The Travels of Marco Polo

The newest volume in Sterling Signature's successful Illustrated Edition series takes readers on a fascinating journey into a world once unknown. Marco Polo almost single-handedly introduced fourteenth-century Europe to the civilizations of Central Asia and China. Now this stunningly illustrated volume, edited by renowned historian Morris Rossabi, offers the complete text of Polo's travelogue (in the respected Yule-Cordier translation), enhanced with more than 200 images--including illuminated manuscripts, paintings, photographs, and maps. Sidebars and dozens of informative footnotes combine to present Polo and his travels in a captivating new light.

Morris Rossabi is a historian and professor of China and Central Asia who teaches courses in Inner Asian and East Asian history at the City University of New York and Columbia University. He is the author of Herder to Statesman; The Mongols and Global History; Modern Mongolia: From Khans to Commissars to Capitalists; and Khubilai Khan: His Life and Times, which was chosen as a main selection by the History Book Club. In 2006, he was named chair of the Arts and Culture Program of the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros. He currently resides in New York City.

“Although there have been several accounts of Marco Polo's journey, Rossabi's illustrated edition distinguishes itself with high-quality color pictures that serve to enhance the text, including maps (contemporary and medieval), photographs, and illuminations. Marco Polo's travel accounts, primarily drawn from the Yule-Cordier translation, are accompanied by supplementary texts (with illustrations) on pages that have distinct borders from those that chronicle the travel accounts. The illustrations are so beautiful that they are likely to draw in the reader..." --Booklist

"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 . . . 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.” --Library Journal (STARRED REVIEW)