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 We are pleased to make this significant historical document ~ in the form of the illustrated Basel 1494 edition ~ available to the people of the state of Maine.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.