The Travels of Marco Polo (Modern Library) (Modern Library Classics) - Softcover

Marco Polo; Colin Thubron (introduction)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0375758186 ISBN 13: 9780375758188

Publisher: Modern Library Inc, 2001

Synopsis

Marco Polo s account of his journey throughout the East in the thirteenth century was one of the earliest European travel narratives, and it remains the most important. The merchant-traveler from Venice, the first to cross the entire continent of Asia, provided us with accurate descriptions of life in China, Tibet, India, and a hundred other lands, and recorded customs, natural history, strange sights, historical legends, and much more. From the dazzling courts of Kublai Khan to the perilous deserts of Persia, no book contains a richer magazine of marvels than the Travels. This edition, selected and edited by the great scholar Manuel Komroff, also features the classic and stylistically brilliant Marsden translation, revised and corrected, as well as Komroff s Introduction to the 1926 edition.Chronicling the 13th-century world of Venice, his birthplace, to the far reaches of Asia, Marco Polo tells of the foreign peoples he meets as he travels by foot, horse and boat. This edition is illustrated with 32 woodcut images that were created for the classic 1926 publication.Since 1917 The Modern Library prides itself as The modern Library of the world s Best Books . Featuring introductions by leading writers, stunning translations, scholarly endnotes and reading group guides. Production values emphasize superior quality and readability. Competitive prices, coupled with exciting cover design make these an ideal gift to be cherished by the avid reader.

About this title

Review:

Modern scholars have questioned the veracity of Marco Polo's account, but there's no doubt that his description of his travels through the Mongol Empire of the Middle Ages--with its spices, exotic animals, rare jewels and dancing girls--is enchanting. --Kathleen Keefe

Review:

Modern scholars have questioned the veracity of Marco Polo's account, but there's no doubt that his description of his travels through the Mongol Empire of the Middle Ages with its spices, exotic animals, rare jewels and dancing girls is enchanting. -Kathleen Keefe --http://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-Marco-Polo-Modern-Library/dp/0375758186/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300995555&sr=1-1

This volume will enthrall anyone interested in true adventure. Marco Polo was the original Indiana Jones and then some. Please do not waste time on Gary Jennings' The Journeyer. This is the real deal and needs no dramatic embellishments. The Travels takes you on a trip from 13th century Venice to "Cathay" and back again. You will learn how Europeans found out about fireworks, paper currency, printing and pasta. The harrowing journey across the Gobi desert is particularly well reported. Marco Polo was more than an explorer. He was one of the world's first anthropologists. This is an exciting read, an account of how medieval Europe initially perceived China and the far east, and of how the Mongol rulers and Chinese emperors perceived them. Highly recommended. As to the print quality of Penguin editions, which some have denigrated, I have had my copy since the early eighties and it has yellowed only slightly. Viking is now printing on acid-free paper. One must remember that these editions were printed primarily to reach the widest audience for the least amount of expense at the time. For years, Penguins were accessible to students and to the collector who couldn't afford an elaborate, fully illustrated, fully mapped volume of a particular work. I couldn't have read as many of them as I did in my late teens and early twenties if that were not the case. I owe a lifelong debt to the editors for their efforts. I've also never read a bad translation in any Penguin Classic.- Bruce Kendall --http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/0375758186/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

About this edition

• Publisher: Modern Library Inc
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0375758186
• ISBN 13: 9780375758188
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352
• Editor: Manuel Komroff