New Worlds, Ancient Texts: The Power of Tradition and the Shock of Discovery
Price 34.96 USD
EAN/UPC/ISBN Code
9780674618756, 9780674618756
Author
Anthony Grafton
Pages
294
Year of production
1992
Describing an era of exploration during the Renaissance that went far beyond geographic bounds, this book shows how the evidence of the New World shook the foundations of the old, upsetting the authority of the ancient texts that had guided Europeans so far afield. What Grafton recounts is a war of ideas fought by mariners, scientists, publishers, and rulers over a period of 150 years. In colorful vignettes, published debates, and copious illustrations, we see these men and their contemporaries trying to make sense of their discoveries as they sometimes confirm, sometimes contest, and finally displace traditional notions of the world beyond Europe.