This Earthly Globe

The fascinating story centers on a Venetian who helped map the World during the Renaissance, told by the author of A Venetian Affair and Autumn in Venice. It recounts how an anonymously authored volume, Navigationi et Viaggi (Journeys and Navigations), appeared in Venice in autumn 1550, sharing a wealth of geographical information new to Europeans. This publication was soon followed by two additional volumes, together forming the largest release of geographical data in history and often regarded as the birth of modern geography. The editor was Giovambattista Ramusio, a little-known public servant in the Venetian government, who gathered a wide range of sources—from the journals of Marco Polo to detailed reports from the Muslim scholar and diplomat Leo Africanus. In a vivid narrative, Andrea di Robilant brings to life the man who used political skill and, with the help of diplomats and spies, democratized knowledge and expanded the world beyond prior imagination.

The book highlights the collection and curation of diverse firsthand accounts that shaped European understanding of distant lands.

• Giovambattista Ramusio edited Navigationi et Viaggi
• Volumes formed the largest release of geographical data
• Included Marco Polo's journals and Leo Africanus reports
• Heralded as the birth of modern geography
• Andrea di Robilant narrates the Venetian mapmaker's story
• Published in autumn 1550, Venice, anonymously authored