1688 by John E Wills
John E. Wills's masterful history ushers us into the worlds of 1688, from the suicidal exaltation of Russian Old Believers to the ravishing voice of the haiku poet Basho. Witness the splendor of the Chinese imperial court as the Kangxi emperor publicly mourns the death of his grandmother and shrewdly consolidates his power. Join the great caravans of Muslims on their annual pilgrimage from Damascus and Cairo to Mecca. Walk the pungent streets of Amsterdam and enter the Rasp House, where vagrants, beggars, and petty criminals labor to produce powdered brazilwood for the dyeworks. Through these stories and many others, Wills paints a detailed picture of how the global connections of power, money, and belief were beginning to lend the world its modern form. "A vivid picture of life in 1688...filled with terrifying violence, frightening diseases...comfortingly familiar human kindnesses...and the intellectual achievements of Leibniz, Locke, and Newton." —Publishers Weekly
"Wills has pulled from the raging silence of history…a roiling mass of transnational humanity, and so reminded us that we have been a globalizing planet for more than 300 years" -- Tom Engelhardt - Washington Post
"One of the most fascinating and brilliant works of popular history ever written…a total triumph." -- Frank McLynn - The Independent
"John Wills's book affords eye-opening perspectives on these worlds apart. Equally expert from China to Peru, he paints vibrant vignettes of bustling cities, sumptuous courts and corrupt regimes the world over, the energies of commerce, abuses of power and triumphs of art." -- Roy Porter - The [London] Times
"Wills examines what particular women and men from all around the world thought, wrote, and did in the span of the same single year. [He] brings all of them alive. No reader will ever forget this book." -- Geoffrey Parker, author of The Grand Strategy of Phillip II
"An enchanting and learned volume, written with grace and wit and modesty and—above all—the firm conviction that history matters for everyone." -- Michael Pakenham - Baltimore Sun
"One of the most fascinating and brilliant works of popular history ever written…a total triumph." -- Frank McLynn - The Independent
"John Wills's book affords eye-opening perspectives on these worlds apart. Equally expert from China to Peru, he paints vibrant vignettes of bustling cities, sumptuous courts and corrupt regimes the world over, the energies of commerce, abuses of power and triumphs of art." -- Roy Porter - The [London] Times
"Wills examines what particular women and men from all around the world thought, wrote, and did in the span of the same single year. [He] brings all of them alive. No reader will ever forget this book." -- Geoffrey Parker, author of The Grand Strategy of Phillip II
"An enchanting and learned volume, written with grace and wit and modesty and—above all—the firm conviction that history matters for everyone." -- Michael Pakenham - Baltimore Sun
John E. Wills Jr. (1936—2017) was a longtime leader of China studies at the University of Southern California and the author of many acclaimed works in cultural history, including Mountain of Fame: Portraits in Chinese History and 1688: A Global History.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780393322781 |
| ISBN 10 | 0393322785 |
| Title | 1688 |
| Author | John E Wills Jr |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | WW Norton & Co |
| Year published | 2002-03-27 |
| Number of pages | 348 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |