Summary of John E. Wills, Jr.'s 1688

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 As the earth rotates, the light of the sun moves from the gray and pale blue of the Pacific onto the forests and fields of Japan and Luzon. In the seething energy and hard-won order of the streets of Edo, the great capital city of Japan's hereditary military dictators, the heavy wooden gates of residential quarters are swung open.
#2 The world in a single year is an artificial construct. It is easier for us to travel to different parts of the world and communicate with each other via computer and telecommunications networks than it was for people in 1688. #3 The world of 1688 was very different from ours. It was much quieter, with no electronic amplifiers or internal-combustion engines. Life expectancies were shorter because no one knew how to prevent the spread of infectious diseases or reduce the hazards of childbirth.
#4 I have tried to read the records against the grain, not to succumb to the prejudices of the writers. I have also tried to convey to my reader some of my astonishment at the voices I have heard.