Product Description
The Far East comes alive in this activity book centered on Marco Polo's journey to China from Venice along the 13th-century Silk Road. Kids will join Marco as he travels by caravan through vast deserts and over steep mountain ranges, stopping in exotic cities and humble villages, until at last he arrives at the palace of the Kublai Khan. Woven throughout the tale are 21 activities that highlight the diverse cultures Marco encountered along the way. Activities include making a mythical map, creating a mosaic, fun with Feng Shui, making paper, and putting on a wayang-kulit (shadow-puppet play). Just for fun, kids will learn a few words of Turkish, Persian, Mongol, Hindi, and Chinese. A complete resource section with magnificent museums and their Web sites invites kids to embark on their own expedition of discovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

We love these books!
This series is great for kids--lots of great information and hands-on science and art activities that are easy to do around the house.The reading content is somewhat difficult--more for the 4th grade and up.Even my 8th grader likes to read them!

FIVE STARS & then some!!
This has to be one of the best activity / history combinations I have yet seen.I used this book as curriculum for my homeschool, 4th, 5th & 7th grades.My two highschool age kids have even joined in the fun.

There are fairly complex activities, such as weaving a wall hanging, and less complex ones as well, such as making yogurt.My children have thoroughly enjoyed this unit on Marco Polo.

Ms. Herbert truly makes Marco Polo's journey come alive with pertinent activities, stories, tidbits, and asides.I also love how she starts with the perpective of one individual, on a personal basis, then leans out further into history, drawing the interest of the child further & further along, to a much broader perspective, then back to one on one with Marco Polo again.Most importantly, she does NOT leave God out of the equation; rather she dances about with it, allowing parents to delve into the religious aspects as they please, to the extent they please.While religion is not an overwhelming factor, it IS taken into consideration, and I believe any religion would feel comfortable with how she has tastefully addressed it. ... Read more

Product Description
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. ... Read more

Product Description
Marco Polo was seventeen when he set out for China . . . and forty-onewhen he came back! More than seven hundred years ago, Marco Polotraveled from the medieval city of Venice to the fabled kingdom of thegreat Kublai Khan, seeing new sights and riches that no Westernerhad ever before witnessed. But did Marco Polo experience the thingshe wrote about . . . or was it all made-up? Young readers are presentedwith the facts in this entertaining, highly readable Who Was . . . ? biographywith black-and-white artwork by John O’Brien. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Who Was Marco Polo Review
I believe this book was actually teaching me a lot about things that happened a long time ago (mostly about Marco Polo) but the book also told me about other things that happened around that time that Marco Polo was living in. In the first part of the book, it talked about Marco Polo's father and Uncle always going on dangerous quests to new lands. During their quests, they brought back many riches and treasures that not many people were they lived have ever seen before. A little bit latter, Marco finally got to go on a trip to new lands with his father and uncle. But the thing was that Marco didn't come home until 24 years later!

On Marco's journey, he visited many places including going on many adventures. The major thing that he did for a long time was to serve the emperor Kublai Khan. In his book, Marco usually exaggerated in his journals. He found riches in many places and brought some of them back when he was finally allowed to return home after Kublai Khan. In the end, I think Marco Polo had a very successful life and helped many people.

Nine-year-old's favorite in the series
I agree with reviewers who commented on other books in this series-- these are an excellent introduction to biographies and chapter books. My husband and I have read almost all of these "Who was..." books to our now 11 and 9 year old over the past year. I find them easy to read aloud and appropriately illustrated. They lead our family to deeper discussion of the person or history and politics of the time. Marco Polo is my nine-year-olds favorite bio. I found the Einstein bio to be very interesting, my husband like Darwin, my three-year-old liked Edison, and my nine-year-old son's favorite was Annie Oakley. ... Read more

Product Description
Ages 8 to 14 years.Relive Italian voyager Marco Polo's adventures in China in 1275, including his legendary meeting with Kublai Khan, emperor of the powerful Mongol Empire. This exciting book separates fact from myth using excerpts from Polo's actual journals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

it's a &$#@% kiddie book
I was not aware that this was a children's book.Perhaps I should have been more careful in purchasing it.
bigkoala@verizon.net ... Read more

Product Description
Marco Polo was the most famous traveller of his time. His voyages began in 1271 with a visit to China, after which he served the Kubilai Khan on numerous diplomatic missions. On his return to the West, he was made a prisoner of war and met Rustichello of Pisa, with whom he collaborated on this book. The accounts of his travels provide a fascinating glimpse of the different societies he encountered: their religions, customs, ceremonies and way of life; on the spices and silks of the East; on precious gems, exotic vegetation and wild beasts. He tells the story of the holy shoemaker, the wicked caliph and the three kings, among a great many others, evoking a remote and long-vanished world with colour and immediacy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

Kindle edition lacks navigation
The kindle edition lacks any navigation features. There's no table of contents, no links to notes, no index.It's a large book, and the kindle edition doesn't allow casual reading.

Kindle Edition
This book is not good on the Kindle.First it took about 10 minutes of hitting Next Page in order to get through all the introductions.Second this edition has 2 pages of footnotes for every page of the actual book. The text and notes are the same font so it is hard to distinguish between them.Maybe it is of interest to an academic but to a casual reader it is a bit annoying.It was only 99 cents so I guess it is worth the inconvenience.

The Travels of Marco Polo
The Travels of Marco Polo was an extremely educational novel. I chose to read this book because my AP World History class was to read a book and then write a review over it, and I needed all the help in reviewing the course as I could get before the AP exam. Reading this book helped to teach me how life along the silk road was by connecting with because I could relate to the actual feelings of the author. This book was written by Marco Polo himself, which allowed him to contribute the real thoughts of the traveler, instead of having a hitory book format where the content in emotionless and simply rambles details. With text books, the information goes in one ear and right out the other for me, however by reading this book I was actually able to comprehend the information provided.
The Travels of Marco Polo contained bits of info on things such as Africa and India and their culture, China in all its wealth, along with the Mongol empire. When reading this book, you may want to watch exactly what you believe because although it may be true, there are many facts Polo provides that may very well be untrue. This book is great for reading if you want to learn a lot without the dullness of text book like writing, however I don't think it's very good for a pleasure read unless you're really into history.

horrible edition
This is perhaps the worst edition of any book that I have ever encountered.It is a scan of an older edition, but the mis-scanned bits have not been touched up or corrected in any way.The headers and notes are indecipherable from the body of the text, there are incomplete sentences, and at one point the text bleeds off the page.The one benefit of this text is that it allows students to see what a truly bad edition looks like, making them realize, in real time, the importance of using a good edition of something.

I was hoping to get an inexpensive version of Polo's Travels for my great books class, and ended up with the Modern Library Classics version.

Negative five stars!

Made someone happy
The book arrived in good condition and in time to give on Christmas.The recipiant was very happy to receive it. ... Read more

Product Description
He claimed to have seen rocks burn, bandits command sandstorms, lions tamed with a look, and sorcerers charm sharks while divers gathered pearls on the ocean floor. Marco Polo shook Europe with descriptions of the world he'd seen on his epic journey to the court of Kublai Khan. But was Marco Polo the world's most accomplished explorer? Had he really seen the "Roof of the World" in Central Asia, and the "City of Heaven" in far-off China? Or was he a charlatan who saw nothing more than the conjurings of his inventive mind? Join Russell Freedman as he tackles a centuries-old mystery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

fast service - excellent condition
This book was everything and more than we expected! Thank you! Super fast service and book came in excellent condition, I highly recommend buying from this seller.

For advanced readers
The artwork is beautiful and includes reproductions from medieval illuminated versions. (It's extremely annoying that you can't search inside the book, so you'll have to take my word for it.)The approach is sophisticated, leaving as an open question whether Marco Polo embroidered the truth or made up his tale out of whole cloth, and children will learn about Kublai Khan's empire, with its efficient messenger service and paper money.The vocabulary is challenging for grade-school children.

marco? polo!
Marco Polo told many tales of adventures that he went on with his family.He wrote a book called The Description of the world.To this day scholars are unsure if any of Marco's tales are true.Read this biography to see if you can decide for your self what you believe!

ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLO comes to life more than your usual elementary-level biography.
Russell Freedman's THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLO covers all the controversies surrounding the legendary explorer who claimed to have seen rocks burn and met bandits who could conjure up sandstorms. Marco's vivid, often fantastical descriptions of his travels shook Europe: was he a courageous adventurer, or a fake with a vivid imagination? In exploring the rumors surrounding Marco Polo, ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLO comes to life more than your usual elementary-level biography. ... Read more

Product Description
As the first European to travel extensively throughout Asia, Marco Polo was the earliest bridge between East and West. His famous journeys took him across the boundaries of the known world, along the dangerous Silk Road, and into the court of Kublai Kahn, where he won the trust of the most feared and reviled leader of his day. Polo introduced the cultural riches of China to Europe, spawning centuries of Western fascination with Asia.

In this lively blend of history, biography, and travelogue, acclaimed author Laurence Bergreen separates myth from history, creating the most authoritative account yet of Polo's remarkable adventures.Exceptionally narrated and written with a discerning eye for detail, Marco Polo is as riveting as the life it describes.Amazon.com Review
Drawing on original writings and walking in the footsteps of Marco Polo himself, Laurence Bergreen's Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu is the most definitive biography of the legendary traveler to date, separating the man from his considerable myth.

Look inside Marco Polo (Click on thumbnails to see a larger image):

Marco Polo: a traditional portrait; Granger	Frontispiece of an early published edition of Marco Polo’s Travels, Nuremberg, Germany, 1477; Granger	Kublai Khan, emperor of the world’s largest land-based empire; Granger
Marco Polo commanded a Venetian galley similar to this in the Battle of Curzola; Granger	Stone carving on the Marco Polo bridge; Laurence Bergreen	Marco Polo’s vivid and occasionally misinterpreted descriptions of his travels inspired this medieval artist to depict dragons in China; Granger

Customer Reviews (40)

Needs Maps
If I could have rated it 4.5 stars I would have because there were no maps!
The book is very readable.

OK but not great
This is a good book in a basic meatloaf-and-potatoes way. It nourishes but doesn't delight. I've listened to the audiobook version four times already and although each time it gets better, it tops out at 3 stars -- i.e., just average. After listening to it the first time, I would have rated it 2 stars.

The story as it is told by the author, Laurence Bergreen, doesn't convey a sense of place in any of the many places where the action takes place. Obviously, this is a huge irony. One reads a book like this or listens to its audiobook version with the expectation of basking in the author's descriptions of Marco Polo's travels to faraway places. Having previously listened to the audiobook version of Bergreen's "Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe," in which Bergreen succeeded in conveying a sense of place for each of the many places Magellan visited, I had high expectations for Bergreen's story of Marco Polo. Unfortunately, those expectations weren't met. What this story lacked was the type of sense-of-place treatment that Simon Winchester excels at and reliably delivers, book after book after book.

Before listening to the audiobook version I was pleased to see that Bergreen, himself, wasn't doing the reading, as his reading of his story on Magellan didn't match the high quality of his writing. The reader for Bergreen's book on Marco Polo, Paul Boehmer, was OK, but 4 stars at best.

All of this being said, Bergreen's book is informative and I learned a lot from it. It's just that the story isn't delivered in a 5-star, knock-your-socks-off way.

Interpreting old text
Credit is due to the author and his predecessors for making cohesive sense of the many versions of Marco Polo's Travels.But Bergreen could have gone farther with it.I wish he had made more specific best-guesses on locations (reflected consistently with a map) and better arranged this book in a chronological sequence.

Very useful for the layman
Upon initally sitting down to review Marco Polos Travels I originally thought it should rate a three stars - because apart from the inspiring nature of his achievements the tome was pretty darn dry. But prior to reviewing it I read this book. And it showed me how much I'd missed in Polos original.

The author - Laurence Bergreen - takes the reader back to a different time while also discussing how many of the reasons and motivations for the actions of various characters can change depending on what time the reader is in. By extensively quoting and dissection of Polos account he brings out the meaning of many phrases that may pass the layman reader by. As such this book immeasurably increased my appreciation of what on earth was going on in the original work and was worth the purchase price for that reason alone.

While some may find the book somewhat tedious in it's constant quoting from the original the fact that Bergreen has moved in a chronological fashion through the journeys of Polo eases things somewhat and if nothing else the style at least gives evidence as to the amount of research that went into this book.

If you are planning on reading the original for some sort of educational assignment I'd say this volume is invaluable and it's also good for armchair travellers such as yours truly. And if you like this also try Khubilai Khans Lost Fleet by James Delgado as it will offer even more insight into the (rough) time and space Polo was journeying through.

Well done!
Bergreen does a fine job retelling the story of Marco Polo and his extraordinary journey along the Silk Road and into the realm of the Mongolian King, Kublia Khan.You'll learn as much about Kublia Khan and the ancient far east as you do about Marco.The book really puts the significance of Marco's astounding travels into historical perspective.Anyone who reads this book will gain a much greater appreciation of what it must have been like to travel across Asia during the 13th century. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes Marco Polo's travels through Asia, and discusses the people and cultures he encountered. ... Read more

Product Description

Many people say Marco Polo was the greatest explorer that ever lived, traveling 33,000 miles by land and sea from Venice, Italy, to modern-day Beijing, China. His famous book, The Travels of Marco Polo, indicates that he was a man of extraordinary bravery, brilliance, and strength. With his uncle and father, he traveled across Turkey, Armenia, the Middle East, the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, and the hot Taklimakan Desert before finally reaching China in 1275. Welcomed by the great emperor Kublai Khan, Marco Polo was amazed by the inventions, riches, and religious tolerance of the great Khan's kingdom, where Marco remained for the next 20 years.

A talented and charming storyteller in her own right, Demi recounts the remarkable tale of Marco Polo's journey. Inspired by the eastern culture of the 13th century, she painted the book with Chinese inks and gold overlays and used a mixture of Chinese and Indian embroidery and Italian, Arabian, and Persian designs of gold and ink on silk in the borders and frames for her artwork.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

beautiful illustrations
This was appealing to me as an adult and I selected it for a gift for a child. Have not heard yet how the recipient liked it.

Facinating and beautiful
Not only is this a absolutely beautiful book, (as all Demi books are!), the story was fascinating. I hadn't really read about Marco Polo, and got this from the library for my child. It was nice to read the biography of his early life and personal details, not just the story of his travels. I like how Demi presents the question of whether Polo, and his father and uncle, actually traveled to the places they claimed, fairly. There is apparently question about this, and, as the book says, even his own relatives and friends pressured him on his deathbed to admit he'd made up the stories. However, the things he reported lead one to think he must have been telling the truth about much of it, or how could he have known such wonders existed?
In any case, the story is riveting, and the illustrations gorgeous. We all enjoyed this book very much at our house, and I doubt we could find another version told so respectfully and delicately. The historical explanations that give both sides to the question of Marco Polo's claims made a lot of sense, and yet left the book unbiased, while somehow complete. You have to read it for yourself to see if you believe some, or all, of his fantastic adventures.

This gorgeous book about Marco Polo's quest to the far reaches of the world is mesmerizing!
Marco Polo was born in 1254 in the San Severo Parish in Venice, Italy.He didn't meet his father until he was fifteen years old because Niccolo was a trader who went to far away places.In 1271 Marco went along with his father and uncle Maffeo to China on the trip of a lifetime that not only he would remember, but one that would be remembered for centuries to come.Kublai Khan, who was a very tolerant man, wanted them to bring "the holy oil from the tomb of Jesus" and "one hundred Christian Men" when they returned to China.If Christianity was the true religion, he would then know it.Pope Gregory X sent two letters for Kulai Khan.

They collected the oil in Jerusalem, along with two monks who later became afraid and left to return home.The marvelous journey did not stop at Ayas because of the Mamluks bandits, they simply continued on.They visited the site where Noah's ark had landed on top of Mount Ararat, near the Black and Caspian seas they saw "fountains of oil springing from the ground and in the Tabriz they bartered for pearls. All the while Marco was writing in his journal.He wrote about Baghdad, Kerman, the Rudbar Plain and its Karunas bandits, the Persian Gulf, the Silk Route, the Desert of Emptiness, Tunocain and on and on as they traveled through many unusual lands and saw many strange things.In 1275 they finally reached China and Khan invited them to Xanadu where Marco was later asked to be his ambassador.It would be more than twenty-four years until the Polos returned home to Venice, a place where no one, not even their families, recognized them.

The art work in this book is mesmerizing and could stand alone without the text.The story of Marco Polo and his adventures was very well written and would be easy for even the most reluctant reader to make it to the end with ease.For the price you have to pay for this book you are receiving a bargain and shouldn't hesitate to snap up a copy.As Marco Polo told a priest, "I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed!"You won't believe how beautiful this book is! ... Read more

Product Description
Presents an overview of Marco Polo's life as well as his influence on history and the world. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Retracing Marco Polo's journeys
Michael Yamashita used Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World (Yale Nota Bene) as a guidebook, and spent two years traveling more than 6,000 miles. He journeyed through Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, Pamirs, Xanadu, Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet, Sumatra and Indonesia, and then returned to Italy by way of Vietnam, Sri Lanka and India.

Yamashita shot over 10,000 frames, a selection of which were first published in an 80-page, three-part series in "National Geographic" magazine. Marco Polo: A Photographer's Journey contains 258 photographs accompanied by Marco Polo's words from "The Description of the World."

Yamashita describes the genesis of the book for AAJA:

'The idea came from a book review about Frances Wood's book, Did Marco Polo Go To China? I thought, "This is interesting. I never questioned Marco Polo."

'His name is a household name around Asia. So I thought, "Let's get to the bottom of it." I did the necessary research. The last time [National] Geographic tackled the story was in 1926. The name of the story was titled: "Marco Polo: World's Greatest Overland Traveler." I thought was a pretty catchy line.

'I thought, "Isn't that a great idea for a story? Let's prove once and for all that Marco made this trip." There happened to be a window of opportunity when you could travel through places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, which had just opened up. Iraq was always closed from the last gulf war at the time. This was 1999. We applied to all of those places, and they gave us permission to come because we were shooting Marco Polo, which was seemed like a non-political story.'

The book has proven to be a world wide best seller, and has been translated into several languages. The photography is excellent and the book itself is a delight to hold and dream about traveling, perhaps in Marco Polo's footsteps, but certainly in Yamashita's.

Robert C. Ross 2008

marco polo a photographers journey
Good photos and details.Purchased as a gift for my wife and she is totally pleased

Marco Polo: A Photographer's Journey
Very facinating.I've always been interested in Marco Polo, as has the author.He really leads you through the journey and makes you wonder at the courage Marco Polo had for his travels. ... Read more

Product Description
Marco Polo recounts his voyage to China where he served the emperor Kublai Khan for seventeen years before returning to Venice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Marco Polo To China and Back
Marco Polo

By: Nick Hilton


Are you into daring and mischievous books?If so, the thrilling book Marco Polo is for you.You can learn all sorts of interesting facts about him for your education plus have fun at the same time.

This all started out in 1254 in the small city-state of Venice Italy.At the very young age of six his mother died of an unknown bug while his father and uncle where on a trip to retrieve the great spices, silk and jewels from China and sell them back in Italy for a great profit. When they came back from China, his father and uncle found Marco living with his grandparents and after a while decided to take him back to China with them on another expedition.He had many great and wonderful adventures.He even met the great Kubli Khan.On the way, thieves, pirates and an unknown amount of geographic barriers tried to stop them.

When they got to India they learned it would be safer to go around the Himalayas and the Kunlun Mountains than if they got a boat and sailed across the Indian Ocean.Unfortunately, the boats available were old and didn't really look like they could float.Instead of iron nails holding the boats together, they were using thread made from coconut husks.They decided to backtrack and go around the mountains to cross the vast Gobi desert.This would add months to their traveling time but they thought it would be much safer on land instead of using those flimsy boats.When they got to the end of the desert, they were about to climb the plateau of Tibet when Marco got extremely ill.But they kept going to the top of the plateau where he remained ill for only a short amount of days.While up on the plateaus he said that "the air is so pure that if you are stricken with any type of illness that you should travel up there and be healthy faster than any medicine can heal you."

When the Polos got to China, the Khan was extremely happy to see them and was delighted to hear about their travels.But later on the Khan didn't want them to leave because he liked their "company" and sent them on very important and sometimes deadly missions for him.So, he kept the Polos in China for a good 17 years until his daughter (the princess) was to be married in the country Persia.Then the Khan wanted the Polo family to escort his princess to Persia and later return when the ceremony was over.For this the Khan gave them two solid gold tablets to ensure a safe journey.While Khan was busy with his nation, the Polos converted all of their money into jewels to sew on the inside of their clothes so that bandits, thieves or pirates couldn't get the jewels if they should be attacked.The Polos did escort the princess but never returned to China and from Persia they traveled back to Venice, Italy to live the rest of their lives.

When they got back to Venice the other relatives didn't think that they were the long gone Polos because of their ragged clothing and tanned skin. When they ripped open their clothes and spilled out all of their precious jewels the relatives took them for who they said they were.At 45 years of age, Marco got married and had two daughters in which later in his life he gave the golden tablets. Strangely he lived most of his life as a happy merchant even though he was filthy rich.When he was about 60 years of age, he met a publisher that was willing to publish his book for free that he wrote on his journeys even including a few sketches.Now his book has been translated into nearly every language in Europe including German, Spanish, English, Portuguese, and even Gaelic.They called Marco Polo and his book Marco Millions for all of the adventures that he recorded.Marco Polo died at the age of 70 on January 8, 1324 in his bed.

I would recommend this book if you like an adventure with many surprising details.It also has a good tale of Christopher Columbus's inspiration from Marco Polo's journeys.Plus myths and legends that he heard along the way including the Roc (a mystical bird) and the creatures that he discovered on his caravan through China.Did you know that Marco Polo was the first person to record details and behavior of a rhinoceros?Strangely he thought the rhino was a distant and more abrupt relative of the unicorn.But in case you're just interested in him, this book is packed full of truly helpful information about him.It also has useful and interesting facts like that Marco Polo is only one man but some people thought that he was two men, and also thought that it's the way that the pool game Marco Polo was invented but that is not the truth.A man was mistaken and thought that when they got lost in the desert they would call out each other's name and eventually find each other.Though this book is easy to read it's still very interesting and informative.
... Read more