I’ve been interested in Marco Polo since I read Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino a few years ago. In Calvino’s fictional account, Marco Polo describes the beautiful, but impossible-sounding cities of Kublai Khan’s empire to the aging Khan. Calvino’s descriptions, which are alternately picturesque and unimaginable, have stuck with me. Marco Polo’s account is interesting not for the writing, but because it is (allegedly) true. His account of his travels from Venice to Shanghai and back are not to completely trusted, but they are enjoyable in the same way as Herodotus’ Histories. The illustrations in The Travels of Marco Polo: The Illustrated Edition make it worth the read. You can find our copy on the New Books Shelf and through SWAN.