“A beautiful and profound book. A brilliant creative examination and interpretation of the developed world’s recent history: east, middle, and west.”
—Gary Snyder, Pulitzer Prize, Poetry

“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

“Unforgettable characters and stories illuminate many of today’s global aches and joys.”
— Peter Laufer, James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon

“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