Amazon Book Description of "1421":
Now that China is taking over the world with American and Western money, the rewriting of history can begin. Not only are we shipping our money to China in return for products that rust and decay, we are now helping with the invention of China as a dominate world power going back 500 years. The author is British. One would think that China would be part of this, but this is not the case. Just as we are to blame for our own decline and China's rise, we are apparently helping them out with history too!Menzies makes the fascinating argument that the Chinese discovered the Americas a full 70 years before Columbus. Not only did the Chinese discover America first, but they also, according to the author, established a number of subsequently lost colonies in the Caribbean. Furthermore, he asserts that the Chinese circumnavigated the globe, desalinated water, and perfected the art of cartography. In fact, he believes that most of the renowned European explorers actually sailed with maps charted by the Chinese. Though most historical records were destroyed during centuries of turmoil in the Far East, he manages to cobble together some feasible evidence supporting his controversial conclusions. Sure to cause a stir among historians, this questionable tale of adventure on the high seas will be hotly debated in academic circles. Margaret Flanagan
