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A new introduction by Colin Thubron describes why Marco Polo remains one of the most fascinating and informative introductions to China.

About the Author

Peter Harris is Senior Fellow of the Asian Studies Institute at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He is the translator and editor of Zhou Daguan's 'A Record of Cambodia' and has edited Zen Poems in the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series.
Colin Thubron is the finest travel writer currently writing in English. His Behind the Wall (1988) won both the Hawthornden Prize and Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. His most recent book Shadow of the Silk Road (2006) is an account of his epic 7,000-mile journey revisiting the terrain of his Behind the Wall and The Lost Heart of Asia.

Reviews

The adventures of the Venetian merchant-traveler Polo (1254-1324), who traveled to Persia, China, Indonesia, and back, were written down by Rustichello di Pisa and published in the early 13th century. They have been popular ever since. This edition uses the 1871 translation by Yule, subsequently revised by Henri Cordier. The text is vigorous and stately. This beautiful book is a joy to hold, leaf through, and read. Not intended for scholars but rather for sophisticated lay readers, it will not fail to please its intended audience, so well constructed is it in every detail by editor Rossabi (history, Queens Coll., CUNY; Modern Mongolia: From Khans to Commissars to Capitalists), from its well-chosen, lavish, and informative illustrations to its copious footnotes, which alert readers to the modern equivalents of Polo's terms, names, and locations. Forget the historical significance: this is one of the best travel narratives ever, written by an author with an acute eye and a lively imagination. It holds up even today. VERDICT Enthusiastically recommended. Though it may resemble a coffee-table book, this sumptuous edition will delight readers of all ages.-David Keymer, Modesto, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.