Richard Hakluyt and Travel Writing in Early Modern Europe

Richard Hakluyt, best known as editor of The Principal Navigations (1589; expanded 1598-1600), was a key figure in promoting early modern English colonial and commercial expansion. His work spanned every area of English activity and aspiration, from Muscovy to America, from Africa to the Near East, and India to China and Japan, providing up-to-date information and establishing an ideological framework for English rivalries with Spain, Portugal, France, and the Netherlands. This interdisciplinary collection of 24 essays brings together the best international scholarship on Hakluyt, revising our picture of the influences on his work, his editorial practice and his impact.