In this generously illustrated book, Jerry Brotton documents the dramatic changes in the nature of geographical representation which took place during the sixteenth century, explaining how much they convey about the transformation of European culture at the end of the early modern era. He examines the age's fascination with maps, charts, and globes as both texts and artifacts that provided their owners with a promise of gain, be it intellectual, political, or financial.

From the Middle Ages through most of the sixteenth century, Brotton argues, mapmakers deliberately exploited the partial,...

Looking outward for confirmation of who they were and what defined them as "civilized," Europeans encountered the returning gaze of what we now call the East, in particular the attention of the powerful Ottoman Empire. Global Interests explores the historical interactions that arose from these encounters as it considers three less-examined art objectsportrait medals, tapestries, and equestrian artfrom a fresh and stimulating perspective. As portable artifacts, these objects are particularly potent tools for exploring the cultural currents flowing between the Orient and Occident.

Trading Territories is a beautifully illustrated book that offers a new account of the status of maps and geographical knowledge in the early modern world. Focusing on how early European geographers mapped the territories of the Old World Africa and Southeast Asia Jerry Brotton contends that the historical preoccupation with Columbus s discovery of the New World in 1492 has tended to obscure the importance of the mapping of territories that have been defined as eastern. Brotton situates the rise of early modern mapping within the context of the seaborne commercial adventures of the...