The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci

My undergrad work was in Chinese history, so anything by Jonathan Spence merits attention. This particular book has the added fascination of focusing on one of the most important Western Christians to ever operate successfully in China, the Jesuit Matteo Ricci. Uniquely, Spence constructs his biography of Ricci around the scaffold of a set of images that Ricci recommended to his Chinese friends...more

My undergrad work was in Chinese history, so anything by Jonathan Spence merits attention. This particular book has the added fascination of focusing on one of the most important Western Christians to ever operate successfully in China, the Jesuit Matteo Ricci. Uniquely, Spence constructs his biography of Ricci around the scaffold of a set of images that Ricci recommended to his Chinese friends for use as a kind of mnemonic device known as a 'memory palace'. It's a fascinating approach, and one that allows Spence to roam broadly through the many influences that made Ricci the man that he was.   hide

Great, just Great. The books moves quickly even if it is oddly organized. I used it as introduction to the Jesuits as well as a nice way to hear about the adventures of crazy Europeans butting into the world's business half a millenia ago. I especially enjoyed the background Spence provides about Ricci's schooling and what was going on in Italy while Ricci was growing up.