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The Mysteries of the Marco Polo Maps Hardcover – October 29, 2014

by Benjamin B. Olshin (Author)

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In the thirteenth century, Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo traveled from Venice to the far reaches of Asia, a journey he chronicled in a narrative titled Il Milione, later known as The Travels of Marco Polo. While Polo’s writings would go on to inspire the likes of Christopher Columbus, scholars have long debated their veracity. Some have argued that Polo never even reached China, while others believe that he came as far as the Americas. Now, there’s new evidence for this historical puzzle: a very curious collection of fourteen little-known maps and related documents said to have belonged to the family of Marco Polo himself.

In The Mysteries of the Marco Polo Maps, historian of cartography Benjamin B. Olshin offers the first credible book-length analysis of these artifacts, charting their course from obscure origins in the private collection of Italian-American immigrant Marcian Rossi in the 1930s; to investigations of their authenticity by the Library of Congress, J. Edgar Hoover, and the FBI; to the work of the late cartographic scholar Leo Bagrow; to Olshin’s own efforts to track down and study the Rossi maps, all but one of which are in the possession of Rossi’s great-grandson Jeffrey Pendergraft. Are the maps forgeries, facsimiles, or modernized copies? Did Marco Polo’s daughters—whose names appear on several of the artifacts—preserve in them geographic information about Asia first recorded by their father? Or did they inherit maps created by him? Did Marco Polo entrust the maps to Admiral Ruggero Sanseverino, who has links to Rossi’s family line? Or, if the maps have no connection to Marco Polo, who made them, when, and why?

Regardless of the maps’ provenance, Olshin’s tale—stretching from the remote reaches of the northern Pacific to early Chinese legends—takes readers on a journey confounding yet fascinating, offering insights into Italian history, the age of exploration, and the wonders of cartography.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (October 29, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 022614982X
ISBN-13: 978-0226149820
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #23 in Books > Science & Math > Earth Sciences > Cartography
- #63 in Books > History > Historical Study & Educational Resources > Historical Maps
- #148 in Books > History > Europe > Italy

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

Fascinating stuff

By Thomas Reiter on November 30, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

I just finished this very interesting book, and wanted to post a quick review.

This book, by an actual "historian of cartography" (and university professor), describes the rather enigmatic and utterly unique collection of maps which were apparently brought from Italy by an immigrant in the early 20th century. Despite this person's attempts to engage the Library of Congress to study the maps during the 1920s-1950s, only cursory examinations were performed (including by the FBI), and after a single journal article about the maps was published in 1948, the collection completely disappeared from view.

The author is to be commended for bringing these maps back to light, tracking down the current owner, and conducting the first rather thorough study of the maps. In what might be the ultimate commercial accolade for any historian of cartography, at the time of writing this review, the author's book is ranked #1 by Amazon in the Atlas category...bravo!

The maps' unique and rather strange set of features, including Italian, Latin, Chinese and Arabic script, Ptolemaic mapping coordinates and location names (before Ptolemy's work had been re-introduced to Europe), lack of apparent connection to Polo's other writings (no mention of the maps in his account, little reference to places described in his account in the maps), and writings puportedly by Polo's little-known daughters etc, make it very difficult to make sense of these documents' origins, but the author does an admirable job of examining and describing all of the relevant issues to the extent possible, including the provenance and "chain of custody" of the maps, all the while readily admitting when his research can carry him no further (as is often the case).Read more ›

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Amazing book

By jcn on January 23, 2015

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

This is a fascinating book. If you like history, foreign cultures, and maps; this is a fun book. The travels of Marco Polo seems to have had a significant effect on Medieval Europe. Most people could not believe it's published versions, but a few had their world view change forever. One recent book is titled Marco Polo discovers the World. According to existing versions of his stories, there seemed be no shortage of Europeans in far Eastern Asia. It was not a complete secret, but maybe used as a proprietary trade advantage. I felt it necessary to read a traditional written version of his travels before reading "The Mysteries of the Marco Polo Maps", but this book was my main interest. I read "The Travels of Marco Polo" a Marsden and Wright translation( a long travel diary of his years in Asia with a lot detail). There were many description of Asian cultures which must have amazed Europe. It appears he was not the first European to discover the world, but the first to bring back detailed notes of what he saw and learned. I have heard that on his death bed he said I have told you less than half of what I saw.

Despite stories to the contrary these detail notes very likely included maps. Olshin includes several reports of such maps, although none are included in traditional versions of the travels. Maybe not surprising considering all the existing version (170?) are all copies of earlier texts. Copying maps was more difficult than text. Olshin's book investigates the Rossi collection of maps. It is a fascinating description of the maps and investigations of these and others. There is no indisputable evidence of authenticity for these and other maps, but the trail of connections is complex and intriguing.Read more ›

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Advertisement is pretty accurate but it is dense

By Dan Maclemore on January 16, 2015

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Does not promise more than it delivers. Advertisement is pretty accurate but it is dense. Read the first chapters, skimmed the middle and read the ending.

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