The Fourth Part of the World

The limits of the audiobook form are severely tested by Lester's history of mapmaking and the European exploration of the globe during the Renaissance. The printed text is richly illustrated with maps and diagrams. It's a tribute to both the lucidity of Lester's writing and the authority of Peter Jay Fernandez's delivery that this is one of the season's most absorbing and satisfying audio experiences. Fernandez maintains a firm, clear narrative line throughout this expansive history, which compresses centuries of exploration and dozens of familiar and unfamiliar names. Reading the text, you'd think nothing could replace the sight of the illustrations; but hearing it read, you'll agree that nothing can replace the sound of the names, the ships and cities, the instruments and doctrines from centuries past. D.A.W. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine