1688: a Global History - Hardcover

Wills, John E

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1862074135 ISBN 13: 9781862074132

Publisher: Granta Books, 2001

Synopsis

This work is a survey of the world on the threshold of modernity and a sweeping narrative of different cultures being drawn together by the pull of trade and violence: a world where spices, silver and slaves made fortunes and ruined lives. The reader is taken on a journey around the world, through Russia, where Tsar Peter is about to launch a coup that will change his country's history forever; to the splendid court of the Sun King in France; to Mexico; to the Sonora desert of North America, where a Jesuit priest and his tribe of Pima Indian converts are about to discover California; to Manila, Jamaica, Australia, South Africa, Siam and to England, where a Dutch king lands in Dorset to begin the Glorious Revolution and fashion the state under which we still live.

About this title

Review

Two things strike you most about John E Wills remarkable history book: that no one has done it before, and that it has been done so well, so seamlessly. Like other bestselling historians of recent years, Norman Davies Europe: A History or Felipe Fernandez-Armesto Millennium, Wills' scope is vast, but in only in space, not in time. He surveys the entire globe, but confines his time-scale to the single year 1688. This year is crucial to the history of the West as it is the year of Great Britain's Glorious (because bloodless) Revolution, a seismic political shift that would ultimately prove far more significant than the French Revolution.

In Japan, meanwhile, the Shogun is very anxious about cruelty to dogs; in North America, a Jesuit priest and a tribe of Pima Indian converts are about to discover that California is part of the mainland; and in Australia, William Dampier records the first Western impressions of aborigines: "The inhabitants of this country are the most miserable people in the world...." Dampier's gentlemanly wealth, of course, derived from buccaneering on the high seas. With such material to work with, 1688 was bound to be fascinating, but it could easily have become a ragbag as well. In fact, it is beautifully fashioned, a fine example of "compare and contrast". The date itself, for instance--1688--was only a European construct. For Muslims the year was 1099, and for the Chinese, it was the 26th year of the Kangxi reign. This is, all said, a lucid global history for our confusing global age. --Christopher Hart

Review

Presenting a worldwide view of events occurring in just one year of the 17th century, Wills sets his sights high with a Longitude type of book in the history sphere. A professor of history at the University of Southern California, his previous works are mainly studies of China, but also of European involvement therein. What makes this book so enchanting is the intricate detail of the stories, letters, poems and essays of the era. Moreover, when the author begins the tale of each new area, he takes care to update us on the events which have led to the situation that prevails. We learn of Klaas, a Khoikhoi (or Hottentot) chief, being imprisoned on Robben Island, off the South African coast, three centuries before Nelson Mandela suffered the same fate. Indeed, it is surprising how many similarities exist between 1688 and the present day. With his evocative local colour and careful use of context, Wills has produced a fascinating book that skips along at an unrelenting pace and transports you to another age.

About this edition

• Publisher: Granta Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1862074135
• ISBN 13: 9781862074132
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320