ISBN
978-5-907793-51-4
Age
10-14
Pages
88
Rights
available worldwide
WE LIVE IN THE AGE OF DISCOVERY
by
Nikolay Nazarkin
illustrations:
Anna Bogdanova
We Live in the Age of Discovery looks at the three centuries that changed the map of human life.
It begins with a simple question. Why are these discoveries called great if the lands were already inhabited and other travellers had crossed oceans before Columbus. The book follows the blocked trade routes after the fall of Constantinople, Portuguese voyages around Africa, the crossing to the Americas, Magellan’s expedition, Russia’s move into Siberia and the Chinese voyages of Zheng He.
It treats navigation, maps, ships, trade companies and maritime law as connected parts of one historical system. At the same time, it does not turn exploration into a story of triumph.
The book shows the violence of conquest, the strength of pre Columbian societies and the ecological changes that came with ships, animals, diseases and crops.
Written for readers aged ten to fourteen, it links history with economics, science, law and everyday habits, from food to schooling.
"Image of the Book" international illustration and book design competition
2026
The book explains discovery as a system of trade routes, technologies, laws and political choices, rather than a chain of heroic voyages.
It gives space to the peoples met by European ships and shows colonisation through conquest, religion, labour, disease and cultural change.
Chapters connect past events with present questions about ecology, global trade, migration and the shared world created by ocean routes.
