Travel in Early Modern Europe

by Antoni Mączak

Most of us today know little about the conditions under which people travelled in early modern Europe. Travellers' accounts from the period generally omit detailed descriptions of the state of roads, the discomfort of a carriage or a coach, or the harshness of a landscape, even though these formed the everyday reality of travel for most people.

In this wide-ranging book, Maczak sets out to fill this gap in our knowledge by vividly reconstructing the lives and daily experiences of travellers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He analyzes the reasons why they travelled, what they hoped to gain from it, and how they were changed by the experience. He discusses the practical problems encountered by difficulties with transportation, the danger of accidents, and the problem of finding suitable conveyances and guides.

He describes the dangers presented by inhospitable weather and terrain, wild animals, marauding soldiers, bandits and highwaymen. He analyses travellers' lodges and food, the relationships they formed on their journeys, and their encounters with foreign bureaucracies, customs and border controls. Maczak paints colourful portraits of a wide variety of travellers, from the splendid entourages of bishops and ambassadors, to the lone pilgrims, artists and scholars travelling for their own pleasure and enlightenment.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Filip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bardzo dobra pozycja, momentami bardziej przypomina reportaż jak książkę historyczną. Dobry wgląd w obyczajowość i mentalność XVI i XVII w.

[Tech Nossomy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every chapter deals with a particular theme regarding travel in Renaissance to pre-modern times, say 1500 - 1700, so a good two centuries. Subject matter pertains to Europe only. However, the text starts to read like stringed together anecdotes after a few chapters with little new information between them to set each chapter apart. There are some illustrations, statistics and maps included, which is always good to see, as well as 40 pages of footnotes.

The Polish title translated to English reads: "Everyday life while traveling around Europe in the 16th and 17th century", which I think covers the subject matter better than "Travel in Early Modern Europe".

I would have expected other bibliographical references to be included such as the works from Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie. Otherwise, the underlying research work is expansive.

Thrift shop and my copy was used by a student of history.

[Sim Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful, funny, and comprehensive survey of travel accounts from tourists of the 15th-18th centuries. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of daily life in the Renaissance and how people moved around.

[Eefje · Rating 2 out of 5]

De auteur is Pools èn katholiek, en dat zullen we geweten hebben. Verder is dit een degelijke, ouderwetse monografie, geschreven in illo tempore waarin bronnen schaars beschikbaar waren en saaiheid een bewijs van eruditie. Had er mij meer van voorgesteld.