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Audiobook edition · 11 h 27 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does it take to persuade a divided country to back a voyage beyond the known world?
In Mary Johnston’s historical novel 1492, Spain stands on the edge of change. Several kingdoms and faiths share a country finishing its long struggle with the Moorish kingdom of Granada. Christopher Columbus, a Genoese sailor, holds to a bold plan: reach the Indies by sailing west. But belief alone cannot put his voyage to sea.
Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon hold the power Columbus needs. Their court is a world of councils, petitions and hard choices, where war, money and the crown’s future compete for attention. Johnston brings faith, ambition and fear into a sweeping adventure that asks what people carry with them when they leave familiar shores.
What you’ll discover
- A country at a crossroads Enter a Spain of crowns, cathedrals, soldiers and sailors, caught between conflict and change.
- One sailor’s stubborn belief Follow Columbus as he seeks support for a western route that learned men doubt.
- Power behind the voyage Meet Isabella and Ferdinand where a sailor’s hopes confront the demands of the crown.
- Beyond the familiar shore Explore what discovery means when ambition draws people away from the world they know.
- History with a romantic spirit Feel the faith, fear and longing that give this historical adventure its human pull.
Who will love it
For readers who love historical fiction with a large canvas, and anyone curious about Spain and Columbus in a human light, with faith, ambition and court politics shaping a voyage.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Spain on the edge of change
- One man holds to a bold idea
- Crown, court and the price of belief
- Discovery, faith and how it is told
Who’s who
- Christopher ColumbusThe Genoese sailor who believes he can reach the Indies by sailing west and seeks support for the voyage.
- Queen IsabellaThe ruler of Castile, whose court holds the power to decide whether the bold western plan will be tried.
- King FerdinandThe ruler of Aragon and Isabella's husband, whose attention is divided between war, money and the crown's future.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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1492
by Mary Johnston · 1922
Columbus seeks a crown's support to sail west, staking his bold idea against a world of war, faith and doubt.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Spain on the edge of change
The story is set in the Spain of the late fifteenth century. It was a country of several kingdoms and several faiths, and in 1492 it was finishing a long struggle with the Moorish kingdom of Granada. Johnston places her readers in this crowded, restless world, where soldiers, priests, scholars and merchants all hoped for something new.
The period matters because it explains the mood of the book. Spain had been at war for generations, and the crown was gathering strength. Faith ran through daily life, shaping what people feared and what they dared hope for. A voyage into the unknown Atlantic made sense only in a land that already felt itself on the move.
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What is 1492 by Mary Johnston about?
It is a historical novel about Spain in the age of Christopher Columbus. It follows the world of crown, court and faith around his plan to sail west, and the hopes and doubts that surrounded it.
When was 1492 by Mary Johnston written?
Mary Johnston published it in 1910. It is fiction built on real history, so it imagines the people and events of the period rather than recording them as a historian would.
Is 1492 a true story?
It rests on real history, including Columbus, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, and the year of the first voyage. But it is a novel, so scenes and inner thoughts are imagined by the author.
The author
Mary Johnston
1870–1936 · American novelist and suffragist
American novelist and women's rights advocate.
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