An Historical and Geographical Description of Formosa, an Island Subject to the Emperor of Japan. to Which Is Prefix'd, a Preface in Vindication of Himself from the Reflections of a Jesuit

by George Psalmanazar

The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars.
Rich in titles on English life and social history, this collection spans the world as it was known to eighteenth-century historians and explorers. Titles include a wealth of travel accounts and diaries, histories of nations from throughout the world, and maps and charts of a world that was still being discovered. Students of the War of American Independence will find fascinating accounts from the British side of conflict.
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The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition
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British Library

T137017

George Psalmanazar is a pseudonym.

printed for Mat. Wotton, Abel Roper and B. Lintott; Fr. Coggan, G. Strahan and W. Davis, 1705. [56],288, [8]p., map; 8

Genres: Nonfiction

382 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1704

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Formosa, now known as Taiwan, is an island just off mainland China (It is NOT Hong Kong as the Librarians description says.)

This book is one of the greatest frauds ever perpetuated on Western civiization. "Georgw Salmanaazaar" claimed to be a native of Formosa and spun a fantastic story of an exotic culture the West was unfamiliar with. He concocted religious, linguistic, legal and social fatasies that were so detailed it was many years before he was finally exposed.

In a time when travel and reading were making the world a smaller place, it shouldn't be a surprise a fake book was written. The real story is how a talented con-man passed it off for so long.

[Wreade1872 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Psalmanazar was a white guy who claimed to be from Japan (Formosa) in order to get free drinks. People liked his ridiculous stories because he claimed to have been kidnapped by Jesuits and everyone at the time hated the Jesuits. Then someone convinced him to write a book about his homeland. It sold well until his lies fell apart and he got into big trouble with all his bullshit.
Unfortunately the story of the writing of this book is a lot more interesting than the material itself. It goes into fashion, religion, geography etc. but its all really dry and boring with nothing of interest as far as i can recall.
Better to just google Psalmanazar and skip this piece of dross.

[Darcel Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Psalmanazar was a Frenchman who claimed to be a native of Formosa, modern-day Taiwan, but was later revealed to be an imposter. This account was first published in 1704, causing a stir across Europe as it was unveiled that he had completely fabricated his purported Formosan heritage, having never set foot on the island. Despite the fraud and sensation, Psalmanazar reflects the fascination that Europe had with distant lands during the Age of Exploration. It also sheds light on how people in the 18th century constructed narratives about far-off places. Although Psalmanazar's work was fictional, it definitely played a role in shaping European perceptions and knowledge of Formosa during that era.