All great journey begins on books.
There was a time where books changed the course of history, a time when new worlds were discovered, where immense empires were formed and reason made its way in front of the most sacred dogmas.
Seville was the most prosperous city in Christendom, the wealth of America arrived at its port and the future of Europe was settled in its streets. Among its walls the first modern library was created, the first centre of Western knowledge and was made under the command of the son of Christopher Columbus. At that time many people thought that books were dangerous, that they could change people's minds, bring down religions and kingdoms. They were afraid of words and maybe they were right.
1517, Thomas must flee Augsburg accused, by the powerful family of the Welsers, of a crime he has not committed, and leave his beloved Ursula there. He joins Massimiliano, a charlatan who makes a living traveling through Europe and telling the wonders that come from the New World. The Italian gives him his first book and Thomas begins his love for reading.
They arrive in Antwerp and Thomas goes to work in the most booming business at that time, a printing press. There he has the opportunity to read every night the copies that are printed. He begins to attend secret meetings where he speaks freely of the new humanist ideas of Erasmus and religious of Luther.
Then he goes to Spain, where he meets a book merchant. Together they will travel to Seville, in search of a special book. The city has become the centre of the world since it is the only port where all the ships loaded with the wealth of America arrive.
The book merchant and Thomas begin an investigation throughout Seville until they reach the palace of the son of Christopher Columbus. There they discover that he has created the largest library in the West, but the book merchant is killed. Thomas takes his place and continues the search for the book throughout Seville. At the same time, he must help Hernando Colón in a meeting between Spain and Portugal to share out the world and to demonstrate the usefulness of his library.
The research is increasingly complicated because the most powerful printers in Spain get involved, the Crombergers. And Thomas begins to plan to take the first printing press of books to America. But only Spaniards can travel to the New World.
Thomas will manage to embark towards the island of Hispaniola. There he discovers that Emperor Charles V has leased some land in the New World to the Welsers. He goes to meet him and discovers that Úrsula has also traveled with them and that he still loves him. So they must find a way to escape together
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Biography