商品簡介
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the top minds of the Bourbon dynasty knew they could not exploit something if they did not know where it was. The kings of France tried desperately to create an empire, knowing that without one their power would end, so they patronized not only the explorers and entrepreneurial aces of their age but also those who supported them, specifically map makers and their printers. Petto (history, Southern Connecticut State U.) has a keen eye for the political implications of the representations of the world and the French kings' role, and also for the subtleties of nomenclature and the gaps between information and ambition. Especially interesting is her commentary on how Enlightenment philosophy tended to creep onto the pages where the image of the power of His Majesty should have been, until His Majesty was no more. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
作者簡介
Christine M. Petto is professor of history at Southern Connecticut State University.
