The impact of Christopher Columbus's first transatlantic voyage launched an unprecedented explosion of European exploration. Throughout the last 500 years, scholars have recognized this transforming event, and they have written extensively on the subject. To date, no American author has dedicated a book to Columbus's life before 1492. This biography does so, with a focus on geographical experiences that affected his formulation of a transatlantic concept. Incorporating extensive research from American and European scholars (historians, geographers, anthropologists, and cartographers), the author proposes that Columbus systematically built a transatlantic voyage proposal from knowledge gained on previous voyages in the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Atlantic Ocean. The book's extensive use of maps place Columbus's actions on specific land and ocean locations. Persons interested in gleaning more information about Columbus's maritime background will find a plethora of maps to visualize the extent of his early travels.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents List of Maps Foreword by Ilaria Luzzana Caraci Preface Introduction 1. Youth and Early Adventures, 1451–1476 Young Columbus in the World of Genoese Mediterranean Mercantilism The Expanding Mediterranean World of Columbus Columbus Enters the Atlantic Ocean 2. The Ottoman Threat, 1453–1481 Muslim (Ottoman) Expansion in the Eastern Mediterranean Genoese Colonies in the Black Sea Fall to Ottomans Ottoman Atrocities and an Attack on Italy 3. History of Atlantic Exploratory Expansion Atlantic Exploratory Voyages, Stage 1: Phoenician Atlantic Exploratory Voyages, Stage 2: Roman Expansion of the Mediterranean and Extension into the Atlantic Atlantic Exploratory Voyages, Stage 3A: Medieval (Vikings) Atlantic Exploratory Voyages, Stage 3B: Medieval (Genoa and Venice) Atlantic Exploratory Voyages, Stage 4: North Atlantic Fishing and Zones of Opportunity 4. Columbus Explores the North Atlantic, 1476–1478 Columbus in Portugal and His Life in Lisbon Columbus Sails North to England, 1476 or 1477 Columbus and the Five Zones of Habitation From England to Iceland and Beyond, 1477 Did Columbus Sail to Iceland? Is Thule Really Greenland? The Problem with Ancient and Medieval Translations 5. Marriage, Madeira, Porto Santo, and the African Coast, 1478–1481 Columbus Heads South Columbus Marries The Importance of the Islands of Porto Santo and Madeira The Enterprise to the Indies Is Conceived 1482 and the Psychology of Discovery The African Coast, São Jorge da Mina, and the Equatorial Region The Alonso Sánchez Mystery, 1482  6. Columbus and Slavery Before 1492 Questions to Frame the Discussion Slavery in the 15th Century Columbus’s Early Experience with Slavery New World Indigenous Slavery Before Columbus Columbus and Slavery, 1492  7. The Toscanelli Map and King João II (Portugal), 1483–1485 Columbus Builds a Transatlantic Concept The Toscanelli Letter and Atlantic Geography Portuguese Atlantic Exploration Muslim Expansion in Africa and King João’s Response  8. Columbus Builds His Cartographic Support Christopher and Bartholomew Columbus’s Mapmaking Business The Ptolemy World Map and the Size of Asia 1452 Leardo Map 1457 Genoese Map 1459 Fra Mauro Map Toscanelli Map and the Small Earth Concept Antillia and the Pareto Chart  9. Columbus Wins Approval from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, 1485–1492 Columbus Moves to Spain Columbus Meets Ferdinand and Isabella Again Columbus Back in Portugal and the Dias Voyage Friar Juan Pérez, the Martellus Map, and the Behaim Globe The Columbus Plan and Atlantic Zones of Opportunity A New Plan and a New Approach, 1489–1492 Expected Zones of First Contact 10. Columbus’s Geographic Perspectives on the Eve of His 1492 Voyage Columbian View of the Atlantic World Perceptions of a Columbian Exchange A Future for Social Globalism The Problem of Geographic Complexity Acknowledgments Chapter Notes Sources and Bibliography Index