Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Columbus, Christopher (1451-1506) Letter of Christopher Columbus to Rafael Sanchez, written on board the caravel while returning from his first voyage.

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC08615 Author/Creator: Columbus, Christopher (1451-1506) Place Written: Chicago, Illinois Type: Pamphlet Date: 1893 Pagination: 34 p. Order a Copy

Title continues: "Published at Barcelona, May, 1493." Facsimile of the first publication concerning America. First 20 pages, Latin text in facsimile (black letter, with illustrations); followed by English translation. Published in Chicago by the W. H. Lowdermilk Company.

Columbus, Christopher, 1451-1506

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