Greater Capital Region Teacher Center

October 11, 2006 (Wednesday) 4:15 p.m. Informal Seminar Assembly Hall, Campus Center 7:30 p.m. Reading Albany Public Library, Main Branch 161 Washington Avenue, Albany

Science Journalist Charles Mann

Charles Mann, award-winning science journalist and nonfiction writer, is the author of the New York Times bestseller, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus (2005). An earthshaking revision of pre-Columbian American history, 1491 presents recent archaeological evidence that Native American civilization was far more populous and scientifically advanced than previously assumed.

1491 was named one of the best books of the year by Time magazine, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, the San Jose Mercury News, and Discover Magazine. It was also a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

"a journalistic masterpiece." - William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books

"Fascinating� A landmark of a book that drops ingrained images of colonial America into the dustbin, one after the other." - The Boston Globe

"Mann navigates adroitly through the controversies�. And rarely is he less than enthralling. A remarkably engaging writer, he lucidly explains the significance of everything from haplogroups to glottochronology to landraces. He offers amusing asides to some of his adventures across the hemisphere during the course of his research, but unlike so many contemporary journalists, he never lets his personal experiences overwhelm his subject." - Kevin Bacon, New York Times

A three-time National Magazine Award finalist known for work that explores the intersections of science and commerce, Mann is a correspondent for Science, The Atlantic Monthly, and Wired. His articles appear in The Best American Science Writing (2003) and The Best American Science and Nature Writing (2003).

Earlier books include @ Large: The Strange Case of the Internet's Biggest Invasion (1998), Noah's Choice: The Future of Endangered Species (1995), The Aspirin Wars: Money, Medicine, and 100 Years of Rampant Competition (1991), and The Second Creation: Makers of the Revolution in 20th-Century Physics (1986).