The Travels
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- Create Date：2021-11-16 08:52:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Marco Polo
- ISBN：014119877X
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Summary
A sparkling new translation of one of the greatest travel books ever written: Marco Polo's seminal account of his journeys in the east， in a collectible clothbound edition。
Marco Polo was the most famous traveller of his time。 His voyages began in 1271 with a visit to China， after which he served the Kublai Khan on numerous diplomatic missions。 On his return to the West he was made a prisoner of war and met Rustichello of Pisa， with whom he collaborated on this book。 His account of his travels offers a fascinating glimpse of what he encountered abroad: unfamiliar religions， customs and societies; the spices and silks of the East; the precious gems， exotic vegetation and wild beasts of faraway lands。 Evoking a remote and long-vanished world with colour and immediacy， Marco's book revolutionized western ideas about the then unknown East and is still one of the greatest travel accounts of all time。
For this edition - the first completely new English translation of the Travels in over fifty years - Nigel Cliff has gone back to the original manuscript sources to produce a fresh， authoritative new version。 The volume also contains invaluable editorial materials， including an introduction describing the world as it stood on the eve of Polo's departure， and examining the fantastical notions the West had developed of the East。
Marco Polo was born in 1254， joining his father on a journey to China in 1271。 He spent the next twenty years travelling in the service of Kublai Khan。 There is evidence that Marco travelled extensively in the Mongol Empire and it is fairly certain he visited India。 He wrote his famous Travels whilst a prisoner in Genoa。
Nigel Cliff was previously a theatre and film critic for The Times and a regular writer for The Economist， among other publications， and now writes historical nonfiction books。 His first book， The Shakespeare Riots， was published in 2007 and shortlisted for the Washington-based National Award for Arts Writing。 His second book， The Last Crusade: Vasco da Gama and the Birth of the Modern World appeared in 2011。
Marco Polo was the most famous traveller of his time。 His voyages began in 1271 with a visit to China， after which he served the Kublai Khan on numerous diplomatic missions。 On his return to the West he was made a prisoner of war and met Rustichello of Pisa， with whom he collaborated on this book。 His account of his travels offers a fascinating glimpse of what he encountered abroad: unfamiliar religions， customs and societies; the spices and silks of the East; the precious gems， exotic vegetation and wild beasts of faraway lands。 Evoking a remote and long-vanished world with colour and immediacy， Marco's book revolutionized western ideas about the then unknown East and is still one of the greatest travel accounts of all time。
For this edition - the first completely new English translation of the Travels in over fifty years - Nigel Cliff has gone back to the original manuscript sources to produce a fresh， authoritative new version。 The volume also contains invaluable editorial materials， including an introduction describing the world as it stood on the eve of Polo's departure， and examining the fantastical notions the West had developed of the East。
Marco Polo was born in 1254， joining his father on a journey to China in 1271。 He spent the next twenty years travelling in the service of Kublai Khan。 There is evidence that Marco travelled extensively in the Mongol Empire and it is fairly certain he visited India。 He wrote his famous Travels whilst a prisoner in Genoa。
Nigel Cliff was previously a theatre and film critic for The Times and a regular writer for The Economist， among other publications， and now writes historical nonfiction books。 His first book， The Shakespeare Riots， was published in 2007 and shortlisted for the Washington-based National Award for Arts Writing。 His second book， The Last Crusade: Vasco da Gama and the Birth of the Modern World appeared in 2011。
Reviews
Vu Phong
，
3，5/5*
El Bibliófilo
，
Mis comentarios en video: https://youtu。be/5uf36oKTWZcGermen y generador de historias。Los viajes de Marco Polo （con los variados nombres el libro de las maravillas， millón， etc） nos presentan los relatos de los viajes del mercader veneciano por Asia， Medio Oriente， India， China， Indochina。 Acá les presento la relación con Baudolino de Umberto Eco， la crítica de la mención de la Muralla China que sí encontré， no así la de comer insectos y que ojalá dejen sus comentarios， algunas imprecisiones per Mis comentarios en video: https://youtu。be/5uf36oKTWZcGermen y generador de historias。Los viajes de Marco Polo （con los variados nombres el libro de las maravillas， millón， etc） nos presentan los relatos de los viajes del mercader veneciano por Asia， Medio Oriente， India， China， Indochina。 Acá les presento la relación con Baudolino de Umberto Eco， la crítica de la mención de la Muralla China que sí encontré， no así la de comer insectos y que ojalá dejen sus comentarios， algunas imprecisiones pero también unas semejanzas que dan credibilidad a los viajes， en cómo nos presenta costumbres de verificación a largo plazo （luego no las comprobó sino las escuchó）， mitos y leyendas de los lugares visitados y las batalla épicas （que es poco probable que presenciara， pero que le fueron referidas y afortunadamente nos las contó）。 Y también la reflexión que me generó frente a la gran pérdida para la arqueología algunos ritos funerarios de Oriente。 Finalmente， destaco cómo inspiró obras como la trilogía de Trajano， la película "Silencio"， entre otras， pues el poder evocador de la obra como cimiento histórico para el intercambio cultural Oriente-Occidente es inconmensurable。 Espero se animen a leer el libro， ver el video y dejar sus comentarios。 。。。more
Walt
，
Back to the time when the world was divided into many small kingdoms。 Surprising number of peoples who practiced canabalism。 Good protein， I guess。
Rbolt
，
In my opinion it was quite boring， but very informative。 But was a read for me to see if I would enjoy such a book。 I recommend it to anyone whom is interested in history and travle。 But be for warned it is very repetitive and can drag on for a little while。
Bibliophiliac
，
The worst book I can remember reading。 Tedious， filled with repetition of whole sentences and in other cases downright unbelievable， this is not a book that has aged well。There are some details of interest regarding the machinations of the various Mongol states but other than that， the book is slow to read and filled with uninteresting details about the main produce of innumerate Asian provinces described in little detail。 Kublai Khan， the Chinese Emperor at the time whose court Marco occupied， The worst book I can remember reading。 Tedious， filled with repetition of whole sentences and in other cases downright unbelievable， this is not a book that has aged well。There are some details of interest regarding the machinations of the various Mongol states but other than that， the book is slow to read and filled with uninteresting details about the main produce of innumerate Asian provinces described in little detail。 Kublai Khan， the Chinese Emperor at the time whose court Marco occupied， is given an excessively hagiographic biography。The style of writing is also atrocious， written as if Polo was dictating without an option to edit later on。 He quite frequently remembers things he should have said paragraphs later and at points changes his mind on what he will recount in the following sentence。 The book also contains much unnecessary wittering: "let me tell you about this。。。 that is all I have to say。。。 etc"。In summary: of little interest， even to those who were interested in reading it。So I will hold my tongue on the subject and not tell you much more about it。 That said， I will tell you a little more about it as we move on。 （p。 207） 。。。more
Abdullah Almuslem
，
Marco Polo was a Venetian （Italian） traveler who traveled to the far east in 1271 and did not come back until 24 years later。 Strange that when he came back home after this long absence， his relative did not recognize him。 He was wearing Tartar cloths， almost unable to speak his language and his relative did not acknowledge him until he took off these strange clothes and showed the stores of jewels he brought with him。 This book was written during his imprisonment telling the tale of wonders tha Marco Polo was a Venetian （Italian） traveler who traveled to the far east in 1271 and did not come back until 24 years later。 Strange that when he came back home after this long absence， his relative did not recognize him。 He was wearing Tartar cloths， almost unable to speak his language and his relative did not acknowledge him until he took off these strange clothes and showed the stores of jewels he brought with him。 This book was written during his imprisonment telling the tale of wonders that he saw in Persia， India， Mongol country， and China during his 24 years of absence。 He described each country in terms of religion， customs， goods， and riches。 To me， the story seemed a bit dull but occasionally he brings interesting observations or a crazy story。 Let me bring few strange stories here:（1）He observed in one country （Turkistan？） he passed through that they have this custom， that if a married man goes to a distance from home to be absent twenty days， his wife has a right， if she want， to take another husband; and the men have the right to take a wife wherever they happen to reside。 （2）He also mentioned a desert that had evil spirits which brings illusion to travelers passing through the place。 If a person is left behind their caravan they unexpectedly hear themselves called by their names， and in a voice， they know。 They follow the voice in an unknown direction until they get lost and die。 At night， travelers hear the sound of footsteps， and in some cases， these spirits assume the appearance of their traveling companions。 Some people reported that they witnessed the body of armed men and they fled in the fear of being attacked by them。 Some said that they heard the sounds of all kinds of musical instruments， and also of drums and the clash of arms。 Marco Polo described: Such is the excessive troubles and dangers that must unavoidably be encountered in the passage of this desert （ I don't know about all of these stories of Jins or spirits but I heard the same stories from old people here in Arabia。 There is this famous spirit which is called （Abu Mogawi） who used to appear to the sailors in the Arabia gulf and called them by their names and when they follow that voice he takes them to their fate-Heard this story from my father。 So， these legends travel from one culture to another and are hard to believe in many cases。（3）He witnessed a strange custom that prevailed in a land in India。 When a man who has committed a crime and was sentenced to death， he can show his willingness to sacrifice himself in honor of some particular idol。 Immediately， his relations and friends bring him a chair and give him twelve knives and they take him to the city shouting that this brave man is going to devote himself to the idols。 The man shout "I devote myself to death in honor of such an idol" and strike with the knifes each thigh， then put one into each arm， two into the belly， two into the breast， and at last in the heart。 When his relatives see this act， they celebrate and burn his body。 More strangly， his wife shows her regards to her husband by throwing herself in the fire to perish with him。 Women who display this resolution are admired by the community while those who shrink from it are hated。 What a tough choice for these women！（4）Marco Polo mentioned the strange islands in which he called the islands of Males and Females。 There is these two islands that are 30 miles apart… On one Island lives the men and in the other lives the women， both are of Christian faith and of the same race！ The men visit the island of females and remain with them for only three months staying with their wives。Then， they return to the island of males， staying away from the wives for the remainder of the years。 The wives keep their sons with them until they are of the age of twelve years and the daughters are kept at home until they reach marriage age。 Marco Polo justified this manner of living as result of the peculiar nature of the climate， which does not allow men to stay all the year with their wives， unless at the risk of falling a sacrifice ！Anyway， the book is long and slow in some parts but has interesting stories hidden in its pages！ 。。。more
Michael
，
As someone who has traveled some of the parts described and lived in China for a while， the sober descriptions of places and people are highly fascinating。 Marco Polo offers a window into a past of cultural exploration beyond that what could be experienced in a globalised world like ours。What's striking to me， is that his often brief characterisations of kingdoms and regions–in the book geographically aligned like beads on a string–convey a surprising sense of mutual humankind， an understanding As someone who has traveled some of the parts described and lived in China for a while， the sober descriptions of places and people are highly fascinating。 Marco Polo offers a window into a past of cultural exploration beyond that what could be experienced in a globalised world like ours。What's striking to me， is that his often brief characterisations of kingdoms and regions–in the book geographically aligned like beads on a string–convey a surprising sense of mutual humankind， an understanding of how people just live differently according to their subsistence， and are mostly shaped by their environmental circumstances， a very natural and seemingly simplistic view， that notwithstanding， I sometimes feel， is understated in our day and age。It's curious that Marco Polo offers an impression of relative mutual ease of exchange， in a time when cultures must have been so divided （although I'm sure most of this impression can be attributed to the stripped down narrative–as I recall he cited his recollections while in prison in Genoa， long after the actual happenings–taking out the mundane dealings and challenges of medieval cross-continental travel）。 A shocking reminder of how we are still far from complete mutual understanding in the so-called modern day。 。。。more
Kristen （belles_bookshelves）
，
RTC
Kevin
，
Between all the footnotes and the very lengthy appendix at the end of the book（some 600+ pages for the appendix alone）， this takes about as long to get through as a rather thick novel。 As noted with other reviews， there is some repetition in the description of the various countries and their inhabitants。 Recommended for those interested in Polo’s travels but not on anything else of substance on his famous trip。
Daan
，
Het boek is ten eerste een ontzettend mooie uitgave！ Vooral voor de prijs-kwaliteitverhouding zit je top。 Het boek stamt natuurlijk uit 1250 dus de tekst is ietwat droog。 Dit is natuurlijk wel te verwachten。 Zeker een aanrader！ （Ook al zou hij alleen maar in je boekenkast staan）。😉
João Miranda
，
Foi o pior livro de viagens que li até hoje。 Muitas condicionantes， a começar por ter sido escrito no século XIII， deixam uma sensação amarga do que o livro poderia ter sido。 Esperava encontrar o assombro das novas descobertas e não uma normalidade angustiante。
Mr SSingh
，
The Travels of Marco Polo piqued my interest as I wanted to discover more about early China and that I'm currently reading of some Chinese fantasy/mythology， particularly Jin Yongs: Legend of the Condor Heroes which I'm reading currently， and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms， which I'm trying to listen via an awesome podcast of it （not ashamed to admit it's too complicated for me to attempt to read on my own）。 My only knowledge of the actual events come from the Netflix series， and they are kno The Travels of Marco Polo piqued my interest as I wanted to discover more about early China and that I'm currently reading of some Chinese fantasy/mythology， particularly Jin Yongs: Legend of the Condor Heroes which I'm reading currently， and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms， which I'm trying to listen via an awesome podcast of it （not ashamed to admit it's too complicated for me to attempt to read on my own）。 My only knowledge of the actual events come from the Netflix series， and they are known to 'make shit up apart from the original material'， dumb down， overly glamorize/Hollywoodize， and pc correct historic tales like this。 t Although （small spoiler） Marco suggestions of ballistic weapons to the Mongols in the show was a small passage taken from the book， but the historian and translator was doubtful that ever hahappened。 And there's a lot less naked kung fu。 t I'm reviewing the penguin edition， so I don't know if it's the abridged version or how it differs from other versions， and I'm going strictly from memory so my thoughts might be all over the place and my memory sucks these days :（。 The Travels are divided into separate chapters of the general countries its covered 。。。From Peking to。。。， The Arabian Peninsula， From。。。。to India。 As I understand it the Khans are knowns as Tartars。 Marco's father and uncle and himself under one of the ruling Khans went on travels to spread Christianity， amongst other things。 When Marco journeyed parted ways with his father and uncle， he traveled eastward through the Mongolian steppes， China， what is now known as Singapore， India， the Arabian Peninsula， and up into Russia。 This was along the Spice Route （although I don't remember it being mentioned so in the book as that）。t But let us leave that paragraph for now and continue onwards。t Heh。t This book is full of descriptions of idolators， Mahomets， Christians， Jews， Buddhists， amongst many who give their allegiances or [casino winnings] ， （forgot the term， basically annual payments of money/goods] to the Great Khan。 I joke about this repetition， but the main thing is does it ruin the experience？ For the most part， no， there are a lot of descriptions of silks， metals， spices， gems， horses though。 But each country and culture have their goods of production， import/export， and their own uniqueness’s that Marco takes note of。 There are so many interesting facts， as I mentioned my short， termed memory isn't great， so I'm having trouble recalling them。 Thatch work on boats instead of wooden planks was notable。 The bestiary is very interesting， at one point Marco mentions he sees unicorns （no spoilers but the forward reveals what this actual probably was） Another is these giant rocs that can snatch a wild beast or an elephant even？ in its talons and fly off。 Cattle the size of elephants made me raise an eyebrow as I wondered what he could be speaking of。 t At no point did I feel， other than the 'magical events'， that he made anything up。 He makes attempts to understand the meanings behind each of the practices that are strange to him。 It's clear that he must have interacted with the peoples he met a great in depth， asked a lot of questions to learn all this。 So， he'd have been inquisitive。 t The other part of the book is the midst of the Great Khan Kublai， his court， his practices， the royalty， the size of his palaces， his sons who were spread out the other lands and ruled their great cities， this is a part of the era historians note the Mongolian empire ruled "half the known world"。 I also didn't know that Chingiz was Genghis， but Kublai was one of his many kin， the one that ended up as the Great Khan。 t The last parts of the book are the far north， was particularly interesting， how they have these smoke huts essentially， where people just drink themselves to warmth。 And the Khans feuding against each other， internal conflicts within their family lines， and with other rulers。 t Then Marco tells these tales， which I'm sure owe more to myth than actual events， one group that threatened to wipe out a small group of worshippers but would refrain if a certain mountain top was stricken down。 Sure， enough on the last day， the mountain is struck by lightning， and topples to the base miraculously。 This spared the worshippers。 Another was magiks practiced at the Khans court。 t I'm a little upset reading some of the reviews saying that oh "Marco was a typical Christian calling everyone else idolators aka savages。" As if they're expecting political correctness in the freaking 1200s。 This argument is completely kneejerkingly stupid。 "Oh， he considers his culture superior to everyone else’s。" Newsflash。 MOST PEOPLE， even TODAY， consider their own culture/subculture/religion to be superior to others despite their 'open mindedness'。 HUMAN NATURE。 Marco was incredibly open minded for a person of his time， he constantly mentions he's marveled and amazed at practices， and that the people of the land were incredibly resourceful， and they accomplished amazing things not even the Venetians or countries around accomplished。 So， I think it's fair。 t As I was reading， I was sucked into this journey， and it felt as if I was there observing along。 I think the style of writing and way it was told makes it just short of outstanding read for me， even though the content is outstanding， its presented as fact after fact and becomes a bit overwhelming。 So many places， so many peoples。 I think I'm having trouble remembering because I currently have events of 'A Hero Reborn' running through my head， the Mongolian rulers of a different era are mentioned in this book as well。 I should have written this review right after instead of waiting， again I'm going strictly from memory。 t Though I have problems with the style， it’s an outstanding read because of the incredible tales， wide scope， learning about early human ancestors and their ways of life， optimism， and friendliness of the teller， definitely is worth rereading again and again。 。。。more
Julian Batz
，
What should I tell you？ You can take my word for it that the structure of this book makes it dull and repetitive， although it did have historical value if you are interested in the time period of the Mongol empire。 But why make a long story of it？ The style of writing is difficult for modern readers who want logical transitions and meaningful conclusions。 Well that is all there is to say about The Travels and I shall move on and speak of it no longer。 But wait， one more thing about Marco Polo， s What should I tell you？ You can take my word for it that the structure of this book makes it dull and repetitive， although it did have historical value if you are interested in the time period of the Mongol empire。 But why make a long story of it？ The style of writing is difficult for modern readers who want logical transitions and meaningful conclusions。 Well that is all there is to say about The Travels and I shall move on and speak of it no longer。 But wait， one more thing about Marco Polo， since I have just remembered it and it is worth repeating！ It's apparent that he did travel， personally， to many places he mentioned。 Although， he does exaggerate portions， and may speak about certain places he didn't actually visit， the bulk of the rendition appears true。🤣 *the comment was written in the style of author， so be prepared* 。。。more
Metin Yılmaz
，
Bizlere o zamanları anlattığı için çok kıymetl bir kitap。 Her ne kadar her söylediği doğru olmasa da， anlatılanların bir kısmı diğer seyyahlar tarafından onaylanan olaylar。 Tabi abartı olmazsa olmazı。 Fakat bu inandırıcılığu etkileyen bir faktör olduğu kadar， yalanın hemen anlaşılmasına da fırsat veriyor。 Bu tip bir abartıda hemen anlıyorsunuz ki o durum öyle değil。
Adrian-Petru
，
Exceptional Book。 It will awake in you the travel spirit and the so called German "Fernweh"。 I would highly recommend to the reader to check Italo Calvino's "Invisible Cities" out， after finishing the travel story of Marco Polo。 Both of the lectures will feed your soul with wonderful views about lost or still exciting and "invisible" worlds。 Exceptional Book。 It will awake in you the travel spirit and the so called German "Fernweh"。 I would highly recommend to the reader to check Italo Calvino's "Invisible Cities" out， after finishing the travel story of Marco Polo。 Both of the lectures will feed your soul with wonderful views about lost or still exciting and "invisible" worlds。 。。。more
Errhine
，
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Travels 。
Paige
，
honestly， I bought this book because it was a cute cover， then had to read it。 It wasn’t necessarily bad， but very repetitive and not a book I would typically choose to read for pleasure。 It is incredibly interesting to hear certain descriptions of places 700 years ago and what differences and similarities there are today， but it was not a book I felt very passionate about。 I think I just do not have the interest or knowledge prior to reading that would allow me to fully enjoy or appreciate this honestly， I bought this book because it was a cute cover， then had to read it。 It wasn’t necessarily bad， but very repetitive and not a book I would typically choose to read for pleasure。 It is incredibly interesting to hear certain descriptions of places 700 years ago and what differences and similarities there are today， but it was not a book I felt very passionate about。 I think I just do not have the interest or knowledge prior to reading that would allow me to fully enjoy or appreciate this text。 。。。more
Joost Nixon
，
Long stretches of tedium， punctuated by some really interesting， sometimes bizarre， stuff。
Eskil
，
Jeg hadde likt boka mye bedre om han ikke var sånn en turborasist。 Som han ville sagt， "hva mer trenger jeg si？" Jeg hadde likt boka mye bedre om han ikke var sånn en turborasist。 Som han ville sagt， "hva mer trenger jeg si？" 。。。more
Glynis
，
The 'close to home' and plausible tech approach hit a sweet spot and I enjoyed the book very much。 The 'close to home' and plausible tech approach hit a sweet spot and I enjoyed the book very much。 。。。more
Maja Helena
，
This was a weird experience and I would never have finished it without the audio book！ Never in a million years。There is no narrative in this book。 We hear some general trivia about countries and places Marco Polo visited in the East。 All very interesting places rich on history and culture but all of that was left out and instead we got to hear about the attractiveness of the people living a certain place along with whether or not they used paper money…。 I mean， it was so boring that I remember This was a weird experience and I would never have finished it without the audio book！ Never in a million years。There is no narrative in this book。 We hear some general trivia about countries and places Marco Polo visited in the East。 All very interesting places rich on history and culture but all of that was left out and instead we got to hear about the attractiveness of the people living a certain place along with whether or not they used paper money…。 I mean， it was so boring that I remember very little of it。 I did enjoy a few shorter parts here and there where we got something that resembled a story with an actual narrative， but I wasn’t impressed by this book。 。。。more
Dylan Michael
，
A must read if you're into history and travel。 Don't expect much of narrative as it is still a piece of 13th century writing at the end of the day， and so there are a lot of holes and factual errors。 Nonetheless， it is a fascinating look into 13th century Asia and the Middle East。 A must read if you're into history and travel。 Don't expect much of narrative as it is still a piece of 13th century writing at the end of the day， and so there are a lot of holes and factual errors。 Nonetheless， it is a fascinating look into 13th century Asia and the Middle East。 。。。more
Dylan
，
The Travels of Marco Polo is a 13th-century travelogue written by Marco himself while in the service of Kublai Khan。 At times it is very enjoyable and I can appreciate the historical importance it had on both Europe and Asia。 Other than that， it is a slow and softened flawed accounts of places within Asia。 It might have been the reading burn out but I did not enjoy the read as much as I thought I would。 2。5/5
Colby Mcmurry
，
3。5 stars （maybe）; This influential travelogue is one of the most famous journeys ever taken in history。 Polo's journey within the Mongol Empire and the interactions with its people has stood the test of time for many centuries。 The details and descriptions found in the text informed generations of readers and fueled the imaginations of writers， cartographers， rulers， etc。 Without a doubt， this book has had a massive impact the likes of which is rarely seen in world literature。However， none of t 3。5 stars （maybe）; This influential travelogue is one of the most famous journeys ever taken in history。 Polo's journey within the Mongol Empire and the interactions with its people has stood the test of time for many centuries。 The details and descriptions found in the text informed generations of readers and fueled the imaginations of writers， cartographers， rulers， etc。 Without a doubt， this book has had a massive impact the likes of which is rarely seen in world literature。However， none of this necessarily applies to the book's quality。 The Travels is most definitely informative， but there are also equally definitive issues。 Primarily， as with many ancient or medieval historical texts （such as Herodotus’s Histories）， the accounts of a lot of things are simply not verifiable and Polo's is no exception。 While reading， several elements of the many tales of the provinces and peoples Polo encounters seem rather fantastical （without providing more specifics for those who wish to read the text）。 Furthermore， some areas of the text outright oversimplify itself saying things such as （to paraphrase） that places or peoples had nothing else of merit to convey other than the fact of their cities and faiths。 These things tend to promote a sense of Orientalism rather than objective truth which does impact a reading of the book。That being said， the text is a solid adventure and excites the imagination still to this day。 Polo's work is worth investigating， but make sure to take your grains of salt with you into the text as you do。 。。。more
Bee Reader
，
An enlightening and fascinating historical read。
Adam
，
What more shall I tell you？ The town consists of Saracens and idolaters with a few Nestorian Christians。 The people use paper （or salt） for money and the idolaters burn their dead。 They trade in zinc， oil， lamb and peat。 Their king is very wealthy and pays a tribute to the Great Khan。 There is a sort of monkey that lives in the forests that sounds like a parrot but is unable to bend its knees。 That's not actually a paragraph from The Travels， but I swear to god it could be。 There's a few good pa What more shall I tell you？ The town consists of Saracens and idolaters with a few Nestorian Christians。 The people use paper （or salt） for money and the idolaters burn their dead。 They trade in zinc， oil， lamb and peat。 Their king is very wealthy and pays a tribute to the Great Khan。 There is a sort of monkey that lives in the forests that sounds like a parrot but is unable to bend its knees。 That's not actually a paragraph from The Travels， but I swear to god it could be。 There's a few good parts but it gets very monotonous。 I did a thread on the cool parts here。 。。。more
Desnudando Libros
，
Adentrarse en los Viajes de Marco Polo es explorar territorios históricos y descubrirlos de su testimonio。 El lector realiza un viaje maravilloso por las gentes， costumbres y civilizaciones orientales que contrastan con la de occidente。 · ·To enter the Travels of Marco Polo is to explore historical territories and discover them from his testimony。 The reader makes a wonderful journey through the eastern people， customs and civilizations that contrast with that of the West。
Literarischunterwegs
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Marco Polo， Sohn einer venezianischen Händlerfamilie， ist ein Reisender in der Welt。 Vater und Onkel， die ebenfalls Reisende waren， begründeten wohl sein Faible fürs Reisen。 Das Buch beinhaltet Marco Polos Reise in den Fernen Osten。 Es stellt keine chronologische Abfolge da， sondern beschreibt einzelne Gebiete， Orte und Völker in ihren Lebensweisen。 Gegliedert ist das Buch in folgende Teile:1。tEinführung in das Buch – Die Beschreibung der Welt und Die Wunder der Welt“Hier werden die Personen und Marco Polo， Sohn einer venezianischen Händlerfamilie， ist ein Reisender in der Welt。 Vater und Onkel， die ebenfalls Reisende waren， begründeten wohl sein Faible fürs Reisen。 Das Buch beinhaltet Marco Polos Reise in den Fernen Osten。 Es stellt keine chronologische Abfolge da， sondern beschreibt einzelne Gebiete， Orte und Völker in ihren Lebensweisen。 Gegliedert ist das Buch in folgende Teile:1。tEinführung in das Buch – Die Beschreibung der Welt und Die Wunder der Welt“Hier werden die Personen und Verwandtschaftskonstellationen sowie das Buch selbst vorgestellt。2。tDie Beschreibung von Klein – ArmenienHier lernt der Leser die wichtigsten Personen， Landschaften， Städte， Lebensumstände sowie Sitten und Gebräuche kennen。 3。tDas Buch über Indien， über seine Wunder und seine MenschenIm Zentrum stehen die verschiedenen Königreiche， deren Herrscher und Schlachten。Laut Wikipedia kam der Titel des Buches folgendermaßen zustande: （…） Der Titel der ursprünglichen Handschrift des Werkes war Französisch und lautete vermutlich Le livre de Marco Polo citoyen de Venise， dit Million， où l'on conte les merveilles du monde （„Das Buch des Marco Polo， Bürger der Stadt Venedig， genannt Milione， worin von den Wundern der Welt berichtet wird“） （…）Seine Reiseberichte sind nicht ohne Zweifel glaubwürdig， da sie wohl auch falsche und unklare Angaben enthalten。 Die Wissenschaft streitet sich hier bis heute， um eine klare Aussage。 Daher gilt das Buch noch immer als sehr umstritten。 Aber auch wenn dies so ist， so liest es sich sehr schön und wäre ich ein Autor von Märchen oder Fantacy-Büchern， wäre es mir ein schier unerschöpflicher Quell an Ideen。 Il Milione liest sich wie eine Verbindung aus Märchenbuch， Reisebericht， Personen- und Städteregister und Sach- und Geschichtsbuch。 Ein bisschen erinnern mich die Berichte an die Reiseführer von Baedeker， bzw。 all jene， die viel Kulturelles miteinfließen lassen。Selbstredend ist zu erwähnen， dass dieses Werk nur ein Ausgangspukt sein kann für diejenigen， die sich eingängiger mit dieser Thematik beschäftigen möchten。 Zu viele Aspekte bleiben zwangsläufig an der Oberfläche bzw。 müssten genauer eruiert werden， wenn das Buch von Personen wie mir gelesen wird， deren geschichtlicher Hintergrund in diesem Bereich nicht so ausgereift ist， dass zu allem direkt Bezüge und reale Fakten während des Lesens erscheinen， die zum Gelesenen in Beziehung gesetzt werden können。 Hin und wieder ploppten bei mir solche Aspekte auf， aber leider nicht durchgängig。 。。。more
NeDa
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На север， на един хвърлей с лък， Великият хан заповядал да му построят планина， висока сто крачки и около една миля в окръжност， покрита с дървета， които никога не губят зеленината си。 Помислете си само， че когато доложат на Великия хан за някакво рядко и особено красиво дърво， той нарежда да го извадят с всичките му корени и земя около тях， за да го засади на тази планина。 Няма значение колко голямо е дървото， защото го пренасят със слонове。После покрил цялата планина с парченца лазурит - камък На север， на един хвърлей с лък， Великият хан заповядал да му построят планина， висока сто крачки и около една миля в окръжност， покрита с дървета， които никога не губят зеленината си。 Помислете си само， че когато доложат на Великия хан за някакво рядко и особено красиво дърво， той нарежда да го извадят с всичките му корени и земя около тях， за да го засади на тази планина。 Няма значение колко голямо е дървото， защото го пренасят със слонове。После покрил цялата планина с парченца лазурит - камък със зелен цвят， така че всяко нещо изглежда зелено и затова планината се нарича Зелени връх。 На върха има дворец， също зелен， толкова голям и красив， че който го загледа， остава захласнат。 Великият хан го е построил， за да се любува на гледката отвисоко и да изпитва радост и наслада。Въпреки изобилието на подобни забавни истории， пътеписът за продължилото 24 години пътешествие на Марко Поло из цяла Азия е използван през вековете за съставяне на географски карти， бил е отправна точка на изследователи и пътешественици。 Хрониката е интересна с описания на животни， растения， градове， народи， обичаи， сражения。Всичко това е достъпно за нас благодарение на изключително сложния превод и множеството важни бележки， направени от Божан Христов。 。。。more
Carola
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No puedo creer que me demoré tantos años en leer este libro cuando siempre he alucinado con Marco Polo y sus aventuras （yo soy viajera también， desde los 21 años， y mi abuela también lo fue en una época en que las mujeres estaban en su casa guardadas）。 De los sitios que él visitó （supuestamente）， me gustaría tomar el tren transiberiano y recorrer parte de Rusia， China y Mongolia， ir a Japón （por el reiki） y， sobre todo Madagascar （Mogdasio）。Algunos apuntes del texto que me gustaron:- "En esta Ar No puedo creer que me demoré tantos años en leer este libro cuando siempre he alucinado con Marco Polo y sus aventuras （yo soy viajera también， desde los 21 años， y mi abuela también lo fue en una época en que las mujeres estaban en su casa guardadas）。 De los sitios que él visitó （supuestamente）， me gustaría tomar el tren transiberiano y recorrer parte de Rusia， China y Mongolia， ir a Japón （por el reiki） y， sobre todo Madagascar （Mogdasio）。Algunos apuntes del texto que me gustaron:- "En esta Armenia Mayor es donde se encuentra el Arca de Noé en una alta montaña （el monte Ararat）"。- "En la zona limítrofe a la Georgia hay una fuente de la cual emana aceite en abundancia [¿petróleo？]， de tal suerte que pueden cargarse cien naves a la vez pero no es comestible， más combustible y sirve para ungir los camellos contra la tiña y el forúnculo。 Y los hombres vienen de muy lejos a recoger este aceite y en toda la comarca no se quema más que esta sustancia"。- "Los hombres son todos nobles y no se ocupan más que de caza y de cetrería。 Las mujeres lo hacen todo， y sólo las ayudan los esclavos。 Cuando las damas tienen un hijo varón lo lavan y lo envuelven en un pañal， y el marido se acuesta en la cama con el niño y se queda en ella durante cuarenta días， no levantándose más que para las precisas necesidades y amigos y parientes le vienen a ver y le hacen fiesta y solaz， y esto lo hacen porque dicen que sus mujeres han pasado fatigas llevando el niño en su vientre y no quieren que sufran cuarenta días。 Pero la mujer， en cuanto ha parido， se levanta， hace todos los menesteres de la casa y sirve a su varón en la cama"。- "Todos los que tienen hospedería y albergue inscriben el nombre de los que hospeda y en qué día y mes han llegado。 Así， el Gran Khan sabe quién entra y sale en su reino， y es cosa muy importante para un hombre prudente"。- "Ha ordenado que por las carreteras por donde pasa la posta， los mercaderes y losperegrinos， se planten árboles， de dos en dos， a los lados del camino。 Estos árbolesson tan grandes， que se ven de lejos。 Y esto para que nadie pierda de vista lacarretera y no se aparte de ella。 Y los encontraréis en regiones desiertas， muy útilespara los viandantes， que no pierden el camino， y los hay en todas las provincias yen todos los reinos"。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Travels
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Travels&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Travels&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0