De le Meravegliose Cose del Mondo

De le Meravegliose Cose del Mondo

Marco Polo (1253–1324) is considered to be the most famous traveler of the Middle Ages up to this day. De le Meravegliose Cose del Mondo (Book of the Marvels of the World) is the Italian title of the tale of his residency in central Asia from 1271–1295. The first Italian Marco Polo incunabulum, an early printed book originating before 1501, presents the fabulous travelogue in a wonderful mix of Gothic and Romanic script. It was published on June 13th, 1496 in the Venetian printing house of Giovanni Battista Sessa and the specimen at hand represents the only copy to be found in Spain. As such, it is jealously guarded in the Biblioteca del Palacio Real de Madrid as a book gem of enormous worth.

A Venetian Merchant’s Son in China

As a 17-year-old, Marco Polo, the son of an important Venetian merchant, came to the court of the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan (1215–94) in Peking along with his father and an uncle. Their path drove them from Palestine across Persia, Pakistan, and the Pamir Mountains to China. There the young Venetian abode as a high envoy and trusted friend of the Kahn’s and toured for years through modern China, Vietnam, and Myanmar. In 1292, Marco Polo took himself aboard ship across the Indian Ocean to Venice, where he remained and started a family. During the Venice’s war with Genoa, the adventurer was kept prisoner in a tower for three years together with a writer named Rustichello da Pisa, whom he entrusted with his experiences.

A True Story or the Work of a Swindler?

Rustichello da Pisa’s detailed account enjoyed great fame and wide dissemination, although little is known about him personally. Marco Polo’s story was not taken seriously by his contemporaries and was derided as a tall tale. To some contemporary people these probably seemed to be fantastical because of the unbelievable tales and descriptions of the strange and exotic world. One the other hand, Marco Polo – the author of the tale – did not spare any praise for himself regarding the content of the book, as the following first sentence of the account makes clear: “No man, be he heathen, Christian, or Saracen, has seen so many and such dangerous things since the creation of Adam as the alluded-to Marco Polo.”

A Groundbreaking Work of World History

The travelogue of Marco Polo is transmitted today in numerous handwritten and illuminated manuscripts and was also printed from 1477 onward. Additionally, the travelogue enjoyed translations into many languages, Italian among them, alternately under the title of Il Milione. Thus the travelogue of Marco Polo remained the most important source about China up to the 16th century. Appreciation of the work has also changed over time. Among others, Christopher Columbus used to the work for his voyages of exploration, and also Alexander von Humboldt paid the highest respect to Marco Polo for his travelogue!