Using the lens of one riotous year—1616—the acclaimed writer and translator weaves together the surprising tales of the men and women who set the world on its tumultuous course toward modernity

With 140 full color reproductions of period artwork, engravings, maps, and drawings, plus fascinating sidebars throughout

The early 17th century was a time of enormous change in most regions of the world. The advent of maritime globalism accelerated the exchange of both goods and ideas, and the first international mega-corporations started to emerge as economic powers.
In Europe, the deaths of Shakespeare and Cervantes marked the end of an era in literature. The discoveries of Kepler and Galileo inspired new attitudes that would lead to an age of revolutions.
Great changes were also taking place in East Asia, where the last native Chinese dynasty was entering its final years and Japan was beginning its long period of warrior rule. Artists there were rethinking their connections to ancient traditions and experimenting with new directions.
Women everywhere were redefining their roles in family and society. Slave trading was relocating large numbers of people, while others were migrating in search of new opportunities. The first tourists, traveling not for trade or exploration but for personal fulfillment, were exploring this new globalized world.
"With its stories of restless spirits and restless feet and its truly amazing images from Japan to Persia to Rome, this book will surprise and delight every reader and provide new insights into an interactive early modern world." —John E. Wills, Jr., author of 1688: A Global History