The Travels by Marco Polo

The Travels by Marco Polo

"The Travels of Marco Polo" (originally dictated in 1298 as Devisament du Monde, or Description of the World) is the book that blew open the medieval European imagination.

Far from being a traditional, introspective memoir, it is an exhaustive, highly observational merchants' gazetteer. It details the vast wealth, complex civilizations, and staggering geography of the Mongol Empire under Kublai Khan. When it first circulated, Europeans found its descriptions of massive eastern cities, paper currency, and burning "black stones" (coal) so deeply unbelievable that they nicknamed the book Il Milione ("The Million Lies"). Yet, history has largely vindicated Marco Polo, revealing his text to be an incredibly accurate window into 13th-century Asia.

The Ultimate Legacy: Mapping the Age of Discovery

Though initially mocked as fiction, The Travels eventually became a critical geographical framework for future explorers. Two centuries after its dictation, a copy of the book fell into the hands of an ambitious Genoese navigator named Christopher Columbus.

Columbus read his copy obsessively, filling its margins with handwritten notes. It was Marco Polo's glowing description of the unimaginable riches of Cipangu (Japan) and Cathay that inspired Columbus to sail west across the Atlantic in 1492—ironically using a medieval land merchant's diary as his maritime map to the New World.

Language: English.

Genre: Philosophy.

Binding: সেলাই করা বাইন্ডিং

Quality: Premium Quality Books.

Printing: High Quality Printing.

Paper: Eye Friendly paper (Cream White)

Cover: Matt cover (Paperback).