The World Map, 1300–1492
The Persistence of Tradition and Transformation
Evelyn Edson
- A
- history
- of
- the
- development
- of
- world
- maps
- during
- the
- later
- medieval
- period
- in
- the
- centuries
- leading
- up
- to
- Columbus’s
- journey.In
- the
- two
- centuries
- before
- Columbus,
- mapmaking
- was
- transformed.
- The
- World
- Map,
- 1300–1492
- investigates
- this
- important,
- transitional
- period
- of
- mapmaking.
- Beginning
- with
- a
- 1436
- atlas
- of
- ten
- maps
- produced
- by
- Venetian
- Andrea
- Bianco,
- Evelyn
- Edson
- uses
- maps
- of
- the
- fourteenth
- and
- fifteenth
- centuries
- to
- examine
- how
- the
- discoveries
- of
- missionaries
- and
- merchants
- affected
- the
- content
- and
- configuration
- of
- world
- maps.She
- finds
- that
- both
- the
- makers
- and
- users
- of
- maps
- struggled
- with
- changes
- brought
- about
- by
- technological
- innovation?the
- compass,
- quadrant,
- and
- astrolabe?rediscovery
- of
- classical
- mapmaking
- approaches,
- and
- increased
- travel.
- To
- reconcile
- the
- tensions
- between
- the
- conservative
- and
- progressive
- worldviews,
- mapmakers
- used
- a
- careful
- blend
- of
- the
- old
- and
- the
- new
- to
- depict
- a
- world
- that
- was
- changing?and
- growing?before
- their
- eyes.This
- engaging
- and
- informative
- study
- reveals
- how
- the
- ingenuity,
- creativity,
- and
- adaptability
- of
- these
- craftsmen
- helped
- pave
- the
- way
- for
- an
- age
- of
- discovery.“A
- comprehensive
- and
- complex
- picture
- of
- the
- changing
- face
- of
- medieval
- geography.
- With
- the
- mastery
- of
- a
- formidable
- palette
- of
- historiographic
- knowledge
- and
- well-reasoned
- discussions
- of
- the
- sources,
- The
- World
- Map,
- 1300–1492
- will
- certainly
- remain
- an
- important
- work
- to
- consult
- for
- both
- medieval
- and
- early
- modern
- scholars
- for
- many
- years
- to
- come.”
- —Ian
- J.
- Aebel,
- Terrae Incognitae
pro-mbooks3 : libris
