Globes: 400 Years of Exploration, Navigation, and Power

Sumira, Sylvia

ISBN 10: 022613900X / ISBN 13: 9780226139005

Edité par University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2014

A propos de cet article

Cloth, 224 pages, colour illustrations, colour maps; 29 cm. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Dust jacket protected in a mylar cover. OVERSIZE! Additional shipping charges may be requested for international & priority orders. A large-format coffee-table book. Richly illustrated with colour plates. An attractive copy. *** "All you ever wanted to know about the history of globes and how they have been made. See inside them as well as admire their geographical and astronomical exteriors in this beautifully illustrated book by a real expert, Sylvia Sumira. Some of the most famous globes in the world and those from the British Library's rarely displayed collection are revealed in their various guises; as symbols of power and mathematical instruments of geography and astronomy, as well as teaching aids and games for young people. A book not to be missed." - Publisher. *** CONTENTS: The parts of a globe; A brief history of globes; The making of globes; The globes. Size: 4to.

N° de réf. du vendeur 200085

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Globes: 400 Years of Exploration, Navigation, and Power
• Éditeur: University of Chicago Press, Chicago
• Date de parution: 2014
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 022613900X
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780226139005
• Reliure: Hardcover
• Édition: 1st.
• État de l'article: Fine
• État de la jaquette: Fine
• Type de livre: Collectible
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • Travel
  • Antiques & Collectibles
  • European::4. Renaissance
  • Genre & Subject::Maps & Atlases
  • XXXL: Jumbo
  • XXX::COLLECTIBLES

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

The concept of the earth as a sphere has been around for centuries, emerging around the time of Pythagoras in the sixth century BC, and eventually becoming dominant as other thinkers of the ancient world, including Plato and Aristotle, accepted the idea. The first record of an actual globe being made is found in verse, written by the poet Aratus of Soli, who describes a celestial sphere of the stars by Greek astronomer Eudoxus of Cnidus (ca. 408-355 BC). The oldest surviving globe--a celestial globe held up by Atlas's shoulders--dates back to 150 AD, but in the West, globes were not made again for about a thousand years. It was not until the fifteenth century that terrestrial globes gained importance, culminating when German geographer Martin Behaim created what is thought to be the oldest surviving terrestrial globe. In Globes: 400 Years of Exploration, Navigation, and Power, Sylvia Sumira, beginning with Behaim's globe, offers a authoritative and striking illustrated history of the subsequent four hundred years of globe making.

Showcasing the impressive collection of globes held by the British Library, Sumira traces the inception and progression of globes during the period in which they were most widely used--from the late fifteenth century to the late nineteenth century--shedding light on their purpose, function, influence, and manufacture, as well as the cartographers, printers, and instrument makers who created them. She takes readers on a chronological journey around the world to examine a wide variety of globes, from those of the Renaissance that demonstrated a renewed interest in classical thinkers; to those of James Wilson, the first successful commercial globe maker in America; to those mass-produced in Boston and New York beginning in the 1800s. Along the way, Sumira not only details the historical significance of each globe, but also pays special attention to their materials and methods of manufacture and how these evolved over the centuries.

A stunning and accessible guide to one of the great tools of human exploration, Globes will appeal to historians, collectors, and anyone who has ever examined this classroom accessory and wondered when, why, and how they came to be made.

À propos de l'auteur

Sylvia Sumira is a leading authority on historic globes and one of few conservators in the world to specialize in printed globes. She worked at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich before setting up her own studio, where she carries out conservation work for museums, libraries, and other institutions, as well as for private owners.