Frederick A. Ober

Amerigo Vespucci: Naming of America

Amerigo Vespucci and the Naming of America. By Frederick A. Ober. The continent of “America” is named not after Christopher Columbus, but rather his contemporary navigator and explorer, Amerigo Vespucci—and this book tells his story, and how his name came to be given to the New World.

Drawing heavily upon Vespucci’s own writings, this work provides a little-known insight into the background, voyages, discoveries and life of the Florence-born explorer, who ended his life as the “pilot navigator” of Spain.

In that position—the most senior post in charge of mapping out the new world—Vespucci’s genius was acknowledged across Europe, and the accuracy of his maps superseded all others.

Vespucci not only mapped out vast areas of the New World, but also personally undertook at least four major voyages of discovery himself, working alternatively for the Spanish and Portuguese crowns.

Never taking any personal credit or wealth, Vespucci’s low-key approach meant that he was overshadowed by the more outgoing explorers of his age—men such as Columbus—yet, as his papers show, he knew them all and provided much valuable knowledge to all those who asked him.

Finally, in a move which would have been as much a surprise to himself as anyone else, the continents of both North and South America were named after him—because of a strange quirk of history, described in full in this book.

About the author: Frederick Albion Ober (1849–1913) was a self-educated American naturalist who won fame exploring the Lesser Antilles, where he discovered 22 bird taxa. Two of these, the Lesser Antillean flycatcher and the Montserrat oriole – were named in his honor. He then journeyed through central America researching the history of that region, an adventure which provided the material for a number of highly successful books. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1893, and was a co-founder of the Explorers Club.

Contents

I: Young Amerigo and His Family 1451–1470

II: Amerigo’s Friends and Teachers 1470–1482

III: Vespucci’s Favorite Authors 1485–1490

IV: In the Service of Spain 1490

V: Conversations with Columbus 1492 Or 1493

VI: Vespucci’s Debatable Voyage 1497–1498

VII: Vespucci’s “Second” Voyage 1499–1500

VIII: With Ojeda the Fighter 1499

IX: Cannibals, Giants, and Pearls 1499–1500

X: Famous Fellow-Voyagers 1497–1500

XI: On the Coast of Brazil 1501–1502

XII: The “Fourth Part of The Earth”

XIII: The Fourth Great Voyage 1503–1504

XIV: King Ferdinand’s Friend 1505–1508

XV: Pilot-Major of Spain 1508–1512

XVI: How America Was Named 1504–1541

Illustrations

Amerigo Vespucci frontispiece

A Conjectural Restoration of Toscanelli’s Map

Marco Polo

Ojeda’s First Voyage

Routes of the Discoverers

North America From The Globe Of Johann Schöner

176 pages. Paperback.

$14.95

Additional information

Weight 8.29 oz
Dimensions 6 × 0.37 × 9 in
Writer

Frederick A. Ober

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