ABSTRACT
This chapter links together recent historiographical trends in the fields of maritime history, the history of knowledge, and the history of science, to present the state of the art in the field of the book: Iberian maritime studies. The question of the secrecy policy of the Iberian monarchies (Portugal and Spain) is raised, as well as the need to study the specific case of the circulation of Portuguese maritime knowledge among its competitors and the general impact thereof on both sides. Thus, it is explained that the book focuses on the circulation of maritime knowledge (pilots, sailors, cartographers, cosmographers, nautical rutters, nautical cartography, nautical treatises) through normal channels and through espionage attempts, using Portuguese, Spanish, French, English, and Dutch sources.
