The City of Light

The City of Light

by David Selbourne (Translator), David Selbourne (Translator), Jacob d'Ancona (Author)

Synopsis

In 1270, Jewish scholar-merchant Jacob d'Ancona embarked on a remarkable voyage from his native Italy to Zaitun, the City of Light, a vast coastal metropolis in Southern China. Translated and edited by David Selbourne from a manuscript hidden from the outside world for centuries, it is a brilliant work of historical significance, a fascinating first-person insight into life in the 13th century. It describes a thriving mercantile economy, whose vigorous manufacture and lavish consumption in the shadow of the impending Mongol invasion represent the swansong of a wealthy, decadent and surprisingly 'modern' society. Jacob d'Ancona's participation as a foreign trader in the grand civic debates shed unique light on, for example, the contemporary relationship of Jews and Christians, and the role for the individual in society - arguments of enduring relevance. It includes an end-piece by David Selbourne discussing the reaction to the 1997 hardback publication.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 528
Edition: New e.
Publisher: Abacus
Published: 01 Oct 1998

ISBN 10: 0349108951
ISBN 13: 9780349108957
Book Overview: * Include in LB Xmas brochure and late Xmas round-up ads * Submit for selected Xmas catalogues * Review coverage in the national press * Target mailings through specialist chains

Media Reviews
Puts Marco's prose in the shade ... far too grand a book to do justice to in a short review Robyn Davidson, THE TIMES A lost masterpiece of early travel writing, a gutsy fascinating account Charles Nicholl, INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY One of the most important manuscripts ever discovered ... the extraordinary adventure of a merchant-scholar which will lead us into the past once again blazing with light SUNDAY TELEGRAPH This book is a many-splendoured achievement. Moreover it is a feat of scholarship. OBSERVER
Author Bio
David Selbourne was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Oxford and for two decades taught at Ruskin College, Oxford. He is a philosopher and author of THE PRINCIPLE OF DUTY, and THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.