The Travels Of Marco Polo By Marco

Polo (approx. 1254 – 1324) Essay, Research Paper

… Since … our first Father Adam …

never hath there been Christian, or Pagan, or Tartar, or Indian or any

man of any nation , who in his own person hath had so much knowledge and

experience of the divers parts of the World and its Wonders as hath had

this Messer Marco!

So begins The Travels of Marco Polo. Over

the centuries numerous translations have appeared in many languages. The

book has been popular since its publication and

has served as a guide to various explorers

and adventurers. Christopher Columbus, who wouldn’t be sailing to the New

World until almost two centuries later, was well acquainted with the text.

In Polo’s day, the immensely popular and

highly objective, descriptive tales were regarded as fiction. No one could

accept that such fantastic places and people really existed. We must assume

in reading the book that there are exaggerations, but the editor’s notes

indicate that some of the most fantastic elements are, indeed, based on

fact.

The journal’s literary style, in keeping

with the times, is romanticized. In spite of this, on his deathbed, Marco,

pressed to retract some of his stories, replied: “I have not told the half

of it.” And as travel to the East increased, more and more of Marco’s claims

were verified.

In some of the many renditions of the work,

editors have chosen to omit repetitive information; therefore, each version

varies somewhat in content. The excitement and adventure, however, do not

vary, and the name Marco Polo still conjures up dreams of adventurous Oriental

travel and fabulous discoveries.