The Voyage Of François Pyrard Of Laval To The East Indies, The Maldives, The Moluccas And Brazil

The Voyage Of François Pyrard Of Laval To The East Indies, The Maldives, The Moluccas And Brazil by François Pyrard is a two-volume travel narrative recounting his long voyage through the Indian Ocean in the early 17th century. The English edition presents Pyrard’s eyewitness observations from Cochin to Goa, the Maldive Islands, Malacca, Sunda and the Moluccas, with extended remarks on trade, politics, and society in Portuguese India, and on the relations with Dutch, English, and other powers. Translated into English from the third French edition by Albert Gray and edited by H. C. Bell for the Hakluyt Society, the work is accompanied by introductions and notes that place Pyrard’s account in its historical context, including the administration of Goa, the spice trade, slavery, and maritime practices of the period. The volume is a valuable primary source on early modern exploration, diplomacy, commerce, and cross-cultural contact in the Indian Ocean world.” Read more