Random House Publishing Group
Search
Expand Mobile Menu
The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci

The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci

About the Book

From the renowned historian and author of The Death of Woman Wang, a vivid and gripping account of the 16th-century missionary’s remarkable sojourn to Ming China
 
In 1577, the Jesuit Priest Matteo Ricci set out from Italy to bring Christian faith and Western thought to Ming dynasty China. To capture the complex emotional and religious drama of Ricci's extraordinary life, Jonathan Spence relates his subject's experiences with several images that Ricci himself created—four images derived from the events in the Bible and others from a book on the art of memory that Ricci wrote in Chinese and circulated among members of the Ming dynasty elite. A rich and compelling narrative about a fascinating life, The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci is also a significant work of global history, juxtaposing the world of Counter-Reformation Europe with that of Ming China.
Read more
Close

Praise for The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci

Praise for The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci:
 
“An extraordinarily delicate achievement . . . Resembles the portrait of an age.”
—The New York Times Book Review
 
“A gripping portrait of late-sixteenth-century cultural history in both the West and the East.”
—Natalie Zemon Davis, Princeton University, author of The Return of Martin Guerre
 
“An extraordinary tour de force, a work of literature and at the same time a remarkable wide-ranging use of historical sources. This is the kind of history that most people in the profession cannot even begin to write.”
—John King Fairbank, Harvard University
Read more
Close

About the Author

Jonathan D. Spence
Jonathan D. Spence’s 11 books on Chinese history include The Gate of Heavenly Peace, Treason by the Book, and The Death of Woman Wang. He has been awarded Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships and is professor emeritus of history at Yale University. More by Jonathan D. Spence
Decorative Carat

By clicking submit, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. You can opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information anytime.

Random House Publishing Group