed so many millions in China had always happened, and were the result of geography. There have indeed always been floods, but their severity and human cost grew logarithmically in the 19th century. New crops led to more food and to rising population growth, and at the same time to more potential cash crops, increasing the pressure on existing land holdings, and leading to vast land clearances. That made the floods far worse when they came, undermining the political structure and compounding China's problems. This was interesting not just a light on the past, but as a warning signal for the future.
The review is already too long, so, to sum it up Great book!! Read it!! Give it to friends and family!!
0 Response to "[ASH]≡ Read Gratis 1493 How the Ecological Collision of Europe and the Americas Gave Rise to the Modern World eBook Charles C Mann"
Post a Comment