#11 in History
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
- 632
- Pages
- about 12 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 0 weeks on the list
Affiliate link: buying through it supports BookRank at no extra cost to you.
Our view
“1491” overturns the old picture of the Americas before Columbus: societies far larger and more sophisticated than textbooks long allowed. Across more than six hundred pages Mann sets out rival scholarly views instead of hiding them, and his comparisons with Europe at the same dates give the argument scale. Some readers find the evidence thin and too reliant on conjecture; some think he judges those societies by modern Western standards.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus is a 2005 non-fiction book by American author and science writer Charles C. Mann about the pre-Columbian Americas. It was the 2006 winner of the National Academies Communication Award for best creative work that helps the public's understanding of topics in science, engineering or medicine.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.4 across 228 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 61% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the History average of 8.0. That is how 8.2 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.5 | 31 | 14% |
| Google Books | 8.0 | 20 | 9% |
| Hardcover | 8.4 | 177 | 78% |
Frequently asked
How long is 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus?
It has 632 pages — longer than 72% of the ranked books in History.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — History — with scores between 8.2 and 8.3, closest to this book.
