This Earthly Globe

A Venetian Geographer and the Quest to Map the World

Andrea di Robilant

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Hardback

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English

Atlantic Books
01 August 2024

European history; Early modern history: c 1450 to c 1700; Historical geography; History of science; Cartography, map-making & projections

DURING THE AGE OF DISCOVERY, in the autumn of 1550, an anonymously authored volume containing a wealth of geographical information new to Europeans was published in Venice under the title Navigationi et Viaggi (Journeys and Navigations). This was closely followed by two further volumes that, when taken together, constituted the largest release of geographical data in history, and could well be considered the birth of modern geography.

The editor of these volumes was a little-known public servant in the Venetian government, Giovambattista Ramusio. He gathered a vast array of both popular and closely guarded narratives, from the journals of Marco Polo to detailed reports from the Muslim scholar and diplomat Leo Africanus.

In an enthralling narrative, Andrea di Robilant brings to life the man who used all his political skill, along with the help of conniving diplomats and spies, to democratise knowledge and show how the world was much larger than anyone previously imagined.

By: Andrea di Robilant
Imprint: Atlantic Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Main
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 155mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 516g
ISBN: 9780857891792
ISBN 10: 0857891790
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 01 August 2024
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Prologue: 3 Chapter One: The Education of a Geographer Chapter Two: Pigafetta's Diary Chapter Three: Cadamosto Chapter Four: An African Masterpiece Chapter Five: Meeting Prester John Chapter Six: Indian Journeys Chapter Seven: Navagero's Embassy Chapter Eight: In the Land of Biru Chapter Nine: Sailing to Hochelaga Chapter Ten: The Return of Marco Polo Chapter Eleven: Stealing Time from Time

Andrea di Robilant was born in Italy and educated at Columbia University, where he specialized in international affairs. He is the author of A Venetian Affair, Lucia: A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon, Irresistible North: From Venice To Greenland on the Trail of the Zen Brothers, Chasing the Rose and Autumn in Venice. He lives in Rome.

Reviews for This Earthly Globe: A Venetian Geographer and the Quest to Map the World

A saga that grips and enthrals from start to finish. * Sunday Times on Autumn in Venice * Hemingway [is] an enduringly fascinating character, one whom di Robilant, with his easy-paced style, has sympathetically brought to life. -- Andrew Lycett * Literary Review on Autumn in Venice * Effortlessly and expertly explores the secret desires, successes, and depressive obstacles that shrouded Ernest Hemingway's final productive years. * New York Journal of Books on Autumn in Venice *