The Fourth Part of the World: An Astonishing Epic of Global Discovery, Imperial Ambition, and the Birth of America

Along the same lines as Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, in terms of being an "idea driven, non-fiction" book, as the WSJ review quote says on the front cover. As a lover of non-fiction myself, I found this book enlightening from cover to cover. It filled in a lot of blanks for me about the middle ages and the weird things, like headless persons, people used to believe in.Unfortunately, the book doesn't resolve the question of how Waldseemuller's seminal 1507 map showed the Pacific, and the South American Pacific coast, years before Balboa and Magellan actually (allegedly) saw it for the first time for Europeans (though ideas are proposed -- it's a question that could be ultimately unanswerable).For me, given that Waldseemuller's South American west coast is represented by two straight lines (a physical improbability) it seems likely that it was a good guess, and Lester's book does suggest such a reason as a possibility. In Waldseemuller's second map, made a few years later, he recanted on South America's Pacific coast, and drew the continent as ending against the edge of the map, much more like Ptolemy's original map, for reasons unknown.But what the Waldseemuller map really represents, and where the Guns, Germs and Steel book is lacking, is the tremendous intellectual achievement that writing; mass (ostensibly religious) conferences inspired by writing; and the printing press gave to the Europeans. Christopher Columbus was one of the first people to benefit from early, printed books. By the 1490's the pressure to cross the Atlantic from Europe to the west must have been palpable and inevitable, despite this bold and often mysterious character called Christopher Columbus; and despite Amerigo Vespucci.

Simon Winchester's review above does not give this book justice, although I must say that Lester's ability to spin a great story around an arcane subject may rival Winchester's. To me this book is about so much more than the naming of America on a map - it is really about the process of discovery and enlightenment and the pitfalls and pratfalls along the way. I ordered the book in an attempt to research an even more arcane issue I did not find in the book, but was immediately captivated by the exposition, and set my current book aside to read this to completion.The title of the book could maybe not be more cryptic or off-putting, but don't let that deter you. The Fourth Part of the World refers to the somewhat mythical, yet actual undiscovered lands (after Asia, Europe and Africa) described by the ancients which we know now as America. Lester spins an exhaustively researched yet page-turning story of how this mythical land was gradually given substance and shape by explorers and cartographers. That the mapmakers at the center of the story write "America" on their map is almost incidental to the story. The great story, which Lester tells so wonderfully well, is how incredibly important world maps effected the philosophy of the day. Lester makes the case that it was this map that caused Copernicus to form his theory of the Universe, which if true, is far more significant than simply naming America.For the average reader like me, this book will fill in a lot of the gaps in your learning about the age of exploration, and possibly give insight to the shortfalls and missteps we continue to repeat while exploring new domains without the proper "map"."The Fourth Part of the World" is truly not an arcane subject, and it's a wonderful read.

As an avid antique map collector for the past 15 years, I was aware of this text through my obscure cartographic circles. But this book should not be considered an esoteric text on a singular document, the Waldseemuller map. Yes, the Waldseemuller map printed in 1507, but thought lost for 400 years and existing today in only a single copy found in 1901, is the centerpiece of this story. It is the map that gave the name America to the newly discovered lands, and is considered America's birth certificate.How the map came to be is an epic tale that spans centuries and civilizations. Toby Lester is a detective that leaves no trail unexamined, and has found as many avid antique map collectors have, that when you examine one map you find a trail of bread crumbs that must be consumed.This delightful tale of discovery and voyage, religion and humanism, is tremendously delightful. The reader will learn what many cartophiles already know. To paraphrase the History of Cartography Project: A map is a metaphor for science and knowledge, for trade and commerce, for colonial and religious expansion. All those stories and more are found in a map, and all those stories are told well by Toby Lester in "The Fourth Part of the World."

I have just bought my third copy of The Fourth Part of the World. After enjoying this great book, I gave my copy to my brother. I gave a second copy to a friend, and I've decided to always have an extra copy to give away.To me, this book is Essential Reading. I enjoy reading history and biography, but I believe the best history books give us not only a vision of the past but a description of how man advanced over time. How we got here.By focusing on the provenance and journey of one document, one map, this book provides a profound explanation of how a monk in a castle in Alsace, within twenty years of first voyage of Columbus, would create a map that can be seen today as the very first realistic picture of our planet earth. This map deserves to be the most valuable document ever sold.Toby Lester, has a clear and flowing writing style that turns complexity into simple steps. He is a great writer, a great communicator and a great teacher. What an honour it would be to sit in his classroom.John

I picked this book up at the library, randomly. Read it through like a novel, like I hadn't done in years. Had to renew my loan from the library, because I needed to read it again. So I did, and then read the first part a third time. That's when I decided I suppose I should buy the damn thing. Admittedly I am a history nerd, naturally drawn to medieval Europe, but this is just a good read. And this may be common knowledge, but the Plates mentioned throughout are all together in the middle of the book, starting after page 272 in the hardcover edition I got. They are 11 lovely, glossy, full colour maps and charts that make the story pop, and I could not find them for the first half of my first read. So I can tell you, they add an element, for sure. If you are interested in history, or geography, or cartography, or religion, or if you like to read, read this book. You won't regret it.

Not a novel but holds the reader. I couldn't put it down. If you like, Geography, History of Mathematics, Surveying, Navigation, Sailing, Geophysics, Maps or Religion, then you won't be able to put this book down. I bought extra copies also in German and gave them away as presents. In fact I was so fascinated with it that I travelled to the places in France mentioned in the book.

Incredible story ... geography+history, yet reads almost like a novel. One of my favourite reads, ever.