In 1659, an extensive and unusual map of China arrived at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. It was donated by John Selden, a London lawyer, political activist, and the city's first Orientalist scholar. Initially ignored, it remained confined in the library until a curious reader summoned it. When Timothy Brook saw it in 2009, he realized that the Selden map was 'a puzzle to be solved': an extraordinary object, so disruptively modern that it could almost be a forgery.

But it was genuine, and what it has to tell us is astonishing. It portrays China, not isolated from the world, but as part of the ancient global trade networks that fueled the rise of Europe - and that now fuel the rise of China. And it raises as many questions as it answers: how did John Selden acquire this map? Where did it originate? Who reimagined the world in this way? And most importantly - what can it tell us about the world of that time?

Brook, like a cartographic detective, has provided answers - including a stunning final revelation of authorship. From the Gobi Desert to the Philippines, from the Maldives to Tibet and within China, Brook uses the map (actually a representation of China's relationship with the astrophysical sky) to highlight the diverse elements that defined this critical period in China's history.

Pages: 256, Dimensions: 12.8x12.8cm