Can one book really change the world? A handwritten manuscript by Marco Polo in 1288 did. Polo, son of a wealthy Italian merchant, wrote about his incredible experiences traveling to China with his father and uncle on a trade expedition, and also about his adventures as an envoy of Kublai Khan, the ruler of most of China. Polo’s book became a bestseller in Europe in the fourteenth century. It was copied over and over by hand, translated into fourteen languages, and became one of the first books to be printed after the invention of moveable type. The tales inspired others—including Christopher Columbus in the fifteenth century—to seek new sea routes for trade. Polo’s adventures—and manuscript—are one of world history’s most pivotal moments.

We all ?know? that Marco Polo went to China, served Ghengis Khan for many years, and returned to Italy with the recipes for pasta and ice cream. But Frances Wood, head of the Chinese Department at the British Library, argues that Marco Polo not only never went to China, he probably never even made it past the Black Sea, where his family conducted business as merchants.Marco Polo's travels from Venice to the exotic and distant East, and his epic book describing his extraordinary adventures, A Description of the World, ranks among the most famous and influential books ever published. In this fascinating piece of historical detection, marking the 700th anniversary of Polo's journey, Frances Wood questions whether Marco Polo ever reached the country he so vividly described. Why, in his romantic and seemingly detailed account, is there no mention of such fundamentals of Chinese life as tea, foot-binding, or even the Great Wall? Did he really bring back pasta and ice cream to Italy? And why, given China's extensive and even obsessive record-keeping, is there no mention of Marco Polo anywhere in the archives?Sure to spark controversy, Did Marco Polo Go to China? tries to solve these and other inconsistencies by carefully examining the Polo family history, Marco Polo's activities as a merchant, the preparation of his book, and the imperial Chinese records. The result is a lucid and readable look at medieval European and Chinese history, and the characters and events that shaped this extraordinary and enduring myth.

Separates fact from myth using excerpts from Polo's actual journals and illustrations and photos to portray Polo himself and his impressions of the unique traditions and customs of the Mongols.

Presents an overview of life in fourteenth-century England as historical context for Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," covering the social hierarchy and social mobility, views of the Church, warfare and rebellion, the Black Death, the Earth-centered universe and science, medicine, food, work, clothing, courtship, family, schooling, and recreation.

Describes Marco Polo's travels through Asia, and discusses the people and cultures he encountered.

Reproduction of the original.

In Marco Polo was in China Hans Ulrich Vogel undertakes a thorough study of Yuan currencies, salts and revenues, by comparing Marco Polo manuscripts with Chinese sources and thus offering new evidence for the Venetian’s stay in Khubilai Khan’s empire.

Following Marco Polo's Silk Road is Brian and Jill Lawrenson's personal account of their adventure-filled journey as they pursue the historical legend and mythic hero, Marco Polo. Beginning in Italy, Marco Polo's point of origin, they embark on a sometimes light-hearted, sometimes perilous journey along the celebrated Silk Road, named for the series of trade routes used to connect China to the Mediterranean world and North Africa during the 3rd Century and beyond. Along the way, Brian and Jill explore the modern peoples and cultures that have grown up in Marco Polo's footsteps and uncover the truths vs. the myths of the actual voyages of this famed Italian explorer. Told as part travelogue and part narrative quest, Following Marco Polo's Silk Road tells an intimate and thrilling tale of wanderlust, the exploration of human diversity and the love of pure adventure for adventure's sake. This book will please travel fans and anyone who loves the romance of history.