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The American Discovery of Europe. JACK D. FORBES. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007. xii + 251 pp. (Cloth US$ 34.95)
A departure from Jack Forbes 's earlier works on race and ethnic identity (e.g., Forbes 1993), this new book offers evidence of transatlantic voyages by native peoples of the Americas prior to 1492. The American Discovery of Europe is dedicated to challenging the historical interpretations of the intercontinental exchange between the Old and New Worlds, and indeed to questioning the concepts associated with "discovery" and defining the per- spectivality of "Old" and "New." While it argues for revisions of accepted historical canons, it is apt to remain, like Forbes 's early studies of marginal peoples, on the periphery of academic discourse.
During a period when new ideas are continuing to surface and evidence mounts for a longer indigenous occupation of the Western Hemisphere, Forbes's book enters into the debate with a surprising amount of documentary and archaeological concurrence. From Caribbean maritime traditions to Groenlandie voyagers, it weaves nautical and botanical knowledge alongside recovered artifacts of seemingly bizarre placement. Translated obscure primary documents form testimonies of "Indians" visiting the coasts of Ireland, Norway, and France in boats made from either skin or dugout logs.
While engaging for the reader, Forbes's argument does little to address the wider impact of these Atlantic exchanges. More than likely,...