About the author
Charles C. Mann is an American journalist and author who writes about science, technology, ecology, agriculture, and the history of the Americas. His work synthesises specialist research while keeping scholarly disagreement visible to general readers.
1491 examines the population, cities, agriculture, landscape engineering, and political complexity of the Americas before Columbus. 1493 follows the ecological and economic exchanges that connected continents after sustained contact.
Where to start
Start with 1491 for the pre-contact Americas, then read 1493 for the global biological and commercial exchange that followed; the two books form a natural pair.
