Asian History, Children - History, Children - Biography

Marco Polo

Name: Marco Polo
Author: Nick McCarty
ISBN: 9780792258933

by Nick McCarty

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Overview

In a life of ceaseless exploration, Marco Polo pushed out the borders of his narrow medieval world.

Born in Venice in 1254, the young Marco Polo first met his father at age 15, when the elder Polo returned from a trading expedition to the East. The father's tales of the court of the Kublai Khan in China ignited a lifelong passion for adventure in the son.

The Polos set out for China in 1271, traveling through the Middle East, across the Gobi Desert, to Khanbaliq in China. The journey took four years. Kublai Khan took a great liking to Marco Polo, employing him as a spy throughout his vast empire. Marco traveled and observed the cultures of Sumatra, Sri Lanka, and India in this capacity. His notes later became one of the world's great travel books, The Description of the World.

About the Author, Nick McCarty

Nick McCarty is an author and an award-winning scriptwriter for television and radio. He lives in London, England.

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Uma Krishnaswami

Part of the publisher's "World History Biographies" series, this handsome volume divides the explorer's life into four phases. The early years in Venice include his birth, schooling, a double page spread on Venice, and the journeys of his father and uncle, Niccolo and Maffeo. Next, the brothers prepare to set out again, and this time they take young Marco. The long journey itself takes up much of the next section, with the final chapters detailing what is known of the years that Marco Polo worked in the court of Kubla Khan, concluding with the return home and Marco Polo's legacy. Illustrated with a combination of photographs of places, documents, and a stunning array of art, the text is additionally complemented by a running timeline of events along the bottom of the page. Could be paired effectively with Russell Freedman's The Adventures of Marco Polo. Back matter consists of a glossary, bibliography, and index. Also available in a library edition. Other titles in the series include Alexander, Marie Curie, Gandhi, Saladin, and Eleanor of Aquitaine.