Most Popular Books by Gavin Menzies

On March 8, 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China to "proceed all the way to the ends of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas." When the fleet returned home in October 1423, the emperor had fallen, leaving China in political and economic chaos. The great ships were left to rot at their moorings and the records of their journeys were destroyed. Lost in the long, self-imposed isolation that followed was the knowledge that Chinese ships had reached America seventy years before Columbus and had circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan. And they colonized America before the Europeans, transplanting the principal economic crops that have since fed and clothed the world.

Updated with astonishing new findings A groundbreaking history that upends our understanding of ancient America From Gavin Menzies, the author of the blockbuster New York Times bestseller 1421, comes a revolutionary new account of how the first humans came to North and South America. Menzies reveals that ancient peoples used the oceans'' natural currents and prevailing winds to make voyages across both the Atlantic and Pacific. What''s more, we now must accept that they had time to develop remarkably advanced cultures. Armed with cutting-edge DNA evidence, newly unearthed artifacts, and astonishing linguistic and archaeological discoveries, Menzies shows: humans have been making transoceanic voyages as far back as 100,000 years ago, vastly predating the supposed overland migration to the Americas during the last Ice Age; the ancient South American civilizations of the Olmec and Maya in Central and South America may have had direct origins and influences from Asia; ancient maps held in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., show there must have been sustained and dedicated voyages to the Western Hemisphere by Chinese explorers as early as 2200 b.c.; huge Chinese settlements occupied (and made exploratory journeys from) Nova Scotia; Japanese, Korean, and European voyages predated the explorations currently recorded by history. A maverick scholar, Menzies has made a riveting new contribution to the story of humanity''s earliest explorers, revealing the truth behind one of history''s most fascinating questions: Who discovered America?

The "New York Times"-bestselling author of "1421" offers a stunning reappraisal of history, presenting compelling new evidence about the European Renaissance, tracing its roots to the Chinese. 16-page color photo insert.

“MENZIES [IS] PROPOUNDING ONE OF THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS IN THE HISTORY OF HISTORY.” —New York Times Magazine New York Times bestselling historian Gavin Menzies presents newly uncovered evidence revealing, conclusively, that “the lost city of Atlantis” was not only real but also at the heart of a highly advanced global empire that reached the shores of America before being violently wiped from the earth. For three millennia, the legend of Atlantis has gripped the imaginations of explorers, philosophers, occultists, treasure hunters, historians, and archaeologists. Until now, it has remained shrouded in myth. Yet, like ancient Troy, is it possible that this fabled city actually existed? If so, what happened to it and what are its secrets? The fascinating reality of Atlantis’s epic glory and destruction are uncovered, finally, in these pages in thrilling detail by the iconoclastic historian Gavin Menzies—father of some of “the most revolutionary ideas in the history of history” (New York Times). Meticulously analyzing exciting new geologic research, recently unearthed archaeological artifacts, and cutting-edge DNA evidence, Menzies has made a jaw-dropping discovery: Atlantis truly did exist, and was part of the incredibly advanced Minoan civilization that extended from its Mediterranean base to England, India, and even America. In The Lost Empire of Atlantis, he constructs a vivid portrait of this legendary civilization and shares his remarkable findings. As riveting as an Indiana Jones adventure, The Lost Empire of Atlantis is a revolutionary work of popular history that will forever change our understanding of the past.

In his bestselling book 1421:The Year China Discovered the World, Gavin Menzies revealed that it was the Chinese that discovered America, not Columbus. Now he presents further astonishing evidence that it was also Chinese advances in science, art, and technology that formed the basis of the European Renaissance and our modern world.

Pada 8 Maret 1421, armada laut terbesar yang pernah ada berlayar dari China. Panjang iring-iringannya sekitar lima ratus kaki, di bawah komando laksamana Kaisar Zhu Di. Tugas mereka: ‘berlayar hingga ke ujung dunia’. Pelayaran itu akan berlangsung dua tahun. Dan saat armada laut itu kembali, China memulai pengasingan dirinya yang panjang dari dunia luar yang baru saja ia taklukkan. Armada yang sangat besar itu dibiarkan teronggok. Catatan perjalanan mereka dimusnahkan. Musnah pula pengetahuan tentang China yang telah mengelilingi dunia seabad sebelum Magellan, sampai di Amerika tujuh puluh tahun sebelum Columbus, dan tiba ke Australia tiga ratus lima puluh tahun sebelum Cook. Sebagai hasil penelitian selama lima puluh tahun, buku ini adalah catatan luar biasa tentang perjalanan hebat Gavin Menzies dan temuan-temuannya. Ia menjadi bukti persuasif untuk memerkuat temuan-temuan tersebut: peta kuno, pengetahuan navigasi, astronomi, catatan penjelajah China yang masih ada dan navigator Eropa. Juga jejak yang ditinggalkan oleh armada tesebut. Setelah direvisi dan ditambahi bukti-bukti baru—termasuk bukti tentang armada China yang terdampar di South Island, Selandia Baru—buku 1421 ini menjadi sebuah karya legendaris dan cerdas. Ia melacak sejarah hingga mengubah pemahaman kita tentang penjelajahan dunia. Dengan buku ini, sejarah telah ditulis ulang.

O maior mistério da história revelado. Do autor do best-seller 1421 – O ano em que a China descobriu o mundo. Durante milhares de anos, Atlântida tomou conta da imaginação de exploradores, filósofos e caçadores de tesouros. Mas, fora dos livros de suspense, teria essa cidade lendária de fato existido? No rastro de evidências que o levaram a percorrer o mundo, Gavin Menzies desvela a extraordinária verdade. Examinando novas pesquisas geológicas, cargas recuperadas de antigos naufrágios, artefatos arqueológicos recentemente desenterrados e dados de DNA, descobriu algo surpreendente: não somente Atlântida de fato existiu como também estava no coração de uma avançada sociedade, um vasto império comercial mundial que se estendia do Mediterrâneo à Grã-Bretanha, ao Norte da Europa, à Índia e até mesmo à América do Norte. Tão atraente quanto as aventuras vividas por Indiana Jones, O Império Perdido de Atlântida é, ao mesmo tempo, uma emocionante e envolvente busca pela verdade e um trabalho revolucionário da história popular que irá mudar para sempre nossa compreensão do passado.

After a chance conversation in Egypt in 2008, bestselling historian Gavin Menzies launched himself on a quest that would reveal the truth behind the mystery of Atlantis and her destruction.Through an examination of documentary and academic research, metallurgy, ancient shipbuilding and navigation techniques, artefacts and DNA evidence, Menzies slowly and painstakingly reveals a trading empire that spanned from the Great Lakes in North America to Kerala in India. And in doing so finally explains the incredible reality behind the legendary civilisation described by Plato and its disappearance.Reading like a real-life Indiana Jones story as ex-Royal Navy submarine captain, Menzies travels round the world in pursuit of his goal, this is epic, iconoclastic popular history.

Le 8 mars 1421, la plus grande flotte que le monde avait jamais vue quitta les côtes chinoises. Ces immenses vaisseaux étaient commandés par les fidèles amiraux eunuques de l''empereur Zhu Di. Ils avaient ordre de naviguer jusqu''aux confins de la Terre. Ces voyages allaient durer deux ans. Avant le retour de la flotte, la Chine allait entrer dans un grand isolement appelé à durer plusieurs siècles. De fait, personne ne célébra ces exploits. On laissa dépérir les vaisseaux et détruire les archives de ces extraordinaires expéditions. On oublia ainsi que les Chinois avaient fait le tour du monde un siècle avant Magellan, découvert l''Amérique 70 ans avant Colomb et l''Australie 15o ans avant Cook. Les révélations de Gavin Menzies tout au long de 1421 sont à couper le souffle. Pas à pas, il reconstitue l''histoire des cartes maritimes, des planisphères et de la navigation dans une enquête au long cours qui l''amène à des conclusions absolument édifiantes : contrairement à ce qu''affirment les manuels d''histoire depuis plus de 500 ans, les grands découvreurs n''ont probablement rien découvert du tout !

A renowned historian draws from new documentary and academic research, metallurgy, ancient shipbuilding and navigation techniques, and DNA evidence to share his discoveries about the mysterious "lost" city of Atlantis.