Bernard Lewis uses the year 1492, a year laden with epic events and riven by political debate, to explore the clash between the Jews, Christendom, and Islam, as well as that between the New World and the Old.

Our leading historian of Islam takes a revealing look at the Muslim-Christian conflict in the age of discovery. Bernard Lewis's balanced, insightful account of this pivotal era transcends the recent polemics about 1492, providing readers with a striking portrait of an age often obscured by the anger and complacency of today.

brilliant and very readable essay