The Americas - (Modern Library Chronicles) by Felipe Fernández-Armesto (Paperback)

About the Book

A groundbreaking biography of the man who gave his name to America, "Amerigo" is delivered by one of the worlds most exciting historians who spins a grand narrative full of character and story. 4 maps.

Book Synopsis

In this groundbreaking work, leading historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto tells the story of our hemisphere as a whole, showing why it is impossible to understand North, Central, and South America in isolation without turning to the intertwining forces that shape the region. With imagination, thematic breadth, and his trademark wit, Fernández-Armesto covers a range of cultural, political, and social subjects, taking us from the dawn of human migration to North America to the Colonial and Independence periods to the "American Century" and beyond. Fernández-Armesto does nothing less than revise the conventional wisdom about cross-cultural exchange, conflict, and interaction, making and supporting some brilliantly provocative conclusions about the Americas' past and where we are headed.

Review Quotes

"An imaginative, intelligent and sprightly volume that, in the space of some two hundred pages, races through the history of the Western hemisphere-from prehistoric times to the present."
-The Washington Post Book World

"This wonderfully sharp and provocative book should become essential reading for anybody interested in the history of America."
-The Times Literary Supplement (London)

"Fernández-Armesto can personalize broad historical trends without sinking into triviality. . . . History written at its best." -Booklist

About the Author

Felipe Fernández-Armesto, the Prince of Asturias Professor of History at Tufts University, is the author of several books, including Millennium, Columbus, and Near a Thousand Tables: A History of Food.