World History Biographies: Marco Polo

World History Biographies: Marco Polo

The Boy Who Traveled the Medieval World

About the Book

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.

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Praise for World History Biographies: Marco Polo

"This book...traces the life of Marco Polo in entertaining and educational fashion. The prose flows well and encourages readers to keep reading."— Social Studies for Kids
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National Geographic World History Biographies Series

World History Biographies: Alexander
World History Biographies: Isaac Newton
World History Biographies: Mozart
World History Biographies: Anne Frank
World History Biographies: Marco Polo
World History Biographies: Galileo
World History Biographies: Leonardo da Vinci
World History Biographies: Elizabeth I
World History Biographies: Mandela
World History Biographies: Hatshepsut
View more

About the Author

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