They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America - Hardcover

Van Sertima, Ivan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0394402456 ISBN 13: 9780394402451

Publisher: Random House, 1976

Synopsis

This book makes it possible for us to see clearly the unmistakable face and handprint of Black Africans in Pre-Columbian America, and their overwhelming impact on the civilization they found here.

About this title

Review:

This controversial book by Ivan Van Sertima, the Guyanese historian, linguist, and anthropologist, claims that Africans had been to the New World centuries before Columbus arrived there in 1492. Citing--among other things--the huge Negroid-looking Olmec heads of Central Mexico and the similarities between the Aztec and Egyptian calendars and pyramid structures, Van Sertima pieces together a hidden history of pre-Columbian contact between Africans and Native Americans. He also puts forth the possibility that Columbus may have already known about a route to the Americas from his years in Africa as a trader in Guinea. The ideas in this book have been debated and discussed since its first publication in 1976; even those who choose not to believe Van Sertima's theories should take his argument seriously. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

From the Back Cover:

“Fascinating.”
—The Atlantic Monthly

“An immensely impressive book . . . well-written and clear.”
—Essence

“I can’t praise this book enough! I kept shaking my head over its power.”
—Ishmael Reed

“Comprehensive and convincing . . . a big boost to black cultural history.”
—Publishers Weekly

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House
• Publication date: 1976
• ISBN 10: 0394402456
• ISBN 13: 9780394402451
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288