Michael Pye

This rich history of Antwerp in the sixteenth century was a Times Book of the Year and R4 Book of the Week. A rich history of Antwerp from the author of the acclaimed bestseller The Edge of the World. Even before Amsterdam, there was a dazzling North Sea port at the hub of the known world— the city of Antwerp....

A magnetic book on the North Sea brimming with rollicking adventures, vivid characters, and witty observations. Between the fall of Rome and the dawn of the Enlightenment, northern Europe transformed from a barbaric outpost to the centre of everything, shaping the world we know today. We have often overlooked its impact, but the reason is the North Sea—boats carried food...