Early modern travel literature

Printed travelogues from the 16th to the 19th century shaped the ideas of foreign countries and continents. They informed, alienated and dramatised and thus satisfied the curiosity of the readers. They could trigger admiration and amazement as well as feelings of superiority. Many of the travelogues digitised on the e-rara platform are available as full texts and can be searched by keyword. In this way, the depiction of certain regions (for example ameri*), foreign religions (for example braman*), Indian languages (for example damul*, sanscrit*), and much more can be compared in the various reports. The pictorial representation is also interesting, as many travelogues contain prints.