Cosmography and Geography of Africa

<b>The first new translation in over 400 years of one of the great works of the Renaissance: an African diplomat's guide to Africa <p/>A Penguin Classic</b> <p/>In 1518 al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan a Moroccan diplomat was seized by pirates while travelling in the Mediterranean. Brought before Pope Leo X he was persuaded to convert to Christianity in the process taking the name Johannes Leo Africanus. Acclaimed in the papal court for his learning Leo would in time write his masterpiece <i>The Cosmography and the Geography of Africa</i>. <i>The Cosmography</i> was the first book about Africa and the first book written by a modern African to reach print. It would remain central to the European understanding of Africa for over 300 years with its descriptions of lands cities and peoples giving a singular vision of the vast continent: its urban bustle and rural expanse its culture commerce and warfare its magical herbs and strange animals. Yet it is not a mere catalogue: Leo also invited his readers to acknowledge the similarity and relevance of these lands to the time and place they knew. For this reason <i>The Cosmography and Geography of Africa</i> remains significant to our understanding not only of Africa but of the world and how we perceive it.