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Terra Incognita
A History of Ignorance in the 18th and 19th Centuries
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Terra Incognita
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See more"A leading historian opens up a new terrain for understanding the past: the history of ignorance"--
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
Identifying gaps in knowledge is the first duty of any historian who sets out to understand the past. It is impossible fully to understand our forebears without some idea of what they did not know: the history of ignorance is an indispensable part of history itself.
Here Alain Corbin focuses on our planet, exploring its mysteries past and present, and the intensity and eventual decline of the modes of terror and wonder it aroused. For thousands of years, humans knew nearly nothing about the earth. Certain locations on the map simply read Terra Incognita.
Corbin recounts the many errors and uncertainties that littered the paths we followed in the attempt to discover the secrets of our blue planet, with a particular focus on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when the mysteries of volcanoes, the polar regions, glaciers, the stratosphere, and the oceans began to be uncovered. While ignorance stimulated our ancestors’ imagination, Corbin’s history of ignorance reawakens our thirst for knowledge and changes our view of the world.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Terra Incognita by Alain Corbin is praised for its innovative examination of ignorance in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, focusing on what was unknown about lands, seas, and space. It is noted for its accessible and lucid style, appealing to both general readers and scholars. Reviewers commend Corbin's ability to make complex historical subjects engaging and his original approach to exploring the history of discovery.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781509546268
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 25 June 2021
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Polity Press
Contributors:
- Translated by Susan Pickford
Audience: Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 23.0mm
Width: 137.0mm
Height: 213.0mm
Weight: 318g
Pages: 188
About the Author
Alain Corbin is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Paris 1, Panthéon-Sorbonne.
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