La fregata Novara intorno al mondo

New book release: La fregata Novara intorno al mondo. Un racconto di mare, di scienza, di imperi (1857-1859)

By Guido Abbattista and Erica Grossi, published by Salerno Editrice (Rome, 2026), 260 pages. Available in bookshops from 30 January 2026.

In April 1857, the Austrian frigate Novara departed from Trieste on an ambitious circumnavigation of the globe that would last more than two and a half years. Conceived to assert the Habsburg Empire’s place among the leading maritime powers of the West, the voyage was equally driven by scientific curiosity and cultural ambition.

Drawing on a wide range of published and unpublished sources, Guido Abbattista and Erica Grossi offer a detailed reconstruction of the expedition’s itinerary and results. The journey becomes a privileged lens through which to observe the political, social, and cultural conditions of the regions encountered at a moment of accelerating European imperial expansion. Seen through both scientific and aesthetic perspectives—and filtered by the assumptions and prejudices of the Austrian travellers—the narrative reveals a rich yet deeply problematic portrayal of colonial societies and cultures.

This compelling book sheds light on the Eurocentric mindset of the nineteenth century, exposing the encyclopaedic drive to collect, classify, and dominate that characterized the expansionist and positivist ambitions of imperial Europe.