The twisted history of Christopher Columbus is widely available on the internet and is eagerly lapped up by social justice activists and shared as the holy gospel of American history. That’s what is so frustrating about the web: fewer and fewer people read books or do their own research anymore. If there’s a TikTok that appeals to their emotions, it is too easily accepted as truth.

But if that’s not good enough for you, you’ve come to the right place. There are mountains of documentation on the whole story of Christopher Columbus, his discoveries, and the natives he encountered. You don’t have to go to university to learn it, either. It’s all readily available for everyone who’s willing to pick up a book and read it.

I’m giving you a short list of six books that counter the insanely false narrative surrounding Columbus. I hope you’ll read these books, check the footnotes, peruse the bibliographies, and follow the rabbit trails.

1. Christopher Columbus: His Story and His Journals: This is one of our reprints! It contains an 1892 biography of Columbus by Edward Everett Hale, based on the original journals of Columbus AND the actual journals themselves. The journals contain over 700 footnotes that are amazing in themselves. Get it here.

2. Christopher Columbus The Hero: Defending Columbus From Modern Day Revisionism: This excellent book counters the popular narratives about Columbus and sets them straight with historic facts. Get it here. (There is now a Part 2, which I have not yet read.)

3. Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus: this is a well-respected history by Samuel Eliot Morison, published in 1942 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. The unique thing about this book is that Admiral Morison undertook the same voyage in ships very similar to Columbus’ Santa Maria and Nina. This one should be part of every home library! Get it here.

4. Columbus and Cortez, Conquerors for Christ: Dr. John Eidsmoe is the respected author of this look at explorers and their Christian faith. Get it here.

5. Debunking Howard Zinn: Columbus is only one topic in this badly-needed refutation of classic woke history. Howard Zinn is the one who catapulted the massive untruths about Columbus into popular culture and academia, and author Mary Grabar does an excellent job of systematically debunking Zinn’s (uncited) claims. Get it here.

Check out my interview with Mary Grabar here.

6. Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World: It’s not just Columbus who gets a bad rap for colonizing the New World! This book addresses the claims of “innocent Indians good, Europeans bad” that is so common today. There’s so much more to the story! I have had some of my teenagers read this for American history. Get it here.

Looking for children’s books on Columbus? I have a list on my other blog.

And check out my podcast from 2025 on Columbus while you’re at it.