Hardcover, 386 pages, 7.25 x 10 in., 140 color illustrations, maps, timeline, source notes, bibliography, index, ISBN: 978-1582437743.
Counterpoint Press.
“Thomas Christensen is no slouch when it comes to writing page-turning nonfiction…. His most recent book offers another fresh, deeply researched and thoughtfully composed window back in time…. Christensen manages to portray and connect disparate events with remarkable cogency…. The myriad illustrations and pictures (along with a few bawdy anecdotes) will make for an amusing addition to a home library. Christensen’s writing is droll and at times hilarious. He has a wonderful way of juxtaposing his facts so that the ironies often present in human behavior shine through.”
—Foreword Magazine
“Shakespeare may have died in 1616 (as incidentally did Cervantes — on the same date!) — but here we have Love’s Labour Found. A brimmingly generous intellectual feast, lavishly curated by Mr. Christensen — on every page a fresh marvel — the catalog, as it were, of a show just asking to be mounted, and the Show of the Year at that.”
— Lawrence Weschler, Pulitzer Prize Finalist, General Nonfiction
“With its stories of restless spirits and restless feet and its truly amazing images from Japan to Persia to Rome, this book will surprise and delight every reader and provide new insights into an interactive early modern world.”
— John E. Wills, Jr., author, 1688: A Global History
“Outstanding book. Tom Christensen’s scholarship is meticulous. The reproductions are beautiful. 1616 is a treasure.”
— Evan S. Connell, Jr., Los Angeles Times Kirsch Award for Lifetime Achievement
“With a masterful command of facts and data, Christensen shows how separate threads affected one another, transformed discourse, and contributed to the development of a truly global culture fully four centuries ago.”
— Emily Sano, director emeritus, Asian Art Museum
“Unforgettable characters and stories that illuminate many of today’s global aches and joys.”
— Peter Laufer, James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon
“A beautiful and profound book. A brilliant creative examination and interpretation of the developed world’s recent history: east, middle, and west. Christensen documents the main civilizations of East Asia, South Asia, the Near East, and Western Europe and the significant colonial civilization in Central and South America. A treasure of plates of art and maps alone.”
—Gary Snyder, Pulitzer Prize, Poetry
“A stunning overview of the nascent modern world through a thematic exploration of the year 1616. Christensen interweaves various narratives to describe such trends as the increasing roles of private corporations like the Dutch East India Company and of economics in world politics or the emerging voices of women as writers—such as Dorothy Leigh, whose The Mother’s Blessing had 23 printings—and occasionally powerful participants in statecraft, like Nur Jahan, who aided her husband in ruling the Mughal empire. Juxtaposing concurrent growths in witch hunting and scientific discoveries, Christensen points out that Kepler calculated the laws of planetary motion while also defending his mother, an illiterate herbalist, against witchcraft charges. Careful to include events from around the world, not just Europe and the Americas, Christensen enhances his excellent explications of backgrounds and settings with dozens of fabulous illustrations.’”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
“Well-researched and entertaining.... [Christensen] was clearly scrupulous about the research, and he discusses the material with the authority of an expert. The illustrations, photos, timeline and selected reading section also enhance reader understanding of the issues at play.... Christensen provides interesting anecdotes and a unique reading experience.”
—Kirkus Reviews