Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu
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As the most celebrated European to explore Asia, Marco Polo was the original global traveler and the earliest bridge between East and West. A universal icon of adventure and discovery, he has inspired six centuries of popular fascination and spurious mythology. Now, from the acclaimed author of Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe (“Superb . . . A first-rate historical page turner”—The New York Times)—comes the first fully authoritative biography of one of the most enchanting figures in world history. In this masterly work, Marco Polo’s incredible odyssey—along the Silk Road and through all the fantastic circumstances of his life—is chronicled in sumptuous and illuminating detail. |
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Drawing on original writings and walking in the footsteps of Marco Polo himself, Laurence Bergreen's Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu is the most definitive biography of the legendary traveler to date, separating the man from his considerable myth. Look inside Marco Polo (Click on thumbnails to see a larger image):
Marco Polo timeline (All dates given in the Julian calendar): 1215 - Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan and Marco Polo's mentor, is born. 1254 - Marco Polo born in Venice, although one tradition locates his birthplace in the Venetian colony of Dalmatia. 1260 - Kublai Khan becomes leader of the Mongols and in 1271 founds the Yuan ("Origin") Dynasty. 1271 - Young Marco Polo leaves Venice with his father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo, bound for the court of Kublai Khan. 1274 - Kublai Khan oversees a failed Mongol invasion of Japan, as the Mongols, masters of the Steppe, meet their match at sea. 1275 - The three Polos arrive in Shang-du, Kublai Khan's summer palace immortalized by Samuel Taylor Coleridge as Xanadu; Marco begins his years in the service of the Khan. 1276 - 1293 - Marco travels throughout Asia, reaching the coast of India, and possibly Zanzibar, gathering intelligence for Kublai Khan and serving as a tax collector for the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty. 1281 - Kublai Khan's second failed invasion of Japan, a serious blow to his prestige. 1292 - The Polos escort Princess Kokachin to Persia to marry, their last formal service to Kublai Khan before departing. 1294 - Kublai Khan dies, freeing the Polo family, who undertake a dangerous return voyage by sea. 1295 - Marco, his father, and uncle, arrive in Venice after their 24-year absence. They have been away for so long that their fellow Venetians do not recognize them. 1298 - Marco is captured by the Genoese in the Battle of Curzola, according to some accounts, and confined to a cell in Genoa with a romance writer, Rustichello of Pisa, to whom he dictates his adventures in China, his reminiscences of Kublai Khan, his life among the Mongols. 1300 - Safely back in Venice, Marco Polo marries Donata Badoer; the couple has three daughters. 1324 - As manuscript versions of his exploits spread throughout Europe, Marco Polo dies in Venice, claiming that he did not reveal the half of his experiences in his remarkable Travels. |
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| 08-03-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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Laurence Bergreen's MARCO POLO: FROM VENICE TO XANADU is an interesting biography about the Venetian explorer and merchant, Marco Polo. Polo opened the doors for the Western world to sail into the Orient. Adapted from Polo's legendary journals, Bergreen revisits early western trade from Constantinople to China as well as the legendary Silk Road where Polo shared eye-opening observations that westerners may never imagined before; Polo is best known for bringing back rich spices, silk, and natural remedies to the West that greatly influenced European and Asian trade and culture. In addition, Bergreen uses references to Venetian, European, Asian, and Religious history that contributes to his narrative, which is helpful when understanding the entire scope of Polo's journeys.
One of the interesting aspects of Bergreen's interpretation of Polo's enchanting journeys is his account of the meeting with Kublai Khan. Amazingly, Polo served as a Council to the Mongols, and Bergreen reveals the seventeen years in which Polo lived and experienced the most infamous Mongol Empire of the East. The book is not a lackadaisical retelling of the history of the Mongosl, but it is rather the relationship between East and West that became unified when Polo, his father, Niccolò, and brother, Maffeo, served as ambassadors to the West, were in presence of Kublai Khan's, and participated in his high court during China's Yuan Dynasty. Polo's journals have been considered a romanticized and sensationalized depiction of the East that has been widely read by many for centuries because of its mythical and folktale quality. However, Bergreen shows that his journeys are a symbol of early globalization that forged the way for trade and diplomacy to occur between two completely different civilizations. Polo unlocked the West's somewhat unknown knowledge of the East during the thirteenth century, which preceded maritime explorations that would occur in the fifteenth century. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-06 04:17:57 EST)
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| 08-03-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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Laurence Bergreen's MARCO POLO: FROM VENICE TO XANDU is one of the foremost biographies written about the Venetian explorer and merchant. Polo opened the doors for the Western world to sail into the Orient. Adapted from Polo's legendary journals, Bergreen revisits early western trade from Constantinople to China to the legendary Silk Road where Polo shared eye-opening observations that westerners may never imagined before, but he also brought back rich spices, silk, and natural remedies that would greatly influence European and Asian trade and culture. In addition, Bergreen uses references to Venetian, European, Asian, and Religious history as a backdrop to his narrative, which is helpful when understanding the entire scope of Polo's journeys.
One of the interesting aspects of Bergreen's interpretation of Polo's enchanting journeys is his account of the meeting with the most powerful and influential individuals in world history. Amazingly, Polo served as a Council to the Mongols, and he reveals the seventeen years in which he lived and experienced the most infamous Mongol Empire of the East. It is not the lackadaisical retelling of the obvious history of invasions, but it is rather the relationship between East and West that was unified when Polo, his father, Niccolò, and brother, Maffeo, served as ambassadors to the West, were in presence of Kublai Khan's, and participated in his high court during China's Yuan Dynasty. Polo's journals have been considered a romanticized and sensationalized depiction of the East that has been embraced and enticed by many for centuries because of its mythical and folktale quality. However, his journeys are a symbol of early globalization that forged the way for increased trade and diplomacy between two completely different civilizations. During the thirteenth century, Polo unlocked the West's somewhat unknown knowledge of the East, which helped to escalate a better understanding of the world that preceded maritime explorations that would occur in the fifteenth century. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-05 04:27:46 EST)
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| 08-03-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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Laurence Bergreen's MARCO POLO: FROM VENICE TO XANDU is one of the foremost biographies written about the Venetian explorer and merchant. Polo opened the doors for the Western world to sail into the Orient. Adapted from Polo's legendary journals, Bergreen revisits the beginnings of western trade from Constantinople to China through the legendary Silk Road where he brought eye-opening observations that the west may never imagined before, but he also brought back rich spices, silk, and natural remedies that would greatly influence European and Asian trade as well as culture. In addition, Bergreen also uses references to Venetian, European, Asian, and Religious history as a backdrop to his narrative, which is helpful when understanding the entire scope of Polo's journeys.
One of the interesting aspects of Bergreen's interpretation of Polo's enchanting journeys is his account of the meeting with the most powerful and influential individuals in world history. Amazingly, Polo served as a Council to the Mongols, and he reveals the seventeen years in which he lived and experienced the most infamous Mongol Empire of the East. It is not the lackadaisical retelling of the obvious history of invasions, but it is rather the relationship between East and West that was unified when Polo, his father, Niccolò , and brother, Maffeo, served as ambassadors to the West, were in presence of Kublai Khan's, and participated in his high court during China's Yuan Dynasty. Polo's journals have been considered a romanticized and sensationalized depiction of the East that has been embraced and enticed by many for centuries because of its mythical and folktale quality. However, his journeys are a symbol of early globalization that forged the way for increased trade and diplomacy between two completely different civilizations. During the thirteenth century, Polo unlocked the West's somewhat unknown knowledge of the East, which escalated a better understanding of the world that precedes the various maritime explorations of the fifteenth century. And that is one of the reasons why Marco Polo's journeys are still significant. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-06 04:21:54 EST)
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| 06-11-08 | 3 | 0\1 |
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The subject matter is interesting, but the narrative and analysis are on the level of a high-school report. The text is full of trite phrases and hackneyed expressions, and the author applies a modern-day slant to his assumptions. There is too much "it was as if..." and "he might have...." The illustrations are badly selected and not always relevant. The author uses quotations ineffectively. This book just didn't work for me.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-03 04:20:51 EST)
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| 05-07-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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What an Excellent Read !!!!!!!!!! history, travelogue, adventure, biography ...................... totally fascinating,
The new revelations on the life, times and travel of Marco, his father and uncle are mind boggling. Based on recent research, it turned out Marco wasn't just a b.s.'ing Venetian after all. From the great naval battle of Korcula to Marco's final days, this bio/adventure is hard to put down. The history involved, from the "Divine Wind" to Marco's visits to south east asia, india, socotra island .......... history of the great mongol empire, life and times of Kublai Khan, glimpses of the early christian church, voyages, intrepid travellers ....................... it is all here !! excellent read, rabbie b. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-12 02:12:41 EST)
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| 05-03-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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A thoroughly researched account of a fascinating life. You could spend a lifetime going through the sources in the book's notes & bibliography, and the book inspires you to do just that. However, it's marred by Bergreen's writing style. His comments after quoted material-- and there is, rightly, a LOT of quoted material-- are often superfluous and give the unpleasant impression of reading a book report. A very well-researched book report, but a book report nonetheless. Still, a good launching point to learn more about an intriguing chapter in history.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-19 04:00:16 EST)
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| 04-13-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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Having just read Laurence Bergreen's "Over the edge of the world", I couldn't wait to read his new work on the travels of "Marco Polo" Mr. Bergreen is a stickler for accuracy and research. I think he spends more time researching than writing. This is an excellent account of Marco's adventures and experiences traveling along and beyond The Silk Road. My only criticism is that in trying to be so factual some of the passages were difficult for me to understand. Maybe it is the translation from Medieval Italian to English. As of now, I'm just waiting for Mr. Bergreen's next book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-19 04:00:16 EST)
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| 03-10-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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MARCO POLO: FROM VENICE TO XANADU BY LAURENCE BERGREEN: Laurence Bergreen, whose last book, Over the Edge of the World, charted Magellan's circumnavigation of the world, returns with a fresh and thorough biography on the remarkable and renowned thirteenth century traveler, Marco Polo. Marco Polo begins in a style that is becoming modern with biographies such as Caroline Alexander's Bounty, near the end of Marco Polo's life when he is a renowned traveler of noble stature and wealth; this makes the return to Polo's younger life as an inexperienced person all the more poignant.
Marco Polo was not the first to feel the urge and thrill to travel the world; it was an experience and almost expectation instilled within his family for some time. At the age of seventeen, barely a man, Marco Polo began his first journey with his father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo bound for the court of Kublai Khan in 1271. While the focus of the book is on Polo's time spent with the Great Khan, Bergreen spends time details sights and experiences on the Polos' travels across the known world to China where Marco became a personal advisor to Kublai Khan in 1275. Marco then spent almost twenty years in service to the Khan, traveling the many surrounding countries and gathering intelligence and acting as a tax collector for the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty. It is here that we see through Marco's eyes and how he views this world that is greatly different to the one he was used to in Venice: from Asbestos manufacture, to crocodile hunting, to the sexual habits of the different peoples; the practice of offering up one's wife to passing travelers was one that greatly perplexed and put Marco ill at ease. While the book does cover Marco Polo's life, Bergreen seems almost hesitant to offer commentary of opinion on the Polo's habits, ideas, and reactions. Nevertheless, Marco Polo is a fascinating read into the life of the often misunderstood Venetian. [...] (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-15 04:56:06 EST)
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| 03-08-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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While this appears to be a biography of the history's most famous traveler, it is, in actuality, a guide to understanding Polo's adventures. While Bergreen gives us the portrait of the man, the exotic adventures and their time in history loom much larger. Several times I have begun reading the "Adventures" but never got into them, getting lost in the stilted prose. Here, Bergreen has sifted through the Adventures and delivered their essence while enriching the reader by descriptions of the life and character of Marco Polo. Bergreen advises on what is and might not be literal. He comments on Polo's youth and how his world view changes as he matures on this trip. He discusses the various renderings of the Polo story and discusses how cynically the travels were received at the time and how over many years, they (and Polo) grew in stature. Interestingly, Marco's father and uncle, having made the first voyage have an even greater tale to tell, but since their story was not committed to writing, the hows and wheres of the first trip are lost to history and it is Marco who is the celebrated traveler. After reading this book, I realized I had read another Bergreen biography, Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life which is a very good book on a widely different personality in a wildy different era. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-12 19:21:15 EST)
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| 03-06-08 | 5 | 1\1 |
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During the Middle Ages, most Europeans were poor peasants who never ventured more than a few miles beyond their villages. During this provincial era, Venetian merchant Marco Polo traveled almost all the known world. Like a water bug skimming across a pond, Polo journeyed to the ancient Holy Land, the Levantine, Arabia, Asia Minor, central Asia, Cathay (China), India, Southeast Asia, Africa and to other exotic lands. The captain of a Venetian ship, Polo eventually was captured by the Genoese after a brutal naval battle. He spent many long days and nights in jail describing nearly two decades of remarkable travel to fellow inmate, writer and avid note-taker Rustichello da Pisa. Polo told of serving as a trusted emissary for the fabled Kublai Khan, emperor of the Mongols. Polo's remarkable story became a hugely influential book, //The Travels of Marco Polo//. Like someone spinning a yarn of his adventures as an intergalactic warrior in the far reaches of outer space, Polo told a tale that was almost mythical - yet in most particulars absolutely true and accurate. getAbstract finds that Laurence Bergreen's fascinating biography of Polo ably describes him and his fabulous adventures in comprehensive detail and great color. You owe it to yourself to explore this delightful book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-09 07:48:56 EST)
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| 02-23-08 | 5 | 1\1 |
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This is a very well written account on the life of Marco Polo and the places he traveled. It chronicles interesting cultural aspects of Arabs, Persians, Tibetans, Mongols, Chinese, Indians and other peoples of Asia. The book discusses Islam, Buddhism, pagan religions, Nestorian Christianity as a mosaic of the spiritual life of the Mongol Empire. It details the process of Mongol conquest and administration of the empire; the failed attempts to conquer Japan and Java. Marco Polo is portrayed as an explorer/adventurer turned greedy businessman, but most importantly a story-teller; not that he was so much a ground-breaker or mythical bringer of macaroni to the Italians-for others traveled East before him. Rather, Marco inspired a fascination with Orientalism (i.e. Kublai Khan by Coleridge); exotica and adventure. He brings East to West and inspires Columbus and Magellan. He brings forward a new dawn in the Medieval World; a much larger, global world of unfathomable diversity. Marco Polo represents the coming Renaissance as an age of discovery. The author juxtaposes the two sides of Marco; part sensualist in his vivid accounts the opulence of Kublai Khan's inner world and the varieties of Asian plants, animals and female beauties; also part spiritualist in his gradual interest and near-tolerance of Buddhism.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-07 19:37:04 EST)
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| 02-11-08 | 2 | 1\1 |
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Interesting in places, but only by fits and starts. Other reviewers have mentioned the lack of maps, an incomprehensible editorial decision. Granted, much of Marco's route is speculation, but it would have helped immensely to have some sort of graphical representation. Furthermore, many points are made over and over again, indicating slapdash editing. I found myself skimming large chunks of it; often the details weren't interesting enough in themselves: they needed to be incorporated into a larger and more cohesive structure. As it is, there's a patchwork, unstructured quality to the book that probably mirrors Marco's own work. You can see this in the way the text is chopped up into little sections, often with little connection to each other. A discerning editor could have made something out of the considerable research that Bergreen has done, but as it stands, the book is a disappointment.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-24 04:08:06 EST)
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| 02-09-08 | 4 | 1\1 |
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First, the reason for four stars - no maps! How can a book of this magnitude, of a journey that these three men take over a span of years, not contain a single map! This is a pet peeve of mine when I am reading non fiction; why there is this hesitation to include at least one decent map baffles me. Fortunately I have a good atlas to use when I am reading, but the reader shouldn't need that.
Now to what I loved about the book: It took me a while to read this, not because it was difficult to read, but because the author fills it with so much from the Travels, as well as with what we know of the history, culture, and mores of the places and time. This book is not just an historic account, but a travelogue and an antropological journey. I appreciated the amount of research that he did on this book (the bibliography is a wealth of information to anyone interested in the subject) But dont be put off by that - its not overly academic, in fact I found it very readable. Very much recommended. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-14 19:49:44 EST)
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| 01-15-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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A fascinating story organized well so that you get a sense of the chronology of Polo's trip. In the "exotic" of the court, you see
a world never taught in our Western History courses. Well worth the time and money. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-14 19:49:44 EST)
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| 01-13-08 | 4 | 11\11 |
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For the most part, this was a pleasing book and a very interesting read. We have plenty of blow by blow reviews already posted here, most of them quite well done, so I won't go into the page by page details with this review which has already been done. Simply stated, the author, Laurence Bergreen, has taken many of the surviving manuscripts (there are, I understand, well over 100 variations at this time, but I suspect there have been many, many more over the years) and attempted to tell the story of the adventures of Marco Polo and his travels from Europe to China, and beyond, during the 13th century. The author has done a very nice job of this.
Polo's journey, by ship and by land, lasted well over twenty years. He became quite involved with the court of the almost mystical Kublai Khan. Now the author is quick to point out that there are many discrepancies in the Polo papers but is also quick to point out that much of what was written has since proven to be true. I am one of those that feel that Marco Polo did actually make the journey he wrote about, but also feel that there was a tremendous amount of exaggeration on Polo's part and I feel the reader must remember that the world was being viewed through the eyes of a man of the 13th century. I think the author has made a good case for Polo and has done a very good job of pointing these facts out. This was a world so different than ours, that I personally, find it a bit difficult to comprehend, at times. What is fact and logical for us, was simply not so during the time of Polo's travels. The reader must remember this. Overall the book was quite well written and certainly held my interest, for the most part. His observations and explanations as to what Polo wrote are quite logical and well stated. The author has an easy style and can indeed hold the reader's interest. This is the first book by Bergreen I have read, so I cannot compare this work with his other works as several reviewers have. I can only judge this book as a stand a lone, and to be honest, I was impressed. If his other works are better, then they must be quite good. I did have a couple of problems with this work, ergo, the four stars and not five. I found it quite frustrating that there were really no maps available in the book. Fortunately I have a rather large collection of period maps in my collection, but to be honest, going back and fourth from book to map, was a real pain and distracted from the reading. I feel it quite impossible to gain the full impact of Polo's travels without an intimate knowledge of the geographical areas concerned, or a set of very good maps. I feel the author should have provided these. I also felt that some of the book was just a bit repetitive at times which caused it to drag a bit. All in all, I learned much from this book, enjoyed reading it and feel richer for having done so. What more could you ask. I do recommend this one for those that have an interest in this particular subject. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-14 19:49:44 EST)
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| 12-26-07 | 5 | (NA) |
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It's a miracle Marco Polo's book exists, a miracle in so many ways that it almost defies belief. Marco Polo is taken by relatives to China along the Silk Route, meets and impresses Kublai Kahn, takes a message back to the West, returns to China, escapes from the Empire by the skin of his teeth after his passport expires because of the death of Kublai Kahn, and goes back to work as a merchant in Venice.
Story over, right, except for some unbelievable stories about stones that burn for example. Marco Polo gets a reputation for being the source of a million lies but for awhile he's nothing more than just another Venetian merchant. Except, he's tagged as the captain of a ship and battles Genoa seaman, unsuccessfully -- he's captured and thrown into prison awaiting ransom. His cellmate, get this, is a French writer of adventure stories. [To make the story richer, folks can't agree on whether it was a little otherwise meaningless battle, or the significant battle of Curzola.] Rustichello da Pisa can't believe his luck, his cellmate has some incredible yarns, almost as rich and certainly more exotic, than the tales of French chivalry that Rustichello da Pisa normally peddles. Marco Polo and Rustichello da Pisa collaborate on a book, some of which is pure Polo, some of which is pure French chivalry -- especially where Polo gets a little too commercial geeky in tone. [Scholars will spend centuries parsing out the various editions of the work, parsing out what is pure Polo, which is not, and debating whether Polo's part was really true.] Everyone seems to agree that Marco Polo did bring coal back from China, for example, with the interesting observation that it burned -- after all he had some with him and actually burned the stuff -- but it took a long time for folks in Europe to actually find a use for it. The story about pasta ... well, that jury is still out, apparently. In any event, lots of folks love the book, not least book pirates and book sellers, but it touched the imaginations of guys like Columbus and Magellan and others -- even me as a farm boy back in Wisconsin years ago. The book turned all of us into intrepid travelers, some more original than others, of course. Think about it: what an odd and unlikely series of events led to the creation of this extraordinary story, not least Kublai Kahn, who in many ways is the real hero of Marco Polo's tales. There were parts of this book that I found hard sledding, but the underlying story, the amazing coincidences, the significant impact of those coincidences -- it was a page turner for me. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-14 19:49:44 EST)
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| 12-26-07 | 5 | 3\3 |
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Marco Polo's book is a miracle book, a miracle in so many ways that it almost defies belief. Marco Polo is taken by relatives to China along the Silk Route, meets and impresses Kublai Kahn, takes a message back to the West, returns to China, escapes from the Empire by the skin of his teeth after his passport expires because of the death of Kublai Kahn, and goes back to work as a merchant in Venice.
Story over, right, except for some unbelievable stories about stones that burn for example. Marco Polo gets a reputation for being the source of a million lies but for awhile he's nothing more than just another Venetian merchant. Except, he's tagged as the captain of a ship and battles Genoa seaman, unsuccessfully -- he's captured and thrown into prison awaiting ransom. His cellmate, get this, is a French writer of adventure stories. [To make the story richer, folks can't agree on whether it was a little otherwise meaningless battle, or the significant battle of Curzola.] Rustichello da Pisa can't believe his luck, his cellmate has some incredible yarns, almost as rich and certainly more exotic, than the tales of French chivalry that Rustichello da Pisa normally peddles. Marco Polo and Rustichello da Pisa collaborate on a book, some of which is pure Polo, some of which is pure French chivalry -- especially where Polo gets a little too commercial geeky in tone. [Scholars will spend centuries parsing out the various editions of the work, parsing out what is pure Polo, which is not, and debating whether Polo's part was really true.] Everyone seems to agree that Marco Polo did bring coal back from China, for example, with the interesting observation that it burned -- after all he had some with him and actually burned the stuff -- but it took a long time for folks in Europe to actually find a use for it. The story about pasta ... well, that jury is still out, apparently. In any event, lots of folks love the book, not least book pirates and book sellers, but it touched the imaginations of guys like Columbus and Magellan and others -- even me as a farm boy back in Wisconsin years ago. The book turned all of us into intrepid travelers, some more original than others, of course. Think about it: what an odd and unlikely series of events led to the creation of this extraordinary story, not least Kublai Kahn, who in many ways is the real hero of Marco Polo's tales. There were parts of this book that I found hard sledding, but the underlying story, the amazing coincidences, the significant impact of those coincidences -- it was a page turner for me. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-01-12 04:53:05 EST)
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| 12-26-07 | 5 | 2\2 |
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Marco Polo's book is a miracle book, a miracle in so many ways that it almost defies belief. Marco Polo is taken by relatives to China along the Silk Route, meets and impresses Kublai Kahn, takes a message back to the West, returns to China, escapes from the Empire by the skin of his teeth after his passport expires because of the death of Kublai Kahn, and goes back to work as a merchant in Venice.
Story over, right, except for some unbelievable stories about stones that burn for example. Marco Polo gets a reputation for being the source of a million lies but for awhile he's nothing more than just another Venetian merchant. Except, he's tagged as the captain of a ship and battles Genoa seaman, unsuccessfully -- he's captured and thrown into prison awaiting ransom. His cellmate, get this, is a French writer of adventure stories. [To make the story richer, folks can't agree on whether it was a little otherwise meaningless battle, or the significant battle of Curzola.] Rustichello da Pisa can't believe his luck, his cellmate has some incredible yarns, almost as rich and certainly more exotic, than the tales of French chivalry that Rustichello da Pisa normally peddles. Marco Polo and Rustichello da Pisa collaborate on a book, some of which is pure Polo, some of which is pure French chivalry -- especially where Polo gets a little too commercial geeky in tone. [Scholars will spend centuries parsing out the various editions of the work, parsing out what is pure Polo, which is not, and debating whether Polo's part was really true.] Everyone seems to agree that Marco Polo did bring coal back from China, for example, with the interesting observation that it burned -- after all he had some with him and actually burned the stuff -- but it took a long time for folks in Europe to actually find a use for it. The story about pasta ... well, that jury is still out, apparently. In any event, lots of folks love the book, not least book pirates and book sellers, but it touched the imaginations of guys like Columbus and Magellan and others -- even me as a farm boy back in Wisconsin years ago. The book turned all of us into intrepid travelers, some more original than others, of course. Think about it: what an odd and unlikely series of events led to the creation of this extraordinary story, not least Kublai Kahn, who in many ways is the real hero of Marco Polo's tales. There were parts of this book that I found hard sledding, but the underlying story, the amazing coincidences, the significant impact of those coincidences -- it was a page turner for me. Very strongly recommended. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-31 04:41:47 EST)
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| 12-19-07 | 3 | 5\5 |
| Reviewer | Permalink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On page 350 Bergreen mentions that Antonio Pigafetta, who served as chronicler of Magellan's voyage around the world was inspired by his hero and fellow Venetian, Marco Polo. No doubt this is one reason Bergreen's latest project is this biography of Marco Polo. In Bergreen's wildly popular and outstanding "Over the edge of the world". he created a page turning popular history based on Pigafetta's writings. Unfortunately, with Marco Polo Bergreen had to rely on relatively little, being as there are numerous different versions of Polo's book "Travels" and for the most part it was dictated in jail to Rustichello who embellished the text with fiction and exaggeration. Bergreen's "Marco Polo" is an interesting read but no where near as compelling and interesting as his earlier Magellan book. Much of this volume I am afraid to report is a boring read. One other thing that is missing is a good map which would allow the reader to follow along with the narrative of Marco's Journey. You dont find a map until page 267 as the title page for Part three. I stuck with the text and did finish but would have a hard time recommending the book to anyone, especially if they had not yet read "edge of the world". Now that is a book not to be missed.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-01-14 19:32:47 EST)
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| 12-18-07 | 3 | 6\7 |
| Reviewer | Permalink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On page 350 Bergreen mentions that Antonio Pigafetta, who served as chronicler of Magellan's voyage around the world was inspired by his hero and fellow Venetian, Marco Polo. No doubt this is one reason Bergreen's latest project is this biography of Marco Polo. In Bergreen's wildly popular and outstanding "Over the edge of the world". he created a page turning popular history based on Pigafetta's writings. Unfortunately, with Marco Polo Bergreen had to rely on relatively little, being as there are numerous different versions of Polo's book "Travels" and for the most part it was dictated in jail to Rustichello who embellished the text with fiction and exaggeration. Bergreen's "Marco Polo" is an interesting read but no where near as compelling and interesting as his earlier Magellan book. Much of this volume I am afraid to report is a boring read. One other thing that is missing is a good map which would allow the reader to follow along with the narrative of Marco's Journey. You dont find a map until page 267 as the title page for Part three. I stuck with the text and did finish but would have a hard time recommending the book to anyone, especially if they had not yet read "edge of the world". Now that is a book not to be missed.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-02-14 19:49:44 EST)
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| 12-16-07 | 5 | 2\2 |
| Reviewer | Permalink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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After being on the losing side of the Battle of Curzola in 1298, in which the Venetian fleet was defeated by the Genoese, Marco Polo had the good fortune of landing in a very comfortable jail. It was due to the noblesse oblige of rank that he received such favorable treatment as a prisoner. In fact, he was allowed to take with him his copious notes from his foreign travels. He also had the good fortune of sharing a cell with Rustichello of Pisa, a well-known author of romanaces. With infinite time on their hands, the two collaborated on what became known as The Travels of Marco Polo.
The Travels always were considered more fabricated than real, even before they were embellished by Rustichello. Marco Polo was considered by his fellow Venetians as a "teller of a million lies." (Il Milione was the Italian name of the book.) Down through the centuries there were many different versions of the events described in the Travels. One of the most famous - and one that added greatly to its mythical quality - was Coleridge's opium-induced hallucinations of Kublai Khan's Xanadu. Now biographer and historian Laurence Bergreen tells us that much of the original story had historical accuracy. He has researched his subject well and indeed rewritten the story of Marco Polo's travels. Not only does he put the story in chronological order, he fills in much of the historical background. Marco Polo left Venice for Cambulac (now Beijing) in 1271 at the age of 17 accompanied by his father and uncle, who had already made the journey before. The Polos were merchants in search of profit, and they believed large profits could be made in the lands controlled by Pax Mongolica. Kublai Khan, grandson and imperial heir to Genghis Khan, had a reputation for being leader of some of the most brutal and violent people on earth. They were known in Europe as "Satan's spawn." To Marco's surprise he found Kublai Khan a cultured and gracious host. Contrary to popular belief, the Mongols were very tolerant of other cultures. (Read Amy Chua'sDay of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance--and Why They Fall for more information on this topic.) Although merciless in their conquests they allowed other cultures to thrive as long as they subscribed to Pax Mongolica. Marco was so enthralled by the emperor's court that he stayed for nearly two decades. His experience as a merchant provided him with the skills to become the emperor's tax assessor and special emissary. Travels to various parts of the empire were duly recorded. Though the tales of sexcapades and court intrigue seem far-fetched, it may be true, as Polo claims, that at the time of Kublai Khan, there existed 20,000 of Genghis Khan's offsspring. The reason this may have some truth is that recent DNA tests have traced 1 in 12 Asian men back to Mongolia and the time of Genghis Khan. In any event, Marco definitely became more worldly after his extended stay in the emperor's court. Although Europeans had gone to Cathay before, there is nothing like good notes, a good ghost writer, and a stetch of time in prison to produce one of the great works of Western literature. Bergreen has done an excellent job of retelling the story and providing the historical background. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-19 04:43:43 EST)
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| 12-16-07 | 4 | (NA) |
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Very surprised that there is only one - almost illegible map - and that is of entire known world.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-19 04:43:43 EST)
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| 12-13-07 | 5 | 2\2 |
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There were travelers to the Orient before Marco Polo departed for China in 1271. In fact, his father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo are among those who had ventured to China and come back to tell about it. But Marco told about it differently; he had taken notes, and he had a ghostwriter to help turn them into a book. As a result, his name is one that almost everyone knows, but he is a figure that seems to have more in common with legendary travelers like Ulysses than with historic figures like Columbus. It is good, therefore, to have the historic Marco brought forth, along with commentary on the degree of reliability of his tales, in _Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu_ (Knopf) by Laurence Bergreen. Bergreen has written a biography of Magellan, another explorer; but he has also written biographies of such diverse persona as Louis Armstrong, Al Capone, and Irving Berlin. He has the capacity to find interesting subjects, and bring out just what would interest his readers, and his Marco is a fascinating study, beginning his travels as a conventional and pious Venetian Catholic, and changing into a worldly, curious, and tolerant storyteller with special interest in sexual behavior and in varieties of religious expression. We could clearly use a little more Marco Polo these days, and here he is.
Much of Bergreen's book retells the travels Marco undertook from 1271 until his return to Venice in 1295, sometimes going on what was centuries later named the Silk Road. Crossing deserts, mountains, and (on the return leg) seas, Marco saw more of the world than anyone had before, and it amazed him. There are generous quotations from his book here, remarks that usually Bergreen feels should be taken at face value, although he points out where Marco was probably exaggerating or reporting stories he had heard from others rather than telling of his own experience. We have no better or more interesting description of the Mongol world at its height than Marco's, because he became an intimate of Kublai Kahn himself. He served as Kublai Kahn's trusted messenger and tax collector, and so was able to travel all over the kingdom under the protection of the monarch. Marco gave a detailed portrait of Kublai Kahn, an innovative and humane leader despite all his military conquests. Kublai Kahn had a wide religious faith, and was interested in incorporating Jesus into it. There were plenty of intrigues within his court, with counselors ready to betray each other, and the unlucky ones condemned to the traditional execution of being rolled in a carpet and trampled. Marco describes the military efforts, including the failed invasion of Japan, but his most interesting descriptions are more intimate, such as his stories of Kublai Kahn's sexual life. Scouts would travel the empire to find the most nubile daughters to send to his harem, and the families would be honored to send them on. We probably have Marco's stories only because upon his return to Venice he had commanded a war galley taken in the defeat by Genoa in 1298. He was jailed in Genoa, but enticed his captors with his stories, and another prisoner named Rustichello, who had written Arthurian romances, collaborated with Marco to make a book. How much of the book is Rustichello's will never completely be known, and he insisted on writing it in the only language for romances, French, which Marco didn't know and Rustichello knew only rudimentarily. There is no original handwritten manuscript, only copies of over a hundred different versions, none of which are complete and all of which contradict others. The book as we have it, then, complied over the centuries even by competent editors, has its inauthenticities, but the scholars who have maintained that Marco never even left Venice are overshooting. Bergreen explains that many of the stories Marco includes, even some improbable ones, have been verified by many modern scholars. We are left, in Bergreen's sympathetic and delightful summary, with a great story of a traveler who marveled at the strange ideas of foreigners, but more than that, understood the ideas as part of an authentic culture, and then tried them out for himself. He's a voyager for our times. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-16 16:08:31 EST)
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| 12-10-07 | 4 | 0\1 |
| Reviewer | Permalink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I have to admit to mixed feelings about this book. I have read the author's work on Magellan and admired it. Magellan was not a particularly likeable man but his achievements, and those of his sailors, can not be doubted. The same can not be said of Marco Polo nor of his writings and I think that is reflected in Bergreen's handling of the material.
As much as one may want to believe that the tales of Marco Polo are based on fact the reality is that there is an ongoing debate as to the veracity of his accounts. That he did travel into Central Asia seems to be less questionable than his claim to have reached China, met Kublai Khan and travelled throughout China. Bergreen seems to want to convince the reader that Polo did do what he claimed to have done. As a result the book does on occasion read more like the work of a publicist for a man who has been misguided enough to spread a tale of aggrandisement of his own achievements. To give the author his due he does indicate when there is debate about the validity of Polo's claims and adds to the picture we have of Polo by writing about Polo as more than just a traveller. The author does examine what little is known of Polo's middle and later years back in Europe. The book is deserving of 4 stars because it is well written and does cover a lot of material about Polo and his life. It is an interesting read. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-14 04:39:13 EST)
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| 11-11-07 | 4 | 34\36 |
| Reviewer | Permalink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Marco Polo (1254-1324) was not the first European to make it to China, but he was the first to bring the news back to a wider European public. As famous as he is, Marco Polo remains a mysterious and controversial figure. The author of this biography Laurence Bergreen is probably best known for his wonderful account of Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe and there is a connection - it was on that journey beginning in 1519 that one of the 18 survivors named Antonio Pigafetta, the official chronicler, had read and was inspired by Marco Polo's "Travels".
Marco Polo's "Travels" (ca. 1298) is not a single account but about 119 surviving manuscripts, each one different and none authoritative. Scholars have tried to patch the various versions together over the centuries, but in the age before the printing press, Marco kept handing out new hand-written copies with additions and subtractions, and others would make more copies adding their own embelishments or mistakes: chronology would change, ordering of events would change as if the pages were dropped on the floor and re-assembled incorrectly, specifics of events would change, places and people changed, etc.. there is no "correct" version. Bergenger bases his account on the longest version available and usually does not question its accuracy, rather, often pointing out why it must be so (except for a few well known problems). The "Great Question" that has haunted "Travels" since it first appeared is its veracity; children are said to have followed Marco Polo chanting, "Messer Marco, tell us another lie!". Until the 19th century it was mostly seen as comparable to The Travels of Sir John Mandeville (1357), an enjoyable but fanciful account. When scholars in the 19th and early 20th centuries were able to verify through Chinese records many of the details, and with the recognition of the importance of the Age of Discovery and global trade and travel in World History, Marco has become today one of the most well known figures of the Middle Ages. Yet there still remain a few critics who question if Marco Polo actually ever went, and this myth of the "faked Travels" hangs over it. Even in Colin Thubron's recent review of this very book in The Washington Post (November 4, 2007; Page BW10) he raises the question; but as Bergreen says in the "Epilouge", it would have been a more amazing feat to amass so much accurate information about Asia without actually going there, then to have made the trip and write about it (Occam's Razor). Four stars instead of five because I think Bergreen is not able to create a convincingly strong central narrative like he did in "Over the Edge"; he shows Marco Polo develop from a naive youth to a curious sensualist, into a spiritual awakened middle aged man into a petty, cranky and aged ex-opium addict - we know very little about Marco Polo the person, it is conjecture when faced with Marcos externally orientated "Travels" - the portrait is believable but the sources are weak. Bergreen also sometimes makes allusions to current events which will dilute the books timeless appeal. The book is organized with an Introduction, 15 chapters, and an Epilogue. Most of the issues discussed in this review are in the Epilogue and they hung over me while reading the body of the story, which is essentially an excellent re-construction of "Travels". One approach is to read the Epilogue first, putting the text and story in historical context. Then enjoy one of the most astounding snapshots of the world in time ever compiled - 13th century Asia in all its extremes, diversity and exotica. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-14 09:58:23 EST)
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| 11-08-07 | 4 | 21\22 |
| Reviewer | Permalink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Prof. Bergreen has written an excellent book about Marco's travels, with references collected not only from MP's journal, but also details about the history of the Mongols. Most of us western readers don't know much about the varied history of Western China and Mongolia, especially the fear these folk engendered in Europe during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Bergreen fills in many gaps in our knowledge, and does so in a readable manner. One helpful characteristic of the book is that the chapters are divided up into short sections, marked only by the several spaces between each one. As the subjects are so mixed, this is a helpful arrangement. TWO criticisms. One, there is a good bit of repetition in the book. How often do we need to be told that MP was challenging common European knowledge of the East? Second, why aren't there more maps in the book? There is only one very small map (p. 265) that shows the route of the travels, and this one page map includes everything from Venice to China's eastern coast. A number of small maps along the way would have been very helpful to the reader. Some of the illustrations, though, are well done and interesting.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-14 09:58:23 EST)
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| 11-08-07 | 5 | 17\18 |
| Reviewer | Permalink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There may have been other adventurers who left Europe as teenagers in the thirteenth century, made their way across continents into the court of the largest empire in world history, and then made their way home safely a generation later, living in the meantime a life of risk and reward that would be unimaginable to a terrestrial today. But there was only one who told the story to an author of colorful "romances." And he, a man named Rustichello, retold the wanderer Marco Polo's story for history, or at least for author Laurence Bergreen, who has retold it better for us.
Bergreen, one of those great new creatures of modernity - a brilliant, worldly, tireless, non-academic historian and biographer - peels the onion of the impenetrable "Travels" of Marco Polo, filling in with level-headed, well-crafted reviews of the eight centuries of historiography borne of Polo's original work. Walking the walk, in part, Polo walked, testing the text against its many interpretations and criticisms and tweezing out the best modern wisdom from today's leading scholars, Bergreen has brought to us in great style the wide-eyed amazement of a 13th century European meeting the East for the first time. Polo described in his "Travels" politics, social organizations, architecture, money and people so different from those of his home that his descriptions sometimes sound like the blind men examining the elephant. He found black, soft rocks, taken from the earth that magically burned white hot without ever flaming up. This was coal, never before known to a European as a fuel. Clinically accurate and completely without context, the "truth" of this observation makes us smile and also gives credibility to other Polo observations not so easily contextualized today. Bergreen must have had the sense that he followed a man in someways like himself as he pieced together this fantastic story, its context and its many faces through the last 800 years. Like Polo, Bergreen has repeatedly wandered into places so disparate and opaque that only a hugely observant author of endless energy could find a reasonable proximity to the truth in each of them. He has done this in first-rate biographies of men whose names have never been put in a single paragraph before: James Agee, Al Capone, Louis Armstrong, Irving Berlin. He has also written a fine historical work on the astonishing world voyage of Magellan and of NASA's search for life on Mars. This new work is a delight to read, rich in content, easy in style, respectful but not reverent of its primary source. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-14 09:58:23 EST)
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| 11-07-07 | 5 | 3\4 |
| Reviewer | Permalink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There may have been other adventurers who left Europe as teenagers in the thirteenth century, made their way across continents into the court of the largest empire in world history, and then made their way home safely a generation later, living in the meantime a life of risk and reward that would be unimaginable to a terrestrial today. But there was only one who told the story to an author of colorful "romances." And he, a man named Rustichello, retold the wanderer Marco Polo's story for history, or at least for author Laurence Bergreen, who has retold it better for us.
Bergreen, one of those great new creatures of modernity - a brilliant, worldly, tireless, non-academic historian and biographer - peels the onion of the impenetrable "Travels" of Marco Polo, filling in with level-headed, well-crafted reviews of the eight centuries of historiography borne of Polo's original work. Walking the walk, in part, Polo walked, testing the text against its many interpretations and criticisms and tweezing out the best modern wisdom from today's leading scholars, Bergreen has brought to us in great style the wide-eyed amazement of a 13th century European meeting the East for the first time. Polo described in his "Travels" politics, social organizations, architecture, money and people so different from those of his home that his descriptions sometimes sound like the blind men examining the elephant. He found black, soft rocks, taken from the earth that magically burned white hot without ever flaming up. This was coal, never before known to a European as a fuel. Clinically accurate and completely without context, the "truth" of this observation makes us smile and also gives credibility to other Polo observations not so easily contextualized today. Bergreen must have had the sense that he followed a man in someways like himself as he pieced together this fantastic story, its context and its many faces through the last 800 years. Like Polo, Bergreen has repeatedly wandered into places so disparate and opaque that only a hugely observant author of endless energy could find a reasonable proximity to the truth in each of them. He has done this in first-rate biographies of men whose names have never been put in a single paragraph before: James Agee, Al Capone, Louis Armstrong, Irving Berlin. He has also written a fine historical work on the astonishing world voyage of Magellan and of NASA's search for life on Mars. This new work is a delight to read, rich in content, easy in style, respectful but not reverent of its primary source. Bravo, Mr. Bergreen. May he keep wandering into places we all want to read about, making us all a little less blind to their wonders. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-14 09:58:23 EST)
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| 11-05-07 | 4 | 1\1 |
| Reviewer | Permalink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Marco Polo (1254-1324) was not the first European to make it to China, but he was the first to bring the news back to a wider European public. As famous as he is, Marco Polo remains a mysterious and controversial figure. The author of this biography Laurence Bergreen is probably best known for his wonderful account of Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe and there is a connection - it was on that journey beginning in 1519 that one of the 18 survivors named Antonio Pigafetta, the official chronicler, had read and was inspired by Marco Polo's "Travels".
Marco Polo's "Travels" (ca. 1298) is not a single account but about 119 surviving manuscripts, each one different and none authoritative. Scholars have tried to patch the various versions together over the centuries, but in the age before the printing press, Marco kept handing out new hand-written copies with additions and subtractions, and others would make more copies adding their own embelishments or mistakes: chronology would change, ordering of events would change as if the pages were dropped on the floor and re-assembled incorrectly, specifics of events would change, places and people changed, etc.. there is no "correct" version. Bergenger bases his account on the longest version available and usually does not question its accuracy, rather, often pointing out why it must be so (except for a few well known problems). The "Great Question" that has haunted "Travels" since it first appeared is its veracity; children are said to have followed Marco Polo chanting, "Messer Marco, tell us another lie!". Until the 19th century it was mostly seen as comparable to The Travels of Sir John Mandeville (1357), an enjoyable but fanciful account. When scholars in the 19th and early 20th centuries were able to verify through Chinese records many of the details, and with the recognition of the importance of the Age of Discovery and global trade and travel in World History, Marco has become today one of the most well known figures of the Middle Ages. Yet there still remain a few critics who question if Marco Polo actually ever went, and this myth of the "faked Travels" hangs over it. Even in Colin Thubron's recent review of this very book in The Washington Post (November 4, 2007; Page BW10) he raises the question; but as Bergreen says in the "Epilouge", it would have been a more amazing feat to amass so much accurate information about Asia without actually going there, then to have made the trip and wrote about it (Occam's Razor). Four stars instead of five because I think Bergreen is not able to create a convincingly strong central narrative like he did in "Over the Edge"; he shows Marco Polo develop from a naive youth to a curious sensualist, into a spiritual awakened middle aged man into a petty, cranky and aged ex-opium addict - we know very little about Marco Polo the person, it is conjecture when faced with Marcos externally orientated "Travels" - the portrait is believable but the sources are weak. Bergreen also sometimes makes allusions to current events which will dilute the books timeless appeal. The book is organized with an Introduction, 15 chapters, and an Epilogue. Most of the issues discussed in this review are in the Epilogue and they hung over me while reading the body of the story, which is essentially an excellent re-construction of "Travels". One approach is to read the Epilogue first, putting the text and story in historical context. Then enjoy one of the most astounding snapshots of the world in time ever compiled - 13th century Asia in all its extremes, diversity and exotica. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-11-06 04:28:04 EST)
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| 11-02-07 | 5 | 1\3 |
| Reviewer | Permalink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu
Read this book. I loved reading about Marco Polo's incredible journey and the fascinating Kablai Khan. Further, the cultural differences that Mr. Bergreen brings to life between East and West, Christianity and Islam in the 13th Centure has relevance today. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-11-06 04:04:46 EST)
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