1421

Critics

• How the Ming fleets missed Manhattan

  Gavin Menzies declares, he does not claim, that between 1421 and 1423 the Chinese discovered Australia, South and North America, and nearly reached the North Pole - in short, the world. He is 'certain' that if there hadn't been a disastrous fire in P ... (read full critics)

  spectator published on Fri, 17 Sep 2010

• 1421: The Year China Discovered the World

  As a work of historical fiction, 1421: THE YEAR CHINA DISCOVERED THE WORLD would have been thought-provoking and a good yarn: intrepid Chinese admirals sailing the seven seas, meeting exotic alien peoples, boldly going where no civilized man had gone ... (read full critics)

  asianreviewofbooks published on Tue, 31 Aug 2010

4 Reviews

• 3 people find this helpful

  

  Surely there's more than this

  This disappointed and annoyed me on all levels:
  Menzies grabs every trivial or unexplained factoid that he can possibly link to support his thesis and in the end comes across as as the Von Daniken of Chinese History. He doesn't include anything like enough details or story about the real great ... (continue)

  This disappointed and annoyed me on all levels:
  Menzies grabs every trivial or unexplained factoid that he can possibly link to support his thesis and in the end comes across as as the Von Daniken of Chinese History. He doesn't include anything like enough details or story about the real great voyages the Chinese admirals undertook which is the history that is worth telling. A lot of the side stories about inter-cultural communications around the Indian Ocean that are potentially fascinating get distorted by the need to support his thesis.

  Definitely all hype and to be avoided.

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  huntch said on Apr 4, 2007 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  Total garbage.

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  ტომარაძე (Tomaradze) said on Sep 22, 2011 | Add your feedback

• 

  America discovered by the Chinese

  The author of this book writes about his theory that America was actually discovered by the Chinese in 1421 just before the next emperor decided to close off China to the world.

  Well researched and a very compelling read.

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  jacoutofthebox said on Sep 16, 2008 | Add your feedback

• Zero stars!
  A book of historical fiction where facts and factoids are blended together. Unfortunately, it was marketed as true History.
  Gavin Menzies is just another Dan Brown.

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  Doppelganger said on Sep 3, 2008 | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (29)
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• English Books
• Paperback 649 Pages
• Edition: New Ed
• ISBN-10: 0553815229
• ISBN-13: 9780553815221
• Publisher: Bantam Dell Pub Group
• Pub date: Jan 01, 2003
• Dimensions: 1290 mm x 839 mm x 323 mm Just how big is that?
• Also available as: Hardcover
• In other languages: other languages 繁體書

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• Malaysian Bookworms (64)

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