Buy this book on-line SELBOURNE, DAVID - Translated & Edited by: : THE CITY OF LIGHT - Travels of Jacob D'anconaLONDON.LITTLE BROWN & CO,1997. ISBN 0316639680.
UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/FINE.No inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj.Light shelf wear dw/dj extremities with light bumping and creasing to head+foot of spine/backstrip.Uk,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn, 392pp includes b/w map endpapers,profuse b/w illus,notes+references,a glossary and index.
In 1990 distinguished academic David Selbourne was shown a remarkable manuscript which had been hidden from public view for over seven centuries.In it
a scholarly Jewish merchant called Jacob described how in 1270 he had set out on a voyage from Italy,arriving in China at the
coastal metropolis of Zaitun,the 'City of Light',in 1275 - four years before Marco Polo's arrival at Xanadu in 1275.As Selbourne studied it more closely,he realised that Jacob's magisterial account of his journey was an extraordinary find.
As the manuscript's owner was unprepared for him to disclose its location, Selbourne was forced to wrestle with doubts about translating a manuscript to which others would not have access,but decided that his overriding duty was to bring its contents to wider attention.
For with its vivid,often dramatic prose, rich in humanity and insight as well as factual recollection,Jacob's account forms a document of potentially great historical significance,not only describing the adventures of a mediaeval trader,but also commenting on Chinese society and manners through the eyes of a European man of learning.
Jacob provides an unparalleled account of life in the thriving mercantile economy
of Zaitun,whose vigorous manufacture and lavish consumption in the shadow of the impending Mongol invasion represent the swansong of the wealthy - yet divided - society of Sung dynasty China.Jacob's participation in the internal political battles of Zaitun,where the merchant class
debated civic responsibility and public morality with sages and scholars,reveals mediaeval opinions in the debate on the role of the individual in society in arguments of enduring relevance.He also sheds unique light on the relationship between Jews,Christians and Saracens during the Middle Ages.
Through his relationships with his entourage,and through his own introspective reflections,Jacob exposes his own fears and dreams,opinions and inner life,presenting an unusual combination of piety and intelligent scepticism,rational curiosity and moral orthodoxy.City of Light brings spectacularly to life Jacob's encounter with one of the world's great civilisations in a fascinating window into the mediaeval world.
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