AUSTRALIA-WIDE LOW FLAT RATE $9.90

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

This Earthly Globe

A Venetian Geographer and the Quest to Map the World

Andrea di Robilant

$34.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English
Atlantic Books
22 October 2024
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:  
Imprint:   Atlantic Books
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Edition:   Export/Airside
Dimensions:   Height: 234mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 18mm
Weight:   350g
ISBN:   9780857891808
ISBN 10:   0857891804
Pages:   272
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  ELT Advanced ,  Primary
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming

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

An extraordinary story that reads more like a thriller than a book about history. A dazzling tale, brilliantly told. * Peter Frankopan, author of The Earth Transformed * What happens when the whole world-picture changes rapidly and decisively? Who assembles the critical information needed to construct a radically new understanding of the way things are? Thanks to the digital revolution, we have been living through such a disorienting transformation, but it is not the first time that received wisdom has been shattered and in urgent need of reassembling. The epochal voyages of the late 15th and early 16th century tore up the traditional European map of the globe and its inhabitants. Andrea di Robilant's wonderful book explores a succession of thrilling, often terrifying encounters with the other and reconstructs the career of the visionary collector who gave the public access to knowledge of how profoundly their world had changed. * Stephen Greenblatt, author of The Swerve: How the World Became Modern * 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 * A treasure trove of exciting tales and adventures, populated by a fascinating cast, that gives a thorough understanding of how Europeans discovered and mapped the other continents * Paul Strathern, author of The Medici * Andrea di Robilant takes us on a remarkable voyage of discovery, sharing the story of Giovambattista Ramusio, whose monumental work revolutionised our understanding of the world. The story brims with secrecy and skulduggery, drawing in popes and pirates, and beautifully captures the excitement and tumult of the years when Europeans were filling in the blank spaces on their maps. A great read for history buffs and adventure-seekers alike. * Ross King, author of The Bookseller of Florence * Andrea di Robilant illuminates the geopolitical machinations and heart-pounding voyages of 17th-century explorers... Scrupulously research­ed, This Earthly Globe reveals the riveting foundations of modern geography and cartography. * Scientific American *


See Also