1493

Uncovering the New World Columbus Created

By: Charles C. Mann

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of 1491—the best-selling study of the pre-Columbian Americas—a deeply engaging new history of the most momentous biological event since the death of the dinosaurs.

More than 200 million years ago, geological forces split apart the continents. Isolated from each other, the two halves of the world developed radically different suites of plants and animals. When Christopher Columbus set foot in the Americas, he ended that separation at a stroke. Driven by the economic goal of establishing trade with China, he accidentally set off an ecological convulsion as European vessels carried thousands of species to new homes across the oceans.

The Columbian Exchange, as researchers call it, is the reason there are tomatoes in Italy, oranges in Florida, chocolates in Switzerland, and chili peppers in Thailand. More important, creatures the colonists knew nothing about hitched along for the ride. Earthworms, mosquitoes, and cockroaches; honeybees, dandelions, and African grasses; bacteria, fungi, and viruses; rats of every description—all of them rushed like eager tourists into lands that had never seen their like before, changing lives and landscapes across the planet.

Eight decades after Columbus, a Spaniard named Legazpi succeeded where Columbus had failed. He sailed west to establish continual trade with China, then the richest, most powerful country in the world. In Manila, a city Legazpi founded, silver from the Americas, mined by African and Indian slaves, was sold to Asians in return for silk for Europeans. It was the first time that goods and people from every corner of the globe were connected in a single worldwide exchange. Much as Columbus created a new world biologically, Legazpi and the Spanish empire he served created a new world economically.

As Charles C. Mann shows, the Columbian Exchange underlies much of subsequent human history. Presenting the latest research by ecologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians, Mann shows how the creation of this worldwide network of ecological and economic exchange fostered the rise of Europe, devastated imperial China, convulsed Africa, and for two centuries made Mexico City—where Asia, Europe, and the new frontier of the Americas dynamically interacted—the center of the world. In such encounters, he uncovers the germ of today’s fiercest political disputes, from immigration to trade policy to culture wars.

In 1493, Charles Mann gives us an eye-opening scientific interpretation of our past, unequaled in its authority and fascination.

©2011 Charles C. Mann (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Charles Mann expertly shows how the complex, interconnected ecological and economic consequences of the European discovery of the Americas shaped many unexpected aspects of the modern world. This is an example of the best kind of history book: one that changes the way you look at the world, even as it informs and entertains.” (Tom Standage, author of A History of the World in Six Glasses)

“In 1491 Charles Mann brilliantly described the Americas on the eve of Columbus’s voyage. Now in 1493 he tells how the world was changed forever by the movement of foods, metals, plants, people and diseases between the ‘New World’ and both Europe and China. His book is readable and well-written, based on his usual broad research, travels and interviews. A fascinating and important topic, admirably told.” (John Hemming, author of Tree of Rivers)

“In the wake of his groundbreaking book 1491 Charles Mann has once again produced a brilliant and riveting work that will forever change the way we see the world. Mann shows how the ecological collision of Europe and the Americas transformed virtually every aspect of human history. Beautifully written, and packed with startling research, 1493 is a monumental achievement." (David Grann, author of The Lost City of Z)

This narrator kept me listening

Pesos in Germany, the mini ice age, Chinese barbers and Samurai soldiers in Brazil... oh my. I thought that I knew enough about Columbus but there is so much more to this story.

Certain parts of this book are more factually dense than other parts and this may seem boring at first but, as you listen these facts will be revisited and explained in vivid detail.

If you are curious about world history, global economics, potatoes and plastic then add this book to your list.

MD/PhD Here - This is a fantastic book.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, this is a very informative book that covers many facets of the Colombian Exchange that effect us to this day. From the opening chapters discussing malaria to the silver trade with China and rubber plantations, I found this to be a page turner. A must read for anybody interested in economics, biology or just general history.

What other book might you compare 1493 to and why?

1491 - Read it if you like this one.

What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have read this book and heard it on tape in my car. There reader generally does a quality job. I found him easy to listen to and he hit the right pace.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This is a scholarly work and I hesitate to use the term "moved you." However, the vivid historic imagery and interesting observations from the author do have a way of making you think about things that some might consider moving.

Fascinating but sometimes repetitive

A great deal of history with fascinating detail. A nice complement to 1491. Excellent narration.

Started off as work; Quickly became a joy

Where does 1493 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I think that 1493 is the best nonfiction book in my collection and my collection is 200+ titles. It intrigues the reader immediately and makes us question our narrow Western historical perspective. World historical context makes this book relevant and informative without the cultural bias that comes to too many historians.

What was one of the most memorable moments of 1493?

The chapters on China and the effects of the Columbian Exchange were inspiring. The Ming dynasty topic was among my favourite.

What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really like the choice in narration, it was never monotoned or boring, the reader gave inflection that pumped life into the material.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was disarmed a bit by the views on colonization, the extent that the aboriginal and colonist relationship was examined, made me seriously rethink my prior stance.

Fascinating, well researched, well read history

If you could sum up 1493 in three words, what would they be?

Fascinating history of the ecological and biological effects of Christopher Columbus's travels and the world's first move toward the globalization and homogeneity we see today.

Every student should read it

Shows the different connections that made globalization. A must to be able to understand humanity and its relation to the world.

Untangling History

If you find the tangles of history fascinating, this book is for you. Mann takes a thread unleashed with the European discovery of the Americas and demonstrates the effect it had on the world. He follows silver to China, the potato to Ireland and rubber to the industrial revolution, among others. Yes, it is long and sometimes hard to understand where he is going. However, he pulls a difficult subject together and provides much food for thought.

Better book, worse reader than 1491

Dean's pronunciations often leave much to be desired. Overall, more coherent writing than 1491 though.

Fascinating Historical Connections to Today

Wonderfully researched and told. So easy to listen to and so very informative. The narration is perfect. I love this book! I will listen to this one again.

Fabulous book, so so performance

The book itself is a wonderful read. Mann wove vast amount of information into captivating stories, detailing how human lives have forever been changed in almost every aspect since Columbus discovered the America. However, Robertson Dean's performance has a couple of flaws. His pronunciation of Chinese names is often inaccurate, and he inhaled really hard between sentences, making loud and annoying noise.