The Book of Michael of Rhodes: A Fifteenth-Century Maritime Manuscript, Vol. 3: Studies - Hardcover

Michael Of Rhodes

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0262123088 ISBN 13: 9780262123082

Publisher: The MIT Press, 2009

Synopsis

Essays explore the world of Michael of Rhodes, examining the historical context, the discovery of his manuscript, and Michael's knowledge of mathematics, shipbuilding, navigation, and other topics.

In the fifteenth century, a Venetian mariner, Michael of Rhodes, wrote and illustrated a text describing his experiences in the Venetian merchant and military fleets. He included a treatise on commercial mathematics and treatments of contemporary shipbuilding practices, navigation, calendrical systems, and astrological ideas. This manuscript, “lost,” or at least in unknown hands for over 400 years, has never been published or translated in its entirety until now. In volume 3, nine experts, including the editors, discuss the manuscript, its historical context, and its scholarly importance. Their essays examine the Venetian maritime world of the fifteenth century, Michael's life, the discovery of the manuscript, the mathematics in the book, the use of illustration, the navigational directions, Michael's knowledge of shipbuilding in the Venetian context, and the manuscript's extensive calendrical material.

About this title

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.

Review

For Fernand Braudel, the Mediterranean . . . speaks with many voices. The resonance of that . . . can be appreciated more fully with the present exemplary publication in three volumes . . . --Jean Michel Massing, Times Literary Supplement

This three-volume set is a spectacular demonstration of what can be done with modern technology and generous funding. --Fernando Q. Gouvea, Mathematical Association of America Online

Beyond the sheer delight of a high-quality facsimile, the book is a pleasure to read simply for its rigorous accuracy and careful detail. The editors' work has been truly commendable. --Veronica Della Dora, H-Net Reviews

The content of Michael of Rhodes's book beautifully illustrates the uses of literacy at the end of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance. --Paula Findlen, British Journal for the History of Science

The sumptuous, luxurious production of the three volumes along with efforts to bring to bear the best in scholarship on . . . the impressive manuscript serve to create an invaluable contribution . . . --Richard W. Unger, Renaissance Quarterly

Edition details

• Publisher: The MIT Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0262123088
• ISBN 13: 9780262123082
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384
• Editor: Pamela O. Long, David McGee, Alan M. Stahl