Christopher Columbus and the Great Voyage of Discovery: With a Message from President George Bush (Picture-book Biography Series, 1) - Hardcover

Weisman, Joanne B.; Deitch, Kenneth M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1878668005 ISBN 13: 9781878668004

Publisher: History Compass, 1990

Synopsis

An illustrated history of the voyage of Columbus to the New World is complemented by an introduction by George Bush and brimming with facts about the expedition that changed the course of history.

About this title

About the Author

JoAnne B. Weisman spent 20 years prior to co-founding Discovery Enterprises, Ltd. as a journalist and then as president of a public relations/advertising agency in Lowell, Massachusetts. Although she had written a 6 book series about child safety, in poetry form, this was her first full length children's book. She is also the co-author with Kenneth M. Deitch of Dwight D. Eisenhower: Man of Many hats; co-editor with Janet Beyer of The Great Depression: A Nation in Distress; and editor of The Lowell Mill Girls: Life in the Factory, from the Perspectives on History Series. JoAnne's recent book, An Educator's Guide to The Perspectives on History Series - Using Primary Source Documents, is being used widely in Middle Schools and High Schools throughout the country. She believes that the best way to interest young people in history is to introduce them to primary sources.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

(From Chapter 3: Sailing into the Unknown):

On August 3, 1492, the little fleet, with its optimistic, yet somewhat worried crew, embarked on the voyage across the Sea of Darkness, under the command of the adventurous Christopher Columbus.

Three days out, heavy seas detached the Pinta's rudder. The small fleet stopped at the Canary Islands for repairs to the Pinta, new sails for the Nina, and more provisions for the crew. Three weeks later they set sail once again for the Indies.

Life aboard ship was rugged. With no bunks for sleeping, and no place inside to cook or to bathe, the sailors slept, cooked, and ate on the crowded decks, and bathed in the ocean when the seas were calm and clear. To tell time, the ship's boys kept a watchful eye on the half-hour glass, the ampolleta, turning it over forty-eight times each day. The ship's compass was the only reliable tool for navigating; sailing by the stars was not done in those days.

Columbus, concerned about his men's courage and loyalty, kept two daily logs of the trip. In his private account, he recorded how far he thought they actually were sailing, day-by-day, and he made notes about the crew and the weather. In the journal he shared with the crew, he put down shorter distances so that the men would not be afraid of sailing so far from home.

About this edition

• Publisher: History Compass
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 1878668005
• ISBN 13: 9781878668004
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Eldridge Marion