I’m guessing that Marco Polo’s tales have been as fascinating for me, glimpsed through the shrouded veil of time, as they must have been for Medieval Europeans, captivated by the fabulous descriptions of inaccessible lands, cocooned within the vast and inhospitable expanses of an untamed world.
I found this shifting context interesting. For the contemporary reader the cultural peculiarities are refocused through the lense of history, and the destinations now remain as shadows of our modern culture, distanced not by geography, but by the ruinous march of time. Whereas historically, Marco Polo’s worlds were unapproachable amidst hostile environs, plagued by the warring of Mongol Khans who presided over realms forgotten by God, where customs and superstitions were so unusual as to beggar belief.
The stories seemed so outrageous at the time that few believed them, Marco Polo’s travels became known as the million and one lies, little more than inspired folk stories to titillate the imagination. Regardless of perspective, this famous journey speaks the language of mystery and adventure, and has endured through time, providing a magical portal into a distant world. Morris Rossabi’s richly illustrated edition has recreated that journey anew, the oldest travelogue in print.
Title: The travels of Marco Polo : the illustrated edition / Marco Polo
Author: translated by Henry Yule ; revised by Henri Cordier ; Morris Rossabi, general editor.
ISBN: 9781402796302 (hbk.)
Published: 2012
Publisher: Sterling Pub
