Customer Reviews

The Travels of Marco Polo : The Complete Yule-Cordier Edition (Vol 1)

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This is a fabulous edition of a well-loved book, especially for the scholar or Asian history enthusiast. The translation is taken from several of the earliest manuscripts, including important variations from each. However, the strength of the book is the extremely extensive annotation by Henry Yule, author of "Hobson-Jobson" and Henri Cordier. There are chapters which are one paragraph long that have six pages of footnotes. Yule leaves no stone unturned in his magnificent effort to provide not only explanatory material, but a vast amount of background. As an example, in the introductory biography when discussing Marco's capture by the Genoese while commanding a Venetian galley, Yule goes into a fascinating account of the development of oar-powered warships, including a discussion of the knotty topic of how rowers actually sat in biremes and triremes. Yule habitually also gives the differing opinions of other scholars as well as his own. If you love words and placenames, also, Yule is your man. His knowledge of etymology is immense, and he clarifies many, many terms very well indeed. My only criticism, though, is in this very area: it's obvious from some of the notes that his knowledge of Chinese was not as deep as it could have been for an editor of Polo's book. That, however, is a very minor complaint. You can really wallow in this book. Virgos will love it. I give it my highest recommendation.

Marco Polo appertains to an exeptionally small group of historical personalities widely known on all continents. Such knowledge in the first place is based on the passing from generation to generation tales of adventurers and marvellous riches of the Asian World in the Middle Ages. To evaluate in this way of Marco Polo's book is the result of a renaissance interpretation of above all a rational text. No matter how interesting, such an image has made that text to reader of all ages over the past seven centuries, it has concealed its values: understanding of the reality and connection of numerous people and their cultures present on the extended Euro-Asian area. Colonel Henry Yule, himself a great admirer of these infinite diversities; such as geographical, climatic, ethnic, cultural and what else not, has unselfishly made available his great experience of a scientist and researcher, talent and good will in verifiying the saying of Marco Polo and presented it to the scientists and public. The summary of this extremely complex, professional and meticulous work is laid out on these 1680 pages (vols. 1 & 2). Numerous illustrations and detailed descriptions of itineraries and places from the Mediterranean to the Pacific and India, an area of abundant testimonies of great cultures; where great armies have roamed; obstinate missionaries and merchants, diplomats and spies have operated and what we called The Silk Roads, introduce the reader into the great world of Marco Polo and are a valuable source of information for everyone who intends to see these wordless testimonies and numerous fascinating landscapes of vast deserts and their oasis, mountain ranges and green valleys, where life runs slowly but with dignity as Marco Polo has seen and described it. Marco Polo and his work have been in the focus of many individual researchers and teams before and after Mr. Henry Yule, giving valuable contributions. However, for the overall knowledge, vision and comprehension of Marco Polo and his achivements, the book written by colonel Henry Yule "The Book of Marco Polo" has maintained the very top position won by its first presentation to the public in the distant year of 1871.