The City of Light
by Jacob d'Ancona (Author), David Selbourne (Translator)
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Description
In 1270 Jacob d'Ancona, a Jewish scholar-merchant, embarked on a remarkable voyage from his native Italy to Zaitun, a vast coastal metropolis in southern China. Translated and edited by David Selbourne from a manuscript hidden from the outside world for centuries, this account of the journey provides a first-person insight into life in the 13th century, describing a thriving mercantile economy, whose vigorous manufacture and lavish consumption in the shadow of the impending Mongol invasion show more represent the swansong of a wealthy, decadent and surprisingly modern society. D'Ancona's participation as a foreign trader in the grand civic debates sheds light on, for example, the contemporary relationship of Jews and Christians, and the role for the individual in society - issues of enduring relevance. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This is an account written by a Jewish man who journeyed to and lived in China, even prior to Marco Polo. His writing style is quite different from that of the Venician.
In 1990, renowned Jewish scholar David Selbourne is shown a manuscript that has lain hidden for seven centuries in a private collection. The manuscript is in medieval Italian and purports to be the first-hand account of a journey made by a Jewish merchant from the town of Ancona in Northern Italy to the city of Zaitun in China in the years 1270 to 1273.
The manuscript details….
Read the full review on The Lectern.
The manuscript details….
Read the full review on The Lectern.
Fascinating.
LA CIUDAD DE LA LUZ
La publicación de esta apasionante obra en Inglaterra ha levantado una de las tempestades intelectuales más virulentas que se recuerdan.
Su editor, David Selbonsne, ha querido demostrar que el mercader Jacobo de Azcona, na llegó a China antes que Maro Polo y como fruto de sus singulares experiencias
en ese excepcional viaje escribiría La Ciudad de la luz, merecedora de los elogiosos comentarios por parte de los medios más prestigiosos, Y aunque no han sido pocos
los que han dudado de la autenticidad del manuscrito, alimentando la polémica durante largo tiempo, lo cierto es que, independientemente de esta controversia,
La ciudad de la luz sigue siendo el relato, escrito con un sorprendente realismo y una show more sensibilidad excepcional, del maravilloso viaje de Jacobo de Ancona hasta Zaitun, China. show less
La publicación de esta apasionante obra en Inglaterra ha levantado una de las tempestades intelectuales más virulentas que se recuerdan.
Su editor, David Selbonsne, ha querido demostrar que el mercader Jacobo de Azcona, na llegó a China antes que Maro Polo y como fruto de sus singulares experiencias
en ese excepcional viaje escribiría La Ciudad de la luz, merecedora de los elogiosos comentarios por parte de los medios más prestigiosos, Y aunque no han sido pocos
los que han dudado de la autenticidad del manuscrito, alimentando la polémica durante largo tiempo, lo cierto es que, independientemente de esta controversia,
La ciudad de la luz sigue siendo el relato, escrito con un sorprendente realismo y una show more sensibilidad excepcional, del maravilloso viaje de Jacobo de Ancona hasta Zaitun, China. show less
Feb 6, 2018Spanish
LA CIUTAT DE LA LLUM
Apr 13, 2025Spanish
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Author Information
David Selbourne has been a British Commonwealth Fellow at the University of Chicago, Aneurin Bevan Memorial Fellow, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in New Delhi, and has taught the history of ideas at Ruskin College, Oxford.
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- The City of Light
- Important places
- Quanzhou, China
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Travel, History, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 915.042 — History & geography Geography & travel Geography of and travel in Asia subdivisions and modified standard subdivisions Travel; guidebooks 1162-1480; Mongol Empire
- LCC
- G370 .J32 .J33 — Geography, Anthropology and Recreation Geography (General) Special voyages and travels
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 180
- Popularity
- 181,561
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (3.11)
- Languages
- 7 — Catalan, English, German, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmål), Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 14
