Christopher Columbus and his monument Columbia : being a concordance of choice…

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Christopher Columbus and his monument Columbia : being a concordance of choice…

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By Robert Nguyen Posted on Jan 10, 2026

In Category - Travel Writing

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Book Language: English

Hey, have you heard about this weird old book that's basically a giant scrapbook about Christopher Columbus? The author is literally 'Unknown,' which is the first clue this isn't your standard biography. It's called 'Christopher Columbus and his monument Columbia,' and it's a wild collection of poems, speeches, and essays from the 1890s. Everyone was arguing about building a giant monument for the 400th anniversary of his voyage. The book doesn't tell you what to think—it just throws all these passionate, clashing voices at you. It's like finding a time capsule from a huge national fight we've mostly forgotten. If you like seeing how history gets argued about in real time, this is a fascinating, messy trip.

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Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Mundaneum and mediated by the artists of Algolit, a research project initiated by Constant.) Office International de Bibliographie HOTEL RAVENSTEIN, BRUXELLES * * * * * DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION Tables générales General summaries Hauptabtheilungen * * * * * _BRUXELLES_ IMPRIMERIE VEUVE FERDINAND LARCIER 26-28, RUE DES MINIMES 1895 PREMIÈRE TABLE CLASSES 0. OUVRAGES GÉNÉRAUX 1. PHILOSOPHIE 2. RELIGION 3. SOCIOLOGIE 4. PHILOLOGIE 5. SCIENCES 6. SCIENCES APPLIQUÉES 7. BEAUX-ARTS 8. LITTÉRATURE 9. HISTOIRE SECONDE TABLE DIVISIONS 000 Ouvrages généraux. 010 Bibliographie. 020 Bibliothéconomie. 030 Encyclopédies générales. 040 Collections générales. 050 Périodiques généraux. 060 Sociétés générales. 070 Journaux. 080 Bibliot. spéciales. Polygraphie. 090 Livres rares. 100 Philosophie. 110 Métaphysique. 120 Sujets spéciaux de métaphysique. 130 L’esprit et le corps. 140 Systèmes philosophiques. 150 Facultés mentales. Psycholog. 160 Logique. 170 Ethique. 180 Philosophes anciens. 190 Philosophes modernes. 200 Religion. 210 Théologie naturelle. 220 Bible. 230 Théol. doctrinale. Dogmatique. 240 Dévotion. Pratique. Œuvres. 250 Sermons. Clergé. Paroisse. 260 L’Église: ses institutions. 270 Histoire religieuse. 280 Religions et sectes chrétiennes. 290 Religions non chrétiennes. 300 Sociologie. 310 Statistique. 320 Science politique. 330 Économie politique et sociale. 340 Droit. 350 Administration. 360 Assistance. Assurance. 370 Enseignement. 380 Commerce. Transport. 390 Coutumes. Costumes. Folklore. 400 Philologie. 410 Comparée. 420 Anglaise. 430 Germanique. 440 Française. 450 Italienne. 460 Espagnole. 470 Latine. 480 Grecque. 490 Langues secondaires. 500 Sciences. 510 Mathématiques. 520 Astronomie. 530 Physique. 540 Chimie. 550 Géologie. 560 Paléontologie. 570 Biologie. 580 Botanique. 590 Zoologie. 600 Sciences appliquées. 610 Médecine. 620 Art de l’ingénieur. 630 Agriculture. 640 Economie domestique. 650 Transport. Commerce. 660 Chimie appliquée. 670 Manufactures. 680 Industrie mécanique. 690 Construction. 700 Beaux Arts. 710 Paysages de jardins. 720 Architecture. 730 Sculpture. 740 Dessin. Décoration. 750 Peinture. 760 Gravure. 770 Photographie. 780 Musique. 790 Récréations. 800 Littérature. 810 Américaine. 820 Anglaise. 830 Germanique. 840 Française. 850 Italienne. 860 Espagnole. 870 Latine. 880 Grecque. 890 Littératures secondaires. 900 Histoire. 910 Géographie. 920 Biographie. 930 Histoire ancienne. 940 { Europe. 950 { Asie. 960 { Afrique. 970 Hist. Mod. { Amérique du Nord. 980 { Amérique du Sud. 990 { Océanie. Régions polaires. TROISIÈME TABLE SUBDIVISIONS OUVRAGES GÉNÉRAUX 000 001 } 002 } 003 } 004 } Laissé en blanc pour usages particuliers. 005 } 006 } 007 } 008 } 009 } 010 Bibliographie. 011 Bibliogr. générales. 012 » spéciales d’auteurs. 013 » par classes d’auteurs. 014 » d’anon. et de pseudon. 015 » par pays. 016 » de sujets spéciaux. 017 Catalogues par ord. de matières. 018 » par nom d’auteur. 019 » par ordre alphabét. 020 Bibliothéconomie. 021 But des bibliothèques. 022 Constructions et aménagements. 023 Administration et personnel. 024 Règlements pour les lecteurs. 025 Organisation des bibliothèques. 026 Biblioth. de matières spéciales. 027 » générales. 028 Lecture: assistance aux lecteurs. 029 L’art d’étudier. 030 Encyclopédies générales. 031 Américaines. 032 Anglaises. 033 Allemandes. 034 Françaises. 035 Italiennes 036 Espagnoles. 037 Slaves. 038 Scandinaves. 039 Langues secondaires. 040 Collect. gén. de manuels. 041 Américains. 042 Anglais. 043 Allemands. 044 Français. 045 Italiens. 046 Espagnols. 047 Slaves. 048 Scandinaves. 049 Langues secondaires. 050 Périodiques généraux. 051 Américains. 052 Anglais. 053 Allemands. 054 Français. 055 Italiens. 056 Espagnols. 057 Slaves. 058 Scandinaves. 059 Langues secondaires. 060 Sociétés générales. 061 Américaines. 062 Anglaises. 063 Allemandes. 064 Françaises. 065 Italiennes. 066 Espagnoles. 067 Slaves. 068 Scandinaves. 069 Langues secondaires. 070 Journaux. 071 Américains. 072 Anglais. 073 Allemands. 074 Français. 075 Italiens. 076 Espagnols. 077 Slaves. 078 Scandinaves. 079 Langues secondaires. 080 Bibl. spéc. Polygraphies. 081 }...

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This isn't a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Instead, it's a snapshot of a heated national conversation. Published around 1892, the book gathers writings from politicians, poets, and everyday citizens all debating one thing: Should America build a colossal 'Monument to Columbus' to celebrate the 400th anniversary of his voyage?

The Story

The 'plot' is the debate itself. On one side, you have soaring speeches calling Columbus a visionary hero who connected two worlds. On the other, there are sharp critiques questioning his legacy and whether he's the right symbol for a modern America. The book lays out these arguments side-by-side through formal odes, newspaper clippings, and fundraising appeals. You watch the idea of the monument swell with patriotic pride, then get poked full of holes by doubters. The mystery isn't about Columbus in the 1490s, but about what he meant to Americans in the 1890s.

Why You Should Read It

I found this absolutely gripping because it feels so raw and unfinished. You're not reading a polished historian's conclusion. You're in the messy middle of people figuring out their history. It shows that arguing about statues and national symbols isn't a new thing at all. The passion in these pages—both for and against the monument—is palpable. It made me think about how every generation has to decide which parts of its past to celebrate and which to question.

Final Verdict

Perfect for history buffs who are tired of dry textbooks and want to feel the heat of a real debate. It's also great for anyone curious about how public memory gets shaped. If you prefer straightforward narratives, this collage-style book might frustrate you. But if you like primary sources and forming your own conclusions from a chorus of conflicting voices, this 'concordance' is a unique and thought-provoking find.

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