Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond

Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond, traces the history of the European age of exploration and its lasting effects on these regions through beautifully rendered and imaginative maps drawn by explorers, merchants, and colonial administrators of the time. The book focuses on both maritime exploration and overland discovery via the ancient Silk Road, a network of trading posts that encompassed China, Tibet, Pakistan, India, Kurdistan, Iraq, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and dozens of other places known in ancient times by fabled names, including Abyssinia, Malacca, Macassar, Siam, and Cathay. The maps provide visual keys to the fascinating history of Asia and the Middle East; illuminating a cast of historical figures ranging from great leaders (the Queen of Sheba, Mohammed the prophet, King Charles V) to legendary explorers (Marco Polo, Columbus, Magellan, Sir Francis Drake, Capt. James Cook) and influential cartographers.

Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond, depicts over eighty maps organized chronologically, from Alexander the Great's map of the world, first created in 323 BC and reproduced in a sixteenth-century atlas, to maps from the nineteenth century by French and Dutch explorers that detail the growing interaction between Europeans and Eastern cultures. The maps represent the finest examples in existence in museums, libraries, and archives around the world, chosen because they depict the most important milestones in the mapping of Asia.

Today the world is focusing unprecedented attention on Asia and the Middle East, rediscovering a cultural, political, and geographical landscape that has fascinated and frustrated Westerners since the time of Alexander the Great.

Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond, traces the history of the European age of exploration and its lasting effects on these regions through beautifully rendered and imaginative maps drawn by explorers, merchants, and colonial administrators of the time. The book focuses on both maritime exploration and overland discovery via the ancient Silk Road, a network of trading posts that encompassed China, Tibet, Pakistan, India, Kurdistan, Iraq, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and dozens of other places known in ancient times by fabled names, including Abyssinia, Malacca, Macassar, Siam, and Cathay. The maps provide visual keys to the fascinating history of Asia and the Middle East; illuminating a cast of historical figures ranging from great leaders (the Queen of Sheba, Mohammed the prophet, King Charles V) to legendary explorers (Marco Polo, Columbus, Magellan, Sir Francis Drake, Capt. James Cook) and influential cartographers.

Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond, depicts over eighty maps organized chronologically, from Alexander the Great's map of the world, first created in 323 BC and reproduced in a sixteenth-century atlas, to maps from the nineteenth century by French and Dutch explorers that detail the growing interaction between Europeans and Eastern cultures. The maps represent the finest examples in existence in museums, libraries, and archives around the world, chosen because they depict the most important milestones in the mapping of Asia.

Library Journal

Nebenzahl (Atlas of Columbus and the Great Discoveries), a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, is an authority on antiquarian cartography. Here he has assembled 80 rare and fascinating maps, half of which have never before been published. The maps are faithfully reproduced in full color on high-quality paper and range in date from the 15th to the early 19th centuries. As was the fashion, many of these early maps feature delightful vignettes and illuminations that serve as rich embellishments. The scope of this cartographic corpus goes well beyond the Silk Road of Central Asia and China to include exploration of sea routes to the spice islands of Indonesia and northward to Japan and the Bering Sea. The accompanying texts provide historical context and understanding of the significance of each map as well as information about the cartographers themselves. Bottom Line This handsomely crafted volume is a genuine treat for anyone with an interest in antique maps or the history of exploration. Recommended for all public and academic libraries, particularly those with cartographic collections.-Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.