An 1870 edition of the letters of Christopher Columbus describing his voyages of exploration to the New World.

Letter Of Christopher Columbus To Rafael Sanchez, Written On Board The Caravel While Returning From His First Voyage has been considered by academicians and scholars of great significance and value to literature. This forms a part of the knowledge base for future generations. So that the book is never forgotten we have represented this book in a print format as the same form as it was originally first published. Hence any marks or annotations seen are left intentionally to preserve its true nature.

No gamble in history has been more momentous than the landfall of Columbus's ship the Santa Maria in the Americas in 1492 - an event that paved the way for the conquest of a 'New World'. The accounts collected here provide a vivid narrative of his voyages throughout the Caribbean and finally to the mainland of Central America, although he still believed he had reached Asia. Columbus himself is revealed as a fascinating and contradictory figure, fluctuating from awed enthusiasm to paranoia and eccentric geographical speculation. Prey to petty quarrels with his officers, his pious desire to bring Christian civilization to 'savages' matched by his rapacity for gold, Columbus was nonetheless an explorer and seaman of staggering vision and achievement.

A revised translation of the documents in First Series 2, with the editor's reply to J. A. Froude's strictures on the earlier edition in the Westminster Review (1852) and in his Short Studies on Great Subjects, vol. 2. Contains the following: Introduction.--Dati, G. La lettera dellisole che ha trovato nuovamente il re dispagna. [At end] a di XXVI. doctobre. 14.93. Florentie.--Bibliography [of the Incunabula of Columbus' first letter]--First voyage: A letter sent by Columbus to Luis de Santangel chancellor of the exchequer. [Ambrosian text]--Second voyage: A letter addressed to the Chapter of Seville by Dr. Chanca.--Memorial of the results of the second voyage. 30th of January 1494.--Third voyage: Narrative of the voyage which Don Christopher Columbus made ... as he sent it to their Majesties.--Letter ... to the (quondam) nurse of the prince John, 1500.--Letter ... to the most Christian and mighty sovereigns. Jamaica, July 7, 1503.--A narrative given by Diego Mendez. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1870.

This volume brings together, translated and edited by R.H. Major, five letters by Columbus describing his first, third, and fourth voyages; another by Dr Chanca, physician, descriptive of the second voyage; and an extract from the will of Diego Mendez, one of Columbus's officers on the fourth voyage. Includes Spanish texts at the foot of the page. Two copies of this edition were printed in vellum and one presented to the British Museum. For a second edition see First Series 43; for a third edition see Second Series 65 and 70. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1847.