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Superfically the book looks as if it might be a serious history: it has the form, a table of contents, quite a few endnotes, etc, however, if you check the sources against the text you will find they rarely support what he has written. They are just window dressing. The book is a fraud.
For a good inventory of the many problems with this book, which should correctly be listed as fiction, see www.1421exposed.com.
If you are interested in learnign the true history of these seven voyages in early 15th century China, start with Ma Huan, Ying-Yai Sheng-Lan, The Overall Survey of the Ocean Shores, Beijing, 1433, translated from the Chinese Text, Edited by Feng Ch'eng-Chun, with introduction, notes and appendices by J.V.G. Mills (Cambridge Univ. Press). Ma Huan was on board for three of the voyages, including the 6th, and his commentaries are a first person account, primary evidence. He writes of nothing beyond the well documented theatre of operations. The volume also contains Mills' lengthy discussion of the Mao K'un, the fleet's sailing instructions. 715 places are identified and located, none beyond the well documented theatre of operations.
Mr. Menzies is an inventive story teller and his tale is just a fantasy, with phoney 'evidence' meant to deceive the uninformed reader.
If you are fond of the historical fiction genre pass on Menzies and get something by Gore Vidal, such as Burr, or Baudolino by Umberto Eco.
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1421: The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies
nigelbruce, December 15, 2006
Superfically the book looks as if it might be a serious history: it has the form, a table of contents, quite a few endnotes, etc, however, if you check the sources against the text you will find they rarely support what he has written. They are just window dressing. The book is a fraud.For a good inventory of the many problems with this book, which should correctly be listed as fiction, see www.1421exposed.com.
If you are interested in learnign the true history of these seven voyages in early 15th century China, start with Ma Huan, Ying-Yai Sheng-Lan, The Overall Survey of the Ocean Shores, Beijing, 1433, translated from the Chinese Text, Edited by Feng Ch'eng-Chun, with introduction, notes and appendices by J.V.G. Mills (Cambridge Univ. Press). Ma Huan was on board for three of the voyages, including the 6th, and his commentaries are a first person account, primary evidence. He writes of nothing beyond the well documented theatre of operations. The volume also contains Mills' lengthy discussion of the Mao K'un, the fleet's sailing instructions. 715 places are identified and located, none beyond the well documented theatre of operations.
Mr. Menzies is an inventive story teller and his tale is just a fantasy, with phoney 'evidence' meant to deceive the uninformed reader.
If you are fond of the historical fiction genre pass on Menzies and get something by Gore Vidal, such as Burr, or Baudolino by Umberto Eco.
(20 of 39 readers found this comment helpful)