Washoe County Library System

Offers insight into the historical events that prompted Columbus' efforts to establish new trade routes to the Indies, his struggles to obtain financial support for his voyages, and the important discoveries that caused him to become known as the "Great Admiral of the Seas."

A biography of the Italian explorer who, in the fifteenth century, became the first European to discover the West Indies islands, located below the southernmost tip of the United States, in three historic voyages sponsored by Spain's monarchy.

Brief text and illustrations chronicle the life, voyages, and discoveries of the intrepid explorer.

"Born in 1451 in the seafaring nation of Genoa in northern Italy, Christopher Columbus grew up watching ships sail into the harbor loaded with riches from Egypt, Spain, England, and Belgium. Columbus was convinced that he could gain gold, silk, ivory, and much personal wealth for himself if he were to sail west from Europe to the East and trade with China and India. When Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon finally provided him with...

Describes the life of Christopher Columbus and how he came to discover the New World.

A brief introduction to the life and accomplishments of the Norwiegan explorer Lief Eriksson.

A biography of Leif, son of Norseman Eric the Red, who led a group of Vikings from Greenland on a voyage which ended on the shores of North America.

Describes the adventures of the seventeenth-century English explorer, from his search for a short route from Europe to the Orient to his mysterious disappearance after members of his crew mutinied.

Describes the life and voyages of the Italian-born explorer who claimed land in the New World for England in 1497.