In this provocative study, Miles H. Davidson explores the myth of Columbus as it is reflected in numerous recent biographies. Measuring these biographies against a vast record of 16th- and 17th-century sources, Davidson exposes flaws, omissions and biases in modern accounts. The author traces the events of Columbus's life in chronological order, drawing on manuscripts, diaries, private correspondence, court and naval records, and shipping logs to provide an historically credible portrait. He uses sources never before incorporated in a book-length study, most notably the recently discovered "Libro copiador" (a collection of letters written by Columbus himself) and Columbus's holographs (over two thousand notes written in the margins of four of his books). At once a retelling of Columbus's life and a critique of other versions, "Columbus Then and Now" should be of value to Columbists, Latin American scholars and biographers in general.