Renaissance Mad Voyages

'Renaissance Mad Voyages is one of those exciting scholarly books that make you realize how important and interesting its apparently obscure subject is. Parr provides a rich historical contextualization for the English mad voyage which demonstrates that it is caught up in, and also a vivid epitome of, the main currents of shifting religious, economic, and colonialist practices for at least 200 years. Historians and literary critics alike will find it engagingly written, magisterial but never overwhelming in its command of historical detail, and skillful in making a wide range of unfamiliar texts legible and accessible.' Jeremy Lopez, University of Toronto, Canada 'Anthony Parr displays a firm grasp of early modern cultural history in this charming but scholarly account of recreational travel and madcap journeys and adventures. His deep research in Elizabethan and early Stuart texts yields vivid vignettes of ingenious stunts, scams and wagers, pioneer tourism, and the feats of English eccentrics. Parr illuminates the worlds of London finance, legal chicanery, and literary reputations, while tracing intrepid travelers across the British Isles and as far afield as Venice, Istanbul, and Jerusalem. This is a lucid and illuminating work that displays a warmth and sympathy toward its subjects, and respect for the work of other scholars.' David Cressy, Ohio State University, USA