Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World

"The thread followed by Mr. Larner, a history professor at Glasgow University, is THE BOOK OF SER MARCO POLO," ostensibly written in 1298 when Polo was in jail in Genoa by a fellow prisoner named Rusticello. In popular lore, of course, Marco Polo's influence on the West has generally revolved around the old chestnut about his having introduced spaghetti to Venice. Not for Mr. Larner. His interest, rather, lies in refuting the received wisdom that among educated elites Polo's chronicle of his time in the land of the Great Khan was considered little more than a collection of fables. Naturally, accepting the general veracity of the book (or books, given the number of competing editions) means accepting that Marco and his father and brother did indeed travel to China as they claimed. Certainly Polo did include reports of marvels, such as the gold-tiled rooftops of Cipangu (Japan). Of far more moment to Mr. Larner, however, is the detailed information on cities, peoples and practices that Polo provided, such that even as late as the 19th century Western travelers to China were still checking their references against his account. And he cites the hand-written notes, attributed to Columbus himself, on a Latin copy of the book that remains in the Biblioteca Columbina in Seville.Larner, John is the author of 'Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World', published 2001 under ISBN 9780300089004 and ISBN 0300089007.