The Basle 1494 Columbus Letter

EXHIBIT NAVIGATION

Christopher Columbus’s letter announcing the success of his voyage to the “islands of the Indian sea” is one of the most remarkable documents ever published. It is a key document in the social and intellectual histories of both Europe and the Americas. We are pleased to make this significant historical document ~ in the form of the illustrated Basel 1494 edition ~ available to the people of the state of Maine.

Originally published 14 October 1996; revised, September 2009 and November 2012.

Written and designed by Matthew H. Edney, Osher Professor in the History of Cartography.