Marco Polo, John Man
Marco Polo, John Man
2 Rating(s)
List: $17.99 | Sale: $12.59
Club: $8.99

Marco Polo
The Journey That Changed the World

Author: John Man

Narrator: Simon Vance

Unabridged: 8 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/05/2015

Synopsis

In 1271, a young Italian merchant named Marco Polo embarked on a groundbreaking expedition from Venice, through the Middle East and Central Asia to China. His extraordinary reports of his experiences introduced medieval Europe to an exotic new world of emperors and concubines, amazing cities, huge armies, unusual spices and cuisine, and imperial riches. Marco Polo also revealed the wonders of Xanadu, the summer capital of Mongol emperor Kublai Khan.

Almost 750 years later, acclaimed author John Man traveled in Marco Polo's footsteps to Xanadu and then on to Beijing and through modern China in search of the history behind the legend. In this enthralling chronicle, Man draws on his own journey, new archaeological findings, and deep archival study to paint a vivid picture of Marco Polo and the great court of Kublai Khan.

About John Man

John Man is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in Asia. His many acclaimed books include bestselling biographies of Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun, as well as The Great Wall and The Terracotta Army. He lives in the United Kingdom.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jason on November 02, 2015

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.) This book declares right in its subtitle that it's about the journey Marco Polo took from Italy to China ba......more

Goodreads review by MichelleG on July 18, 2016

This book was not at all what I was expecting. Titled Xanadu I expected that the book would have a lot more to do with "Xanadu" than the fleeting references that it actually gets, rather the book is a third person tale of Marco Polo's life and adventures, which while a fascinating tale and quite ent......more

Goodreads review by Phillip on August 26, 2020

Not what I expected. I ordered the book because it was the basis for the 2 season show on Netflix. What I found was an entertaining "journey" where the author, John Man, followed in what was presumably Marco Polo's footsteps to Xanadu. He goes into great detail about the landscape, and measurements,......more

Goodreads review by Grant on January 24, 2024

An idiosyncratic but fascinating look at the life and journeys of Marco Polo, supplemented by the author's own travels, the accounts of 19th and 20th centuries travelers, recent archaeology, and a bit of historiography.......more

Goodreads review by James on June 01, 2020

A fascinating and deeply researched read. Retraces MP’s travels, fills in the many blanks in the story, providing a plethora of intriguing insights. Integrates a tremendous amount of diverse study in a culturally knowledgeable and sensitive way. Fortunately produced in the short time in the first de......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List