The Fourth Part of the World

The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name

Ranked #26 in Map, Ranked #77 in Explorationsee more rankings.

"Old maps lead you to strange and unexpected places, and none does so more ineluctably than the subject of this book: the giant, beguiling Waldseemuller world map of 1507." So begins this remarkable story of the map that gave America its name. For millennia Europeans believed that the world consisted of three parts: Europe, Africa, and Asia. They drew the three continents in countless shapes and sizes on their maps, but occasionally they hinted at the existence of a "fourth part of the world," a mysterious, inaccessible place, separated from the rest by a vast expanse of ocean. It was a land... more

Rankings by Category

The Fourth Part of the World is ranked in the following categories:


Similar Books

If you like The Fourth Part of the World, check out these similar top-rated books:


Learn: What makes Shortform summaries the best in the world?