The biggest Wikileak of the Renaissance

June 2, 2025 – We are thrilled to have acclaimed Italian writer Andrea Di Robilant in Charleston to present his new book This Earthly Globe.
From the best-selling author of A Venetian Affair comes the captivating story of an Italian Renaissance editor whose passion for geography reshaped Europe’s understanding of the world. Di Robilant brings to life the palace intrigues, editorial wheedling, delicate alliances and vibrant curiosity that resulted in this coup by the editor Giovambattista Ramusio.

In the autumn of 1550, Venice saw the publication of a groundbreaking volume titled Navigationi et Viaggi (Journeys and Navigations)—a collection filled with new geographical knowledge, accompanied by striking woodcut maps of Africa, India, and Indonesia. Behind this extraordinary work was the meticulous hand of Giovambattista Ramusio, though he initially remained anonymous. Over the next few years, Ramusio released two more volumes, providing the most accurate and comprehensive accounts of Asia and the “New World” available at the time. Together, these three books represented an unprecedented flood of information—what Andrea di Robilant aptly calls the “biggest Wikileak of the Renaissance.”

In This Earthly Globe, di Robilant delves into the complex world of palace politics, delicate negotiations, and scholarly persistence that fueled Ramusio’s project. He draws vivid portraits of the colorful voices woven throughout the collection, from Marco Polo’s famous journeys (carefully fact-checked by Ramusio himself) to detailed cultural accounts from figures like al-Hasan ibn Mohammad al-Wazzan (later known as Leo Africanus). Beyond the stories of adventure and discovery, di Robilant also sheds light on the darker legacies of colonialism and conquest that shadowed this era of exploration.

The result is a rich, far-reaching tribute to a visionary editor whose work laid the foundations of modern geography—and opened European minds to the wider world.

Date: Monday, June 2, 2025
Time: Six in the afternoon
Location: Carolina Society Hall, 72 Meeting Street, Downtown Charleston