My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advance copy on this book of exploration geography and biography, dealing with a man who used his power in the best way possible, to further the understanding of the world and those who live in it, for no other reason than his own curiosity.

The age of exploration was a a time of secrets. Governments did not want other monarchs or countries to know what had been discovered. Trading routes were both power, money prestige and well more money. Even as private companies, government backed adventurers, and even the curious set out into the unknown and returned with tales of new people, new ways, many of these stories were locked away. In Venice, there was a man who had access to many of these secrets, or knew the right people to bribe, flatter, or fool to get it. This man was no spymaster or merchant. Just a man with a curious mind, a love of geography, and want to share the world with the world. This Earthly Globe: A Venetian Geographer and the Quest to Map the World by Andrea di Robilant is the story of a man creating an anthology and atlas of great explorers, the first of its kind, and one that changed history and how people looked at it.

Giovanni Battista Ramusio was born in Venice, in 1485, with an interest in a great many things. Ramusio's father was a magistrate and taught his son languages, law and politics, which helped him get a job in the bureaucracy of Venice. Ramusio through skill and being a popular, yet straight ahead man, became translator for the Doge, which gave him access to government files both in Venice and around the world. Ramusio had two other interests. Geography and the people that made up this world, and all forms of publishing, from writing to editing to creating and printing books. Something that Venice was known for. By hook, crook, a kind word, or even a little money Ramusio began to gather the largets collection of maps, charts and more importantly travel adventures from all over the world. Many of these were considered state secrets, and as such were hidden away. However Ramusio was able to track them down. From adventures in Canada, to the people of North Africa. Even the works of Marco Polo, which Ramusio both fact-checked and edited. The final project was released in three volumes, that at least one was posthumous, but still a three volume set that changed the way people looked at the world.

The book is really wonderful, not just a biography on an interesting man, but a series of travel essays from Marco Polo, and Leo Africanius, stretching all over the world, from farthest China, Scandinavia, North and South America, and North Africa. To think that one man, was able to gather all this information from his home in Venice is amazing, and even more to put this all together. Di Robilant balances the exploration tales with how Ramusio came across them, so while the adventure might range in time, the chronology of how Ramusio came across them is consistent. The writing is very good, with a good flow and interesting facts on each page. I book I was not sure if I was going to enjoy, but one I felt very bad about ending.

Recommended for people who love books on exploration and adventure. This is almost an anthology of early exploration tales, and even now hundreds of years later, still are exciting. Also for people who biographies on people who do good things for no other reason than it just seemed right, and people could learn something.

This is the story of the creation of the "Navigationi et Viaggi," in three volumes, by Giovanni Battista Ramusio. The Navigationi provided maps and information on Brazil, Africa, India, the Spice Islands, Asia and even the American Southwest and Canada! But how did Ramusio accomplish this? Despite numerous threats from the Holy Roman Empire and France, Venice had an ambassador at every European court. As a magistrate, Ramusio used his political connections to pursue his true passion: travel writings. He managed to obtain a first hand account of Magellan's circumnavigation, Cadamosto's exploration of West Africa, Verrazano's trip from South Carolina to Nova Scotia, Vathema's 7-year journey to India and many others. All are incredibly rare copies, even during Ramusio's lifetime. But Ramusio's most impressive effort was incorporating a thorough study of the Travels of Marco Polo.

The structure of this book is what stands out the most. It's not a biography of Ramusio, although he is the center at which all these stories culminate. It's rather a collection of vignettes, all of which contributed to Ramusio's final creation. It did take me a few chapters to catch on to this method though, so I encourage readers to stick with it. The only downside is that the timeline can be hard to follow. I expected overlap, of course, but the vignettes are in order of Ramusio's acquisition (I believe?) and not necessarily in the chronological order of events. But considering the Age of Discovery, we are always taught about the Spanish, the English and the Portuguese, never the Venetians. Di Robilant definitely counters that omission. Even during war, 16th c. Venezia successfully established trade routes, explored new territories, and, thanks to Ramusio, was the premier source for geographical knowledge.

Thank you Alfred Knopf for approving "This Earthly Globe" by Andrea Di Robilant for me on Netgalley !