This fascinating first-person account of the visions experienced by the anchoress Julian of Norwich in May of 1373 is remarkable for its vivid prose and as an example both of early autobiographical writing in the vernacular and of a spiritual document. This practical edition includes a gloss; an introduction; notes; and a glossary; making it valuable to students of Middle English and medieval mysticism alike.
#2304437 in Books 2009-07-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.40 x .70 x 6.00l; 1.05 #File Name: 1861894368224 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Lewis and Clark (and others) did not go into a wilderness. They had maps and lots of help from Native peoples who lived there.By lyndonbrechtThis short book adequately makes the point that words such as "exploration" and "discover" are not fully adequate to describe how the New World was explored and mapped. The focus and most of the examples are on what is now the USA; and include a sizable number of federal government financed explorations of the Louisiana Purchase and the West generally (there is a small section about explorers in Australia that shows a similar situation). There was never a wilderness; it was all populated country; and the residents were guides for the "explorers." The book uses several terms; but something like "resident Natives" might work better. Explorers everywhere consulted natives for geographic help; and these folks sometimes made maps using explorers' pen and paper or may have described the lay of the land by using a stick and sand.The point of the book is that initially understanding the new lands was a collaboration. It was only after time passed and settlement intensified that the native presence vanished from maps. Short uses early maps and journals to establish the presence of native peoples; and how important they were to "discovery." He makes a convincing case. The selection of maps and map portions used as illustrations is interesting; and a section at the very end has short excerpts from a number of journals and reports that emphasize native assistance and guidance.Lewis and Clark; the Long expedition; Fremont's expeditions; the Railroad Surveys; they all used natives' reports and maps. Lewis and Clark; for example; did not venture into the wilderness--they had maps; which were based on French and Spanish materials; themselves based partly on natives' information.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Finding Indian information in "white exploration"By Gene Rhea TuckerA good book doing a good service. Short portrays the white exploration of North America (primarily) not as a tale of rugged; individualistic white men braving the wilderness; but explorers gathering information from the native peoples in a series of "cartographic encounters." Short skims expedition reports and maps for evidence (sometimes reading between the lines) of native informants. Short ably demonstrates this. He also has another parallel thesis: that Indians gave whites information for their own benefit; but that doing so sowed the seeds of their own destruction. When whites had the knowledge; they no longer needed indigenous information. This schemata works well with North America; but would fall down if he applied it to Latin America; thus the focus. That and the book is quite short and is a tad bit repetitive in places. It makes up for these drawbacks in its brevity and its ability to make you think. Recommended for all historians/enthusiasts of exploration; cartography; and Indian-white relations.
