1434 The Year A Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed To Italy And Ignited The Renaissance (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
I should first state that I read history; I research history; I am no longer a professional in the field, but I can discern what is credible and what might not be, and what most certainly is not. THIS is not.I do not doubt that Chinese traveler/merchants - possibly very wise, possibly with lots of Chinese-invented goodies - showed up in Europe during the early 15th C. Why not - Arab sea merchants went to China and plied the Mediteranean, South Indians knew the coasts of south Asia and Africa (in 1421, Menzies tries to claim for Zeng He commemorative stones found in the Cape Verdes and on the west African coast, written in the precursor to the Tamil language). And nothing prevented Marco Polo from going in the reverse direction 2 centuries earlier, or di Conti from traveling with the Chinese treasure ships in the 1420s. The expansion of the known world came from many sources. I would suggest that, instead of doggedly "proving" every exciting development of the Renaissance had its origins in China, he consider that the confluence of many cultures, the improved ease of travel and the proliferation of the printed page made the Renaissance inevitable.Adviso to casual readers: any book, even one purporting to be a popular (as in "not written in jargon peculiar to the field") history, MUST back every "fact" with a footnote identifying the source. (In this case, 1434 is far better presented than the previous volume, 1421, but the premise is weaker.) The website is as opaque as Menzies' writing. There are justifications for some of the author's interpretation of the facts, but without clear footnotes from trustworthy sources, read with a liberal sprinkling of salt. I'm not really sure what to make of this "story" . . . I really can't admire the lack of intellectual rigor Menzies puts into the actions and motives of the Europeans; folks who may have consulted information gained from Chinese writings to come up with ideas and inventions that led to the Renaissance. He assumes they were plagiarizing and exploiting the Chinese. He doesn't seem to have practical knowledge how problems are solved. He doesn't deal with the language barrier which must have been formidable. Too many plausible answers left unaddressed. He says the knowledge may have been available so that's how it happened.
What do You think about 1434 The Year A Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed To Italy And Ignited The Renaissance (2008)?
What I liked about this book was the author spelled out in detail how he did his research.
—kak
Very dry. The first book was great, I found this one a little less engaging.
—Jpcbaldin
my fave.History book, but still in big question mark in my mind!!!
—lari
Halfway through the story turns from amazing to tedious.
—greg
