Promotional Information

In this volume of essays -- meant to accompany the first published edition of Michael of Rhodes's remarkable maritime manuscript, an international community of scholars offers a brilliant assessment of the context and significance of Michael's surprisingly rich compendium of writings on mathematics, astronomy, shipbuilding, and his own life. Not only is this collection a model of collaborative scholarship; it also opens a window onto the highly textured world of a mariner whose curiosity and genius will do no less than transform our understanding of the Renaissance. That Michael started out his career as an oarsman for the Venetian fleet is only one of the surprises in the life of this extraordinary intellectual. -- John Jeffries Martin, Professor of History, Duke University The Book of Michael of Rhodes provides a remarkable glimpse into the individual life of a mariner the harsh conditions of his service at sea the material conditions of Venetian trade the making of knowledge in Renaissance culture and the fraught process for a vernacular author of transforming his lived experience into the written word. This collection is a marvel. -- Pamela H. Smith, Department of History, Columbia University

About the Author

Pamela O. Long is an independent historian who has published widely in medieval and Renaissance history of science and technology.

Pamela O. Long is an independent historian who has published widely in medieval and Renaissance history of science and technology.

Alan M. Stahl is a medieval historian specializing in Venice and is Curator of Numismatics at Princeton University. McGee, Stahl, and Long are codirectors of the Michael of Rhodes project.

David McGee, formerly Research Associate and Head of Secondary Acquisitions at the Dibner Institute's Burndy Library, is an independent scholar, working recently with the Canadian Science and Technology Museum.

Reviews

[A] fascinating document concerning the life, interests, and skills of an early modern sailor.
*Journal of Folklore Research*