I lied. In lieu of a much-anticipated Jane Austen novel, I decided to go for another early-Americas pick, The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492. Motivated by the large font and lengthy endnotes, I decided to follow my previous selection (1491) with a work about the world after Columbus. It was a quick read, and I enjoyed spending a week of lunch breaks pouring over tales of epidemic disease and wild pigs.
Crosby originally wrote this book in 1973, so most of the statistics are from the 1940s-60s. The Cold War is still hot; China isn't yet a big player in politics or economics; the total world population is still under four billion. All the same, the book lays out a good basic overview of primarily biological interchange between the Americas and the rest of the world since 1492. Diseases like smallpox and syphilis ravaged populations. Wild pigs, cattle, and horses roamed the Caribbean islands and American plains. Potatoes, corn, and manioc, from east to west, became some of the most basic staples of the Old World diet. A little dry, but there's enough subtle humor to keep you going if you're motivated.
As much as I've enjoyed my journey through the contact-era Americas, it's time for a change of pace. Next stop: theology.
Oooh cool, I read a chapter of this for class last fall! I had no idea how significant pigs were.
ReplyDeleteYeah, he goes into a lot of detail about livestock. It sounds like pigs practically just took over some places...
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