On March 8, 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China to "proceed all the way to the ends of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas." When the fleet returned home in October 1423, the emperor had fallen, leaving China in political and economic chaos. The great ships were left to rot at their moorings and the records of their journeys were destroyed. Lost in the long, self-imposed isolation that followed was the knowledge that Chinese ships had reached America seventy years before Columbus and had circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan. And they colonized America before the Europeans, transplanting the principal economic crops that have since fed and clothed the world.
“What you’ve done, brilliantly, is to raise many questions that people are debating.”
“Captivating . . . a historical detective story . . . that adds to our knowledge of the world, past and present.”
“No matter what you think of Menzies’s theories, his enthusiasm is infectious.”
“[Menzies] makes history sound like pure fun...a seductive read.”
“<1421> is likely to be the most fascinating read of 2003.”
“Menzies’ enthusiasm is infectious and his energy boundless. He has raised important questions and marshaled some fascinating information.”
Gavin Menzies is the globally bestselling author of 1421: The Year China Discovered America and 1434: The Year China Ignited the Renaissance. His ideas have been profiled in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, and Wall Street Journal, and he has lectured at the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.), Royal Geographical Society (London), National Maritime Museum (London), and Great Hall of the People (Beijing). He served in the Royal Navy for nearly two decades, becoming a submarine captain. His knowledge of seafaring and navigation sparked his interest in the epic voyages of Chinese admiral Zheng He, which he described in 1421 and 1434. Menzies lives in London, England.
Distributor: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: 06-03-2008
Pages: 672
Measurements: 9in X 6in X 1.24444in X 27.68oz
