John Cabot

Beaudoin, J.-D.

Jean Cabot. Lévis, Québec: Pierre-Georges Roy, éditeur, 1898.

This short book is a typical biography of the end of the 19th century. It does not include any table of content or bibliography, although footnotes provide some references. Its age notwithstanding, it presents some precisions on a confusing period of our history, the era of the great explorations. Using sources considered new at the time, the author strives to correct the theories put forth by 19th century chronicles. His work shows a good knowledge of contemporary American and European historiographies. John Cabot's biography begins on page 9. His name seems to appear in the archives of the city of Venice for the first time in 1476, although the same archives indicate that he had been a resident since at least 1461. In the conclusion of his book, Beaudoin reiterates the undeniable fact that John Cabot is the true discoverer of North America.

Brady, Bernard.

John Cabot: The Discovery of Newfoundland. St. John's, Newfoundland: Creative Publishers, 1994.

Newfoundland-born Brady draws heavily on his experience as a land use technician and cartographer and has presented a thorough study of John Cabot, the Genoese navigator, who sailed for the English crown and the merchants of Bristol in 1497 to find Cipangu and a way to Asia. Brady divides his study into six chapters: Cabot's antecedents(how the Vikings discovered and used L'Anse Aux Meadows as a Newfoundland winter base of trade and occupation; Bristol merchants' desires to develop western trade; the ship Matthew, so significant in oceanic discovery; the England of this era, also the era of Henry VII; Cabot's landfall at Bonavista and discoveries elsewhere; and the follow-on (1498) voyage by himself and son Sebastian Cabot. John Cabot has been commemorated by a fine statue at Cape Bonavista. Upon his arrival, he named this area "new-founde-land." This book, valuable for juvenile as well as adult readers, also shows how John Cabot and the voyage has been portrayed in Newfoundland and Canadian stamps. Cabot ended his life in mystery, aspects of which conclude this trust-worthy account, which has good maps, illustrations and bibliography.

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