{"product_id":"the-edge-of-the-world-9780241963838","title":"The Edge of the World","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Michael Pye\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFeatured in New York Times: 100 Notable Books of 2015\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eMichael Pye's \u003ci\u003eThe Edge of the World\u003c\/i\u003e is an epic adventure: from the Vikings to the Enlightenment, from barbaric outpost to global centre, it tells the amazing story of northern Europe's transformation by sea.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'An \u003cb\u003eutterly beguiling\u003c\/b\u003e journey into the dark ages of the north sea. \u003cb\u003eA complete revelation\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Pye writes like a dream. \u003cb\u003eMagnificent\u003c\/b\u003e' Jerry Brotton, author of \u003ci\u003eA History of the World in Twelve Maps\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis is a story of saints and spies, of fishermen and pirates, traders and marauders - and of how their wild and daring journeys across the North Sea built the world we know.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen the Roman Empire retreated, northern Europe was a barbarian outpost at the very edge of everything. A thousand years later, it was the heart of global empires and the home of science, art, enlightenment and money. We owe this transformation to the tides and storms of the North Sea.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe water was dangerous, but it was far easier than struggling over land; so it was the sea that brought people together. Boats carried food and raw materials, but also new ideas and information. The seafarers raided, ruined and killed, but they also settled and coupled. With them they brought new tastes and technologies - books, clothes, manners, paintings and machines. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this dazzling historical adventure, we return to a time that is largely forgotten and watch as the modern world is born. We see the spread of money and how it paved the way for science. We see how plague terrorised even the rich and transformed daily life for the poor. We watch as the climate changed and coastlines shifted, people adapted and towns flourished. We see the arrival of the first politicians, artists, lawyers: citizens. From Viking raiders to Mongol hordes, Frisian fishermen to Hanseatic hustlers, travelling as far west as America and as far east as Byzantium, we see how the life and traffic of the seas changed everything.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDrawing on an astonishing breadth of learning and packed with human stories and revelations, this is the epic drama of how we came to be who we are.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA closely-researched and fascinating characterisation\u003c\/b\u003e of the richness of life and the underestimated interconnections of the peoples all around the medieval and early modern North Sea. \u003cb\u003eA real page-turner\u003c\/b\u003e' Chris Wickham, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Inheritance of Rome: A History of Europe from 400 to 1000\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'\u003cb\u003eElegant \u003c\/b\u003ewriting and \u003cb\u003eextraordinary \u003c\/b\u003escholarship . . . \u003cb\u003eMiraculous\u003c\/b\u003e' Hugh Aldersey-Williams, author of \u003ci\u003ePeriodic\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eTales\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAnatomies\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'\u003cb\u003eSplendid\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003eA heady mix of social, economic, and intellectual history\u003c\/b\u003e, written in an engaging style. It offers a counterpoint to the many studies of the Mediterranean, arguing for the importance of the North Sea. \u003cb\u003eExciting\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003efun\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003einformative\u003c\/b\u003e' Michael Prestwich, Professor of History, Durham University\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e'Bristling, wide-ranged and big-themed\u003c\/b\u003e...at its most meaningful, history involves a good deal of art and storytelling. Pye's book is full of both.' Russell Shorto, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e'Beautifully written and thoughtfully researched\u003c\/b\u003e... for anyone, like this reviewer, who is tired of medieval history as a chronicle of kings and kingdoms, knights and ladies, monks and heretics, \u003ci\u003eThe Edge of the World\u003c\/i\u003e provides a welcome respite.' Prof Patrick J Geary, \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45087021006999,"sku":"9780241963838","price":700.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780241963838.webp?v=1767639861","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/the-edge-of-the-world-9780241963838","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}