POLO, Marco

by Marco Polo

£29,500 · Offered by Sokol Books

One of the earliest editions, including a charming illustration of Marco Polo at the court of the Khan, of the well-known account of his travel in Asia (and particularly China), which was considered legendary by his contemporaries. Born in Venice (1254) from a family of merchants, in 1271, together with his father Niccolò and the uncle Matteo, he embarked on an epic journey across Asia, arriving in Peking, where he was in the service of Kublai Khan, the Mongolian Emperor, for several years. Returning to Venice in 1298, Marco was taken as a prisoner by Genoese after the battle of Curzola. It was in prison that he dictated his adventures to Rustichello da Pisa who first put them into writing in French, probably using Marco s diary. After gaining his freedom Polo lived in Venice for the rest of his life (1324-25). About 150 manuscript editions in different languages spread within a century, such as the ancient version in Venetian, only recently discovered ( Il Milione Veneto. Ms. CM 211 della Biblioteca civica di Padova di Marco Polo , ed. by A. Barbieri A. Andreose, 1999). However, the anonymous shorter Italian version, first printed in 1496 (Venice, Giovanni Battista Sessa) and reissued many times by Righettini and others, was the most widely read by the Mediterranean sailors. Better known as Il Milione , nickname of Polo s family, this work showed similarities with the typical merchant s manuals and used simple and concise language, including both first and second hand infor

• Binding: Hardcover

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