1434
The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance

Couldn't finish this book. It was one continuous advertisement for the author's website and theories. Interesting ideas were discussed, but I think this guy does not follow a scientific approach to research. Instead he starts with the idea that every significant technological advance and geographica......more

If the outrageous claims and historical speculations in 1421 didn't completely turn you off, 1434 offers more of the same. Gavin's two books have been torn to shreds by ravenous critics across the internet. Like 1421, probably not worth your time reading unless you have a deep interest in Chinese hi......more

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this review, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.) We Westerners are of course familiar with the historical period known as the Renaissance; taking plac......more

This is a fascinating book about how, in the early 1400's, the Chinese sent enormous fleets around the world, spreading their views, sciences, and technologies. These fleets were packed with enormous encyclopedias, learned scholars, scientists, geographers, and of course weapons for protection. Gavi......more

As with reading 1421, you get the feeling that Gavin Menzies is a little bit of an obsessive kook, but even though he interrupts his stories with discussions of the wine he drank with his wife in a particular European hotel, he only occasionally bends the evidence to fit his preconceived notion. He d......more