Ferdinand Columbus: Renaissance Collector

Ferdinand Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus and author of the first published account of a voyage to the New World, was also the owner of one of the largest private libraries assembled during the Renaissance and the most important early collection of prints. Although the collection has vanished, about half of it has been reconstructed by Mark McDonald from information found in a detailed inventory that survives in Seville. This beautifully produced book catalogues 110 of the most significant prints in Columbus's collection. The introductory chapters discuss Columbus's life and work and show how the reconstruction of his collection has radically transformed our understanding of the print industry in Renaissance Europe.

Mark P. McDonald is Assistant Keeper in the Department of Prints and Drawings and Director of the Columbus Project, based at the British Museum. He is author of The Print Collection of Ferdinand Columbus (1488-1539), published in 2004.