As the most celebrated European to explore Asia, Marco Polo was the original global traveler and the earliest bridge between East and West. A unive...
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reviews
Oct 29, 2008
kyersten
rated it: 
I have always been curious about Marco Polo. Now I know what all the hype was about, the guy witnessed some pretty incredible things. No wonder after he died many believed he fabricated these stories in prison to pass time and entertain others. After Rustichello documented Marco's Travels it was re-written and re-translated many times. It wasn't until 1938 that all his stories were compiled into one text, this of course was after they had been varified years earlier. I feel fortunate to have re
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May 27, 2008
Nick
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I loved this book. Marco Polo brought the East back home to the West after being trapped in Kublai Khan's palace and kingdom for 17 years. The good news was that allowed him to get to know the Mongols pretty well, and the Chinese some. He learned about paper money, good sewage treatment, and the welfare state (who knew the Mongols 'invented' that!). In return, he brought those seige engines that can lob infected corpses over city walls, a European idea which fascinated and appalled the Mongo
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Feb 07, 2008
Jessica
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An exhaustive, but fortunately not quite exhausting, look at the life of Marco Polo. This book is long, and dry in a couple of spots, but manages to depict the astonishing life of Marco Polo in magnificent detail. Some of it may be conjecture, yes, but most of it seems historical verifiable--making Polo's achievements all the more extraordinary. The story begins with Polo's father--follows his path to the court of Kublai Khan and back, and then the ensuing travels of Marco, who spent more tha
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Aug 12, 2008
Wolfgang
rated it:
I was rather unimpressed once I finished reading it. It came across as just another author attempting to offer analysis on Travels without giving that much analysis honestly. While the subject is quite interesting, I was left bored in several spots, and considered just putting it away before it was completed.
The author seems to waver on the actual point of why he's writing the book. Marco Polo offers many reasons to write and the author focuses on none, and instead just drifts More...
The author seems to waver on the actual point of why he's writing the book. Marco Polo offers many reasons to write and the author focuses on none, and instead just drifts More...
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Sep 13, 2009
David
rated it:
This is a very interesting annotation of the famous work "The Travels of Marco Polo". Laurence Bergreen brings to this book an enormous amount of research, summarizing the findings a large number of scholars. The book includes an excellent historical introduction that provides a cultural backdrop for the work. It follows Polo's "Travels" step by step through all of its color and accounts.
One reason that such a book is greatly needed is that the original "T More...
One reason that such a book is greatly needed is that the original "T More...
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Jul 01, 2011
Bob
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I listened to this book on tape. What a great story. I never really knew what Marco Polo did except go to China and invent a kids pool game. Turns out he was an emissary and tax collector for the Mongol Emperor Kublai Kahn. He traveled in the Mongol empire from age 17 to 45 I think after his father and uncle had spent 17 years there. He was not as I thought the first European to go to China. There had been travelers and trading for centuries and prior written accounts. What made Marco special
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Nov 19, 2010
Holly
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I listened to this book. I probably would not have finished it had I been reading. But I am glad I read it. Prior to reading this I had very little idea, it turns out, what Marco Polo's incredible journey was really all about--what the world learned, how the world changed. The author does a good job of including passages from Marco's story as well as adding his own editorial insights. Marco was fascinated by much, including sexual habits of the cultures of the Mongol Empire, and Bergreen seem
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Oct 25, 2010
Clif
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I’ve read and heard many things about Marco Polo but I have never previously read a detailed narrative about his adventures. Several years ago I tried to read a version of The Travels of Marco Polo but found it not well written and I didn’t finish. When I learned about his book I decided it was time to give it a try.
I learned from this book why my first attempt at reading The Travels was unsuccessful. The original was written in colloquial French by an Italian who didn't underst More...
I learned from this book why my first attempt at reading The Travels was unsuccessful. The original was written in colloquial French by an Italian who didn't underst More...
Mar 12, 2009
Diane
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I listened to this as an audio-book and it was one of my favorites. Of course, I have heard of Marco Polo but I had no idea of the extent of his travels nor of the circumstances of the trip. The book opens with a naval siege of Venice by Genoa, and Marco becoming a prisoner of war. During his time as a prisoner - which was in relative comfort since he was a gentleman - he told the story of his travels to fellow prisoner Rusticello who acted as scribe, editor and later publisher.
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Feb 05, 2009
Laurence Bergreen, the author of books about Louis Armstrong, Irving Berlin, James Agee, and Ferdinand Magellan, traveled Marco Polo's route across Mongolia and China to conduct research for Marco Polo. Part biography, part travelogue, and part scholarly analysis, the book offers a glimpse of an exotic Asia that few knew at the time—and that Bergreen, with his rich research and stories, mostly corroborates. Bergreen posits Polo as an early promoter of globalization, an open-minded traveler who
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Jul 08, 2009
Karen
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I learned so much reading this non-fiction book of Marco Polo's visit to Kublai Khan. We complain of a ten hour plane ride to Europe...It took Marco Polo, in the year 1271, 3 years to reach Kublai's court and then he stayed 25 years, in his service, traveling the Mongol's empire as his tax collector. At one point Marco is hooked on opium while in Afghanistan and the author is quick to point out that Afghanistan was the world's leader in poppy production then as it is now 700 years later(what ar
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Oct 22, 2010
Mark
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By the end of this book, I was convinced that Marco Polo may still be the greatest traveller that ever lived. Certainly with air travel, many have logged more miles, but it is the amazing breadth of cultures and topography that he crossed, largely by land, combined with the pivotal age in which he travelled that makes his journey singular in world history. In the pivotal late 1200's he captured in his account the flowering of the late Mongol dynasty in conquered China just before it's (the Mongo
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Jul 06, 2009
Kim
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What a life! This one ties in nicely with the Mongol history of the previously read book on Gengis Khan, centering more on Kubla Khan,his grandson, but much more entertainingly told. There are little lessons on silk production, boat builging, even the early use of 'black logs' - coal. I would never had the nerve for such an adventure myself, but thankfully there are people like Marco Polo, his father, and uncle, and best of all they wrote it down for the rest of us. This author includes useful c
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May 28, 2010
Redsteve
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Pretty good after you get through the dumbed-down prologue. It always annoys me when I read a book and I find that the prologue/foreword is significantly dumber than the rest of the book - It always gives the the feeling that the publisher forced the author to tack it on to attract a more mainstream audience. In general, though, I liked it. The book covers Marco Polo's journeys, writings and later life (incliding after he wrote his Travels and was released from prison in Genoa. The author compar
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Feb 24, 2009
Michael
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When I read Laurence Bergreen's documentary novel about Magellan and his wondrous voyage around the world, I couldn't wait to get my hands on his latest novel about Marco Polo. Although this book was very descriptive and well-written, it was not as altogether as interesting as my 5-star rated Magellan book. The dialog sometimes becomes too subjective and emotional and less factual than I preferred. Also, so much of Marco Polo's life is shrouded by debate and guessing. His original Travels has be
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Sep 20, 2010
Alex
rated it:
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 t
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Jan 26, 2010
Carol
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A good overview of the life of Marco Polo and the history of Polo's book, "The Travels of Marco Polo." Bergreen stresses that Polo "came of age" in Mongolia, having left Italy when he was 17 years old and then spent the next 24 years traveling Asia. This formed the way he looked at life in general and thus told his story. Burgreen also stresses that if Polo had not met the romance writer Rustichello in prison, we would never have had his story written down.
Apr 06, 2010
Gloriavirtutisumbra
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I chose to listen to this as an audiobook on a whim, and I am very glad that I did. I had no concept of Marco Polo beyond some hollywood images of Errol Flynn, and the reality of him was so much more amazing. This biography gives a good overview of the book Marco wrote and contrasts it with other contemporary resources in the middle east and asia, giving the story another level of depth that is marvelous. Well worth reading!
Jul 17, 2010
William
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This book was useful in preparation for my worldview essay and class sessions published in Omnibus V (forthcoming, August 2010). The book is marred by a fairly pervasive anti-Christian and anti-Western bias, which leads him to some strange conclusions (Marco Polo was a closet Buddhist); but if you can get beyond that, there's a lot of interesting background details.
Mar 19, 2009
Kevin
rated it: 
A biography of Marco Polo's adventruse from Venice to Xanadu and his time spent with the Khan, rivals, thieves, beasts, etc. Extremely boring and dry. The meetings are not descriptive nor are they exciting in any way. Probably an exciting life, but not an exciting book. Only made it through a quarter of the book maybe.
Oct 05, 2011
Carol
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Taken from his journals it chronicles Marco's trip with his father and uncle back to Kublai Khan's kingdom. They stay in Mongul territory for almost 20 years, Marco serving as a tax collector. He is impressed with the Khans vast empire, but watches its demise with defeats to Japan, parts of China and Indonesia.
Jul 12, 2009
William
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Yesterday (May 2009) the author of Marco Polo addressed the Las Vegas Literary Society luncheon. He is a terrific speaker and gave us great insight into his research into Marco Polo's life. I am anxious to get started on his book.
Marco Polo-From Venice to XANADU written by Laurence Bergreen is a terrific biography/novel/historical novel. Marco was a incredible 13th century wanderer and observer who covered more of the world than any prior explorer. The book is full snapshots of h More...
Marco Polo-From Venice to XANADU written by Laurence Bergreen is a terrific biography/novel/historical novel. Marco was a incredible 13th century wanderer and observer who covered more of the world than any prior explorer. The book is full snapshots of h More...
Feb 05, 2008
Ponto
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I hadn't known very much about Marco Polo and had heard a number of different things so I picked this up to about him. I was totally captivated by Marco Polo and his history. The author makes a good attempt at weeding out fantasy and reality, and backs it up with research. You always hear about Marco Polo's trip to China. The best part for me was that while he did travel to China, it was only after he had been to Mongolia and become part of Kulai Khan's staff. He was sent to China as an emissary
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Dec 28, 2010
Ron
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I found this book to be very interesting and informative. Having background knowledge of this time period and specifically of Marco Polo and his family helped tremendously in grasping the story. I recommend this book to anyone interested in history or Marco Polo.
Jan 12, 2010
Michelle
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This is an amazing book! The writing can be a little plodding, otherwise it would be a five star. The story of Marco Polo is incredible, and what he discribed at the end of his travels was written down and is documented here... also with Marcos' biography woven in.
Jun 09, 2008
Claude
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Gives a great picture of the richness of the Mongol empire at a time when residents of Venice and Genoa thought they were the center of the world. Marco Polo defied many of the standard assumptions of the era, some of which are still held, and explored cultures vastly different from his own. The sections on China are really wild.
I won't lie to you-this book was long. Even the saucy stuff, which the author clearly relished, gets a little stale after the tenth time you're are reading about a More...
I won't lie to you-this book was long. Even the saucy stuff, which the author clearly relished, gets a little stale after the tenth time you're are reading about a More...
Mar 10, 2010
Damon
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Seems to be close retelling of Marco Polo's own autobiography. I was entralled because I didn't know the story (his father 'gave' him to the Khan? Crazy!), but the book would have been better if the author brought more to it by way of historical depth or analysis of the man and his story. A ripping yarn, but a light book.
Jul 27, 2009
Colin
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Feh. An airport bookstore staple popularization of Polo's travels. Seldom amounts to more than a retranscription - when it does it's often just a ludicrously speculative hyperextension of the text. (See the exposition of Polo's heroin addiction.)
May 12, 2011
Anne
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Enjoyed this book - learned a number of things. Didn't realize that Marco Polo's uncle and father had made a previous journey to the east, or that Beijing was the Mongol capitol at that time. Interesting discussion of how the book came to be written. After 24 years traveling an living in a different culture, Marco Polo is bored on his return to Venice and ends up joining the war against Genoa, where he is captured. In prison he narrated his story to a notary (who had written novels). It's w
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Dec 19, 2010
MikeFromQueens
rated it:
The adult version. Nice work - and now I can understand how Marco Polo actually carried out these travels and returned alive to tell the stories. Well worth the time to read as it enlightened me to Asian cultures and their ancient ways.
