Tracks on the Ocean

A History of Trailblazing, Maps and Maritime Travel

By: Sara Caputo

Write A Review

Hardcover | 29 August 2024

At a Glance

Hardcover
320 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
24.0 x 15.8

Hardcover

$65.50

or 4 interest-free payments of $16.38 with

or

Aims to ship in 10 to 15 business days

A vivid history of how the marks left on maps by travellers tell the story of the modern world

'Ingenious. Caputo picks out a fascinating path and leads readers along it with the confidence of a practised pilot' Felipe Fern¡ndez-Armesto, author of 1492'Accessible and entertaining, as well as deeply erudite and constantly mind-expanding' Philip Ball, author of How Life WorksFrom their first appearance on Renaissance maps, linear tracks representing maritime voyages have shaped the way we see the world. But why do we depict journeys as lines, and what is their deeper meaning? Ferdinand Magellan's route to the Pacific embodied the promise of adventure and colonisation, while the scientific charts of the Royal Navy inspired others to plan conquests, navigate treacherous waters and establish settlements across the oceans.In Tracks on the Ocean, prize-winning historian Sara Caputo charts a hidden history of the modern world through the tracks left on maps and the sea. Taking us from ancient Greek itineraries to twenty-first-century digital mapping, via the voyages of Drake and Cook, the decks of Napoleonic warships and the boiler rooms of ocean liners, Caputo reveals how marks on maps have changed the course of modernity.

Industry Reviews

'Intriguing and original, Caputo's eventful voyage through the history of navigation has been researched with a depth as profound as the ocean, and has a scope and relevance that transcends the high seas' - Maxim Samson, author

'An engrossing and beautifully chartered literary journey through history, seamanship and maritime map-making' - Vitali Vitalev FRSG, author

'Sara Caputo had an enviably ingenious idea, which few could conceive and very few execute: a history of how people have kept records of routes, in defiance of trackless nature and deficient technology. With distant vision, broad scope and deep scholarship she picks out a fascinating path and leads readers along it with the fluency of a good guide and the confidence of a practised pilot' - Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, author

'Striking for its originality and absorbing in its narrative verve, Tracks on the Ocean makes something we think we know-maps-strange and new: a source of knowledge but also distortion, confusion, surveillance, and violence. Spanning the globe and hundreds of years, it is a book of fresh vision and necessary insight' - Bathsheba Demuth

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.