The Travels of Sir John Mandeville - Softcover

Mandeville, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1495298515 ISBN 13: 9781495298516

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014

Synopsis

By the standards of the 14th century, the writing style of the man who called himself Sir John Mandeville is so informal as to be nearly chummy: "He who wants to pass over the sea to Jerusalem, may go by many ways, both by sea and by land depending on the countries he comes from; many ways come to a single end. But do not think I shall tell of all the towns and cities and castles that men shall go by, for then I must make too long a tale of it." Historians remain skeptical as to whether the author really did journey to the Holy Land and Egypt, or hire himself out as a soldier to the Great Khan of China. Whatever the case, it is indisputable that he is one of the first modern travel writers, as we have come to know the genre, and that his book was considered authoritative in matters geographical throughout Europe--consulted by Leonardo da Vinci and Christopher Columbus alike.

About this title

About the Author:

John Mandeville is the name claimed by the compiler of The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, a book account of his supposed travels, which probably first appeared in Anglo-Norman French, and first circulated between 1357 and 1371. By aid of translations into many other languages it acquired extraordinary popularity. Despite the extremely unreliable and often fantastical nature of the travels it describes, it was used as a work of reference—Christopher Columbus, for example, was heavily influenced by both this work and Marco Polo's earlier Il Milione.

Language Notes:

Text: English, Czech (translation)

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1495298515
• ISBN 13: 9781495298516
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 166