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Jacob D'Ancona; trans. David Selbourne.
The City of Light.
London: Little, Brown, 1997.
ISBN 0316639680;
ISBN-13: 9780316639682.
Hardback, perfect bound.
197x252x32mm.
viii,392pp, inc. many monochrome illustrations; endpapers ilustrated with maps.
English.
Unused bargain.
This item £9.00
1326g.In 1990 distinguished academic David Selbourne was shown a remarkable manuscript which had been hidden from public view for seven centuries. In it a scholarly Jewish merchant called Jacob described how in 1270 he had set out on a voyage from Italy, arriving in China at the coastal metropolis of Zaitun, the 'City of Light', in 1271 - four years before Marco Polo's arrival at Xanadu in 1275.
As the manuscript's owner was unprepared for him to disclose its location, David Selbourne was forced to wrestle with doubts about translating a manuscript to which others would not have access, but decided that his overriding duty was to bring its contents to wider attention.
For its vivid, often dramatic prose, rich in humanity and insight as well as factual recollection, Jacob's account forms a document of potentially great historical significance, not only describing the adventures of a mediaeval trader, but also commenting on Chinese society and manners through the eyes of a European man of learning. Jacob provides an unparalleled account of life in the thriving mercantile economy of Zaitun, whose vigorous manufacture and lavish consumption in the shadow of the impending Mongol invasion represent the swansong of the wealthy - yet divided - society of Sung dynasty China.
Jacob's participation in the internal political battles of Zaitun, where the merchant class debated civic responsibility and public morality with sages and scholars, reveals mediaeval opinions in the debate on the role of the individual in society in arguments of enduring relevance. He also sheds unique light on the relationship between Jews, Christians and Saracens during the Middle Ages. Through his relationships with his entourage, and through his own introspective reflections, Jacob exposes his own fears and dreams, opinions and inner life, presenting an unusual combination of piety and intelligent scepticism, rational curiosity and moral othodoxy.
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