cover image America in 1492: The World of the Indian Peoples Before the Arrival of Columbus

America in 1492: The World of the Indian Peoples Before the Arrival of Columbus

. Alfred A. Knopf, $35 (477pp) ISBN 978-0-394-56438-8

To portray Native Ameican culture at the time of Columbus's first voyage to the West in 1492, Josephy ( Now That the Buffalo's Gone ) assembles noted writers and scholars (Vine Deloria Jr., N. Scott Momaday, Peter Nabokov et al.) in a concerted effort to quash myths and stereotypes. Original pieces describe various native cultures as they were 500 years ago, from those of nomadic Arctic hunters to the ``cannibal'' Caribs to the empire-building Aztecs and Incas. Other essays examine such topics as religion, language and art. Clara Sue Kidwell's contribution on systems of knowledge is particularly enlightening. Taken as a body, this remarkable work offers persuasive evidence that the Native American was far from the primitive figure often depicted in literature and film. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Jan.)