We learn the customs of the Khan’s court, both erotic and mercantile, and Polo’s uncanny ability to adapt to them. We are privy to his far-flung adventures on behalf of the Khan, living among the Mongols and other tribes, and traveling to magical cities, some far advanced over the West. We see him gain the confidence of Kublai Khan, the world’s most feared and powerful leader, and watch him become a trusted diplomat and intelligence agent in the ruler’s inner circle. We meet him as a callow young man, the scion of a wealthy Venetian merchant family, only seventeen when he sets out in 1271 with his father and uncle on their journey to Asia. In this masterly work, Marco Polo’s incredible odyssey-along the Silk Road and through all the fantastic circumstances of his life-is chronicled in sumptuous and illuminating detail. A first-rate historical page turner”- The New York Times )-comes the first fully authoritative biography of one of the most enchanting figures in world history. Now, from the acclaimed author of Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe (“Superb. A universal icon of adventure and discovery, he has inspired six centuries of popular fascination and spurious mythology. As the most celebrated European to explore Asia, Marco Polo was the original global traveler and the earliest bridge between East and West.
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