384 pages, 7.25 x 10 in., 140 color illustrations, maps, timeline, source notes, bibliography, index, Counterpoint Press. Now in paper.
“Thomas Christensen is no slouch when it comes to writing page-turning nonfiction…. Another fresh, deeply researched and thoughtfully composed window back in time.”
—Foreword Magazine
“A stunning overview of the nascent modern world through a thematic exploration of the year 1616. Careful to include events from around the world, not just Europe and the Americas, Christensen enhances his excellent explications of backgrounds and settings with dozens of fabulous illustrations.’”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
For more reviews click on the "press" thumbnail above right.
"A beautiful and profound book. A brilliant creative examination and interpretation of the developed world’s recent history: east, middle, and west.”
—Gary Snyder, Pulitzer Prize, Poetry
"A brimmingly generous intellectual feast, lavishly curated by Mr. Christensen — on every page a fresh marvel — the catalog, as it were, of a show just asking to be mounted, and the Show of the Year at that.”
— Lawrence Weschler, Pulitzer Prize Finalist, General Nonfiction
“With its stories of restless spirits and restless feet and its truly amazing images from Japan to Persia to Rome, this book will surprise and delight every reader and provide new insights into an interactive early modern world.”
— John E. Wills, Jr., author, 1688: A Global History
“Outstanding book. Tom Christensen’s scholarship is meticulous. The reproductions are beautiful. 1616 is a treasure.”
— Evan S. Connell, Jr., Los Angeles Times Kirsch Award for Lifetime Achievement
“Unforgettable characters and stories illuminate many of today’s global aches and joys.”
— Peter Laufer, James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon
“Christensen shows how separate threads affected one another, transformed discourse, and contributed to the development of a truly global culture fully four centuries ago.”
— Emily Sano, director emeritus, Asian Art Museum
"One of the best works by a northern California author published in 2012."
— Northern California Book Reviewers Association
One of the top ten history books of the season.
— Publishers Weekly