Thursday 2 September 2010

FACTUAL REVIEW: Xanadu - John Man

Release Date: 02/09/10

BOOK BLURB:


Marco Polo's journey from Venice, through Europe and most of Asia, to the court of Kublai Khan in China is one of the most audacious in history. His account of his experiences, known simply as The Travels , uncovered an entirely new world of emperors and concubines, great buildings - 'stately pleasure domes' in Coleridge's dreaming - huge armies and imperial riches. His book shaped the West's understanding of China for hundreds of years. John Man travelled in Marco's footsteps to Xanadu, in search of the truth behind Marco's stories; to separate legend from fact. Drawing on his own journey, archaeology and archival study, John Man paints a vivid picture of the man behind the myth and the true story of the great court of Kublai Khan.


REVIEW:

If you want to learn the truth behind historical events in an entertaining and factual ways then you really can’t do better than John Man. A character within the historical world who believes in practical archaeology over guesswork. Entertaining, beautifully written and described in such a way that you can just remember a lot of the information quite easily, it was a real joy to experience the world of Marco Polo in the 21st Century. Definitely a book that will keep your own historians happy and perhaps one that could lead to your own holiday expedition.

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