"This groundbreaking book traces the rich and perilous history of the ships and sailors that launched the global economy. The line of navigation between Asia and the Americas, the Manila galleons first set sail from the Philippines in 1565, remaining the lifeblood of world trade until the last...

Globalization began when all heavily populated land masses began interacting - both directly and indirectly via other land masses - in a sustained manner with deep consequences for all interacting regions. Globalization emerged during the sixteenth century. Dynamism emanating from within China...