Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus

Morison was both a true sailor and a true writer. This, his pre-war masterpiece (his WW2 history of the U.S. Navy being his other) was intended for the 450th anniversary of the First Voyage which, sadly, was overshadowed by other events. It remains the standard English-language work on the four voyages of the Admiral (as Morison likes to call him), and it reigns supreme over all other Great Explorer books as the one tome which is doubly literate - both well written and fully conversant in sailing lore. The first point Morison makes is that Columbus did, after all, discover America: Africans, Chinese, Vikings and (obviously) the Indians had encountered it before 1492, but only Columbus got back home to spread the word. Discovery is not just finding something, it's telling everyone else about it. The other early point debunked is that Columbus never "proved" the world was round, as no-one ever doubted it was: his thesis was that the world was not as big as everyone said - therefore China was only a month's sail away. In this, he was utterly, utterly wrong, but the by-product of his error was the unfolding of the New World. Finally, Morison comes to Columbus the man. He was no saint - his treatment of the Carib peoples is a terrible stain on his and his masters' reputations - but as a navigator, few approach his skill, and none his achievements.

This was one of the most enjoyable biographies I've read. The most distinguishing thing about this book of course is the fact that Morison recreated the voyages before his writing the book. This recreation lends credibility to his writing. But more than that, it makes much of the book, particularly those parts at sea, seem as if the reader is experiencing the voyages through the person of Columbus. Not only the particulars of what he saw, but the smells of land breezes, the feel of the trade winds, the motion of the boat. Morison's obvious love of the sea and of sailing work very much in his favor. Another strength is the historical perspective carefully provided by Morison. Knowing what was going on with Catholic Spain during Columbus' life (the defeat of the Moors, the expulsion of the Jews, political intrigue and conflict involving France, England, Portugal, and others) helps to explain the motivations of Columbus and his contemporaries. I was a bit wary of a 60-year old book, Pulitzer or no Pulitzer, in light of the more recent reconsiderations of Columbus. Some people would have us believe that the voyage of 1492 was some sort of original sin inflicted upon the paradise that was the western hemisphere. But in his preface, Morison makes it clear that he is concerned with Columbus, the "man of action", and is leaving analyses of his motivations to others. And at any rate, Morison's sensibilities are very much in tune with those of the year 2000. He makes few apologies for Columbus and takes him to task where warranted, particularly for his treatment of the natives. One chapter, "Hell in Hispaniola", is almost exclusively devoted to this area. One word of warning: If your knowledge of sailing isn't good, then you may want to bone up on some of the rudiments before starting this book. Morison provides an explanation of some of the terminology, but not enough for someone who knows as little about sailing as I did coming in. But please don't be put off by that - this book is a real pleasure.

Samuel Eliot Morison's Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus won the Pulitzer Prize in 1942, and does not seem the least dated 55 years later. What sets Morison's biography apart from most is that Morison himself is a sailor, and he draws on his own knowledge of ships, currents, and men to bring Columbus to life. Morison (and, through him, his reader) is constantly amazed at how good Columbus was at dead reckoning in unknown waters, and what a superb handler of ships and men he was. However, this is not a hagiography, and Morison does not shy away from Columbus' lapses in judgment (to the end, he convinced himself that he had reached the Indies) and mistakes. Six years ago, of course, was the 500th anniversary of Columbus' initial voyage, and I remember a deluge of articles and books -- mostly attacking dead white European males -- being published to note the event. I suspect that Morison's biography was roundly attacked at that time. I would be interested to dig up those books and articles to see what they say. For me, however, regardless of the current fashions or trends of scholarship, Morison's biography remains a marvelous tale, stunningly told. I recommend this book highly!

I bought the Spanish version of the book more than twenty years ago and read it several times. I have often used it for information on articles about the discovery of America and Venezuela. I am now writing for an English-language Venezuelan newspaper and, since the original book was written in English, it will be even more useful for me in the original language. The most important merit of the book, apart from Morison's clear, concise writing style, is the fact that he followed Columbus' routes to determine the exactness of the information provided by the Admiral's log, specially during the third trip, when he discovered Venezuela -or what is now called so. Actually, that was the real date of discovery of the continent. Up to then, Columbus had discovered Caribbean islands. It was only after he left the Venezuelan Continental mainland that he began to realize that he "could have found a new continent" as Morison points out in his book. I am putting an order for the English version of the book.