America Not Discovered by Columbus. A Historical Sketch of the Discovery of America by the Norsemen, in the Tenth Century. with an Appendix on the Historical, Linguistic, Literary and Scientific Value of the Scandinavian Languages. Elucidated by Quotatio…

viii, [9]-104, [2] pp. Green cloth, gilt titles, blind-stamped borders. An early discussion of the 'discovery' of the Americas (more specifically North America), contending that the Norse were the first. Modern scholarship agrees that they preceded Christopher Columbus by centuries (though there was no hard evidence of this until an expedition by Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad in 1960). There is still debate as to whether an Irish monk preceded the Vikings by centuries, and of course there is evidence of human civilizations in North America dating back 10-15,000 years. Nonetheless, an interesting addition to the scholarly discussion of a much-debated topic. Of course, Columbus has fallen out of favor in modern times due to his generally horrific behavior and inhuman treatment of native peoples, leading to the rebranding of Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples' Day. This volume is also notable for its inclusion of a discussion of the Scandinavian language, which comprises more than a third of the book's length. The Poetic Edda, at the time, had only been available in English translation for about 75 years, and the Volsung Saga for fewer than 5 years (William Morris's popular retelling would not be printed for another three years). So, this volume is also an important touchstone for the history and influence of Scandinavian literature in Western culture. Contents include: The Norsemen, and Other Peoples, Interested in the Discovery of America; Norse Literature Has Been Neglected by the Learned Men of the Great Nations; Antiquity of America; Phenician, Greek, Irish, and Welsh Claims; Who Were the Norsemen'; Iceland; Greenland; The Ships of the Norsemen; The Sagas and Documents Are Genuine; Bjarne Herjulfson, 986; Leif Erikson, 1000; Thorwald Erikson, 1002; Thorstein Erikson, 1005; Thorfinn Karlsefne and Gudrid, 1007; The Discovery of America by Columbus; Other Expeditions by the Norsemen; Conclusion; The Scandinavian Languages.