This delightful journey begins with di Robilant's serendipitous discovery of a travel narrative published in Venice in 1558 by the Renaissance statesman Nicolo Zen that recreated the travels of two of Zen's ancestors who explored the North Atlantic in the 1380s and 1390s. di Robilant set out to discover why later, in the 19th century, the Zens' account came under attack as one of the greatest frauds in geographical history. 240 pp.