The Book of Ser Marco Polo The Venetian Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929. Third Edition (reprinted), Revised Throughout in the Light of Recent Discoveries by Henri Cordier (of Paris). Hardcover. 2 Volumes. Volume I, cii, [4], 462, folding map. Volume II, xxii, [2], 662, [2] pages. Footnotes. Maps. Illustrations. A Bibliography of Sir Henry Yule's Writings. Supplementary Notes on Special Subjects. Index. Covers worn and soiled with some tears and wear at spine. Sir Henry Yule KCSI CB FRSGS (1 May 1820 – 30 December 1889) was a Scottish Orientalist and geographer. He published many travel books, including translations of the work of Marco Polo and Mirabilia by the 14th-century Dominican Friar Jordanus. He was also the compiler of a dictionary of Anglo-Indian terms, the Hobson-Jobson, with Arthur Coke Burnell. Yule retired in 1862, and in 1863 he was created a Companion of the Order of the Bath through the influence of Sir Roderick Murchison. He devoted his leisure to the medieval history and geography of Central Asia. He made use of the richly stocked public libraries there during this period. He published Cathay and the Way Thither (1866), and the Book of Marco Polo (1871), for which he received the Founder's Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society the following year. Yule was a member, and from 1877 to 1889 President, of the Hakluyt Society. Henri Cordier (8 August 1849 – 16 March 1925) was a French linguist, historian, ethnographer, author, and Orientalist. He was President of the Société de Géographie in Paris. Cordier was a prominent figure in the development of East Asian and Central Asian scholarship. Cordier had a strong impact on the development of Chinese scholarship, and was a mentor of the noted French sinologist Édouard Chavannes. Marco Polo (c. 1254 – 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo (also known as Book of the Marvels of the World and Il Milione, c. 1300), a book that described to Europeans the then mysterious culture and inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the Mongol Empire and China in the Yuan Dynasty, giving their first comprehensive look into China, Persia, India, Japan and other Asian cities and countries. Born in Venice, Marco learned the mercantile trade from his father and his uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, who traveled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, exploring many places along the Silk Road until they reached Cathay (China). They were received by the royal court of Kublai Khan, who was impressed by Marco's intelligence and humility. Marco was appointed to serve as Khan's foreign emissary, and he was sent on many diplomatic missions throughout the empire and Southeast Asia, such as in present-day Burma, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. As part of this appointment, Marco also travelled extensively inside China, living in the emperor's lands for 17 years and seeing many things that had previously been unknown to Europeans. Around 1291, the Polos also offered to accompany the Mongol princess Kököchin to Persia; they arrived around 1293. After leaving the princess, they travelled overland to Constantinople and then to Venice, returning home after 24 years. At this time, Venice was at war with Genoa; Marco was captured and imprisoned by the Genoans after joining the war effort and dictated his stories to Rustichello da Pisa, a cellmate. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married, and had three children. He died in 1324 and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice. Though he was not the first European to reach China, Marco Polo was the first to leave a detailed chronicle of his experience. This account of the Orient provided the Europeans with a clear picture of the East's geography and ethnic customs, and was the first Western record of porcelain, coal, gunpowder, paper money, and some Asian plants and exotic animals. His travel book inspired Christopher Columbus and many other travelers. There is substantial literature based on Polo's writings; he also influenced European cartography, leading to the introduction of the Fra Mauro map. Condition: Good / No dust jackets present.
Keywords: Exploration, Travel, Trade, China, Venice, Naval Warfare, Kublai Khan, Silk Road, Mongol, Armenia, Turcomania, Persia, Hormos, Samracan, Prester John, Tartar, Hunting Expedition, Granaries, Cathay, Tibet, Japan, Java, Idolatry, Turkey
[Book #85114]
Price: $250.00