An incredible travelogue that shattered Western perceptions
The Travels gathers together young Marco’s tales from around the empire: the Muslim caliph locked up to die with his treasure; the shoemaker of Baghdad whose faith moved mountains; the three Magi of Persia; and the Georgian fish that only appear at Lent. Above all, he offers a wondrous first-hand account of the magnificent court of the Emperor. It’s no coincidence that his narrative is expressive, vivid and embellished with mythical references. While languishing in a Genoese prison cell, following his capture during a sea battle on return to Italy, Marco met a man named Rustichello of Pisa. A professional romance writer with a penchant for Arthurian legends and plenty of time on his hands, Rustichello must have thought his luck had changed when the greatest ghost-writing opportunity in history walked into his cell. With their combination of eloquent penmanship and an endless pot of incredible tales, the duo couldn’t fail.
When first published, The Travels shattered the insular world view of medieval Europe by sharing the wonders, innovations and glories of the East, civilisations infinitely more advanced than their own and hitherto unknown outside of hearsay and the luxury goods brought back by merchants. Marco Polo described how they tamed mighty rivers with canals; built palaces bigger than Western cities; and traded with banknotes at a time when paper was barely known in Europe. Marco Polo’s incredible work is now honoured with the greatest translation, the most eloquent illustrations and a stunning design: a fitting treatment for the book that informed the West’s perception of the East’s geography and culture for hundreds of years.