The Travels of Marco Polo The Venetian (International Collectors Library) [B1582]

1948 HC illustrated collector's edition of the 13th-century original, in nice clean condition. Marco Polo (1254-1329) achieved an almost archetypal status as a traveler. This is one of the first great travel books of Western literature, outside the ancient world. This legendary volume recounts Polo's journey to the eastern court of Kublai Khan, the chieftain of the Mongol empire which covered the Asian continent, but which was almost unknown to Polo's contemporaries. Encompassing a twenty-four year period from 1271, Polo's account details his travels in the service of the empire, from Beijing to northern India and ends with the remarkable story of Polo's return voyage from the Chinese port of Amoy to the Persian Gulf. Alternately factual and fantastic, Polo's prose at once reveals the medieval imagination's limits, and captures the wonder of subsequent travel writers when faced with the unfamiliar, the exotic or the unknown. Written by Rustichello de Pisa based on Polo's stories, the book describes his travels with his family, including his time at the court of the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan. Marco Polo's vivid descriptions of the customs, landscapes, and people he encountered in the far reaches of the East sparked the imaginations of Europeans and expanded their understanding of the world. The work is not only a travelogue but also an important historical document that influenced exploration and trade between East and West for centuries.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Surprised by how much I got into this. It's not a fast or polished read, but that's kind of the point. It feels like sitting down with someone from centuries ago and just listening to them talk about the world as they saw it. Some of it is clearly stretched or filtered through secondhand stories, but it still gives you this amazing sense of scale and wonder. What stood out to me was how observant Marco Polo was, and how much respect he had for the people and cultures he encountered. Even when the details are hard to believe, the curiosity feels real. If you're into history, travel, or just want to see how someone tried to make sense of a world far bigger than they expected, this is worth picking up. It's strange, sometimes repetitive, but in a way that makes it feel honest."; "I can appreciate this as a historical source. But as a work of literature . . not so much."; "The Travels remains one of the most extraordinary visual and narrative feasts in world literature. Reading this 13th-century masterpiece through the dual lens of a visual artist and fiction lover, I'm astounded by how vividly Polo's observations leap off the page, transforming into mental paintings of a world few ancient Europeans had ever witnessed."