The true seafaring tale of Christopher Columbus, the merchant adventurer from Genoa, Italy, whose desire for fame and fortune led to his accidental discovery of a new continent in 1492. Although best remembered as an explorer, Columbus was also an ambitious businessman. This biography recounts his dramatic life, with descriptions of his four voyages to the New World and back.

Born to a noble family, Coronado still had to make his own fortune. Going on a quest, he crisscrossed the southwestern United States in search of the "seven cities of gold." Although he never found the cities, he was the first European to see the Grand Canyon and a multitude of other natural wonders.