'A dazzling tale, brilliantly told' Peter Frankopan
'A wonderful book' Sunday Telegraph, 5*
'Triumphant' Literary Review

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.

"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

"Andrea di Robilant offers a well-written, accessible introduction to the achievements of one of the great geographical collators of the Renaissance... A hugely entertaining account." - Times Literary Supplement

"Packed with travellers' tales and larger-than-life personalities, This Earthly Globe is an engaging read... Andrea di Robilant has triumphantly excavated [the life of Ramusio]" - Literary Review

"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