Marco Polo: His Travels and Adventures

by George M. Towle

In 1271, at the age of seventeen, Marco Polo, his father, and his uncle, set off from Venice for Asia.

After twenty-four years, travelling over fifteen thousand miles in far and distant lands, they returned home.

Marco Polo was certainly not the first European to make the journey to the Far East, indeed his father and uncle had already made the journey when he was just a young boy, and they would certainly not be the last, yet what made Marco Polo’s journey so remarkable was the fact that it was written down.

Through a cruel twist of fate Polo was imprisoned by the Genoese after he had returned to Italy, but during this incarceration he retold his life of adventure to fellow inmate, Rustichello da Pisa, who recorded the story which became known across Europe as The Travels of Marco Polo.

This work, which brought the enthralling world of the East to life, has fascinated readers for centuries.

George Makepeace Towle’s biography of Marco Polo brings this story to readers of the twenty-first century. It is a brilliant work that uncovers what life was like for this young Italian trader as he explored the Middle East and China during a period when much of this world was under control of the Mongols.

George Makepeace Towle was an American author who also worked as a lawyer and politician. He wrote a number of historical works, including a biography of Henry V and a history of France, but he was most famous for translating Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne into English. His book Marco Polo: His Travels and Adventures was first published in 1880 and Towle passed away in 1893.

Genres: History, Geography, Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, School, Biography Memoir

136 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 6, 1880

About the author

George Makepeace Towle was an American lawyer, politician, and author.
He was foreign editor of the Boston Post and author of the London Graphic's "American Notes" column, both 1871-76.
He is best known for his high quality translations of Jules Verne' s works.

Reviews

[Isabella Leake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a slow, ultimately satisfying, year-long read for 3rd grade. I know a lot of it went over my kids' heads (only the eldest was in 3rd grade, after all), but I loved the vivid picture it gave of a time, a huge swath of the world—Venice to eastern China by land, then back via the islands of Indonesia, India, Africa, and Persia—and of the man Marco Polo himself. What an exciting way to do geography, steeping you not only in maps but also in the people, customs, industries, natural resources, climates, animal and plant life, and historical circumstances that those maps only whisper of. I was particularly fascinated by descriptions of the overland journey through central Asia: terrain and people that sound absolutely amazing, depicted so beautifully.

And the whole book is well-written. Not as great as Kingsley's Heroes, but stylistically solid.

Perhaps most of all, we loved how the book also acts as a biography; we ended up with a lively interest in Marco Polo's welfare, return to Venice, and plans for marriage, more interested in the man than in his travels! (My eldest actually prayed for him to find a wife in the final few chapters, so attached did he feel to this 13th century Venetian in whose company we had spent a year.)

Not only does the book depict the eastern world with loveliness and intrigue, it gave me my first delicious taste of high medieval Italy (and Venice in particular), where the book begins and ends. This is the world of wealthy merchant nobility, splendid parties and public buildings, richly decorated houses and persons; rivalries between Venice and Genoa, where the Prince of Milan intervenes to bring about peace; it's the world Shakespeare seems to be evoking in his many plays set in Italy.

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grayson and I read this aloud throughout the school year and both really enjoyed it. I learned a lot of this time and the places and life of Marco Polo. The vocabulary is vast and varied and I had to look up several words I had never heard before. The descriptions and visuals you get from Towle make you feel like you are there. It is a great glimpse into the life and times and adventures of Marco Polo. What a life lived. A wonderful historical biography of the 1200s.

2024: Every time I read this I'm curious to actually read his version of the story. R seemed to like it.

[Darlene Nichols]

Read aloud to Olivia and Malachi for school. We mostly enjoyed the elaborate ( and obviously slightly embellished) descriptions of Marco Polos travels and adventures. This explorer has become a familiar character in our home this year and we are all sighing with delight and relief to finish our time with him.

[Heather Gorsett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much! The author painted a charming and delightful picture as we went along with Marco traveling through far off Eastern lands to Cathay and back again. The beginning and end were easy to get lost in, but like most books, the middle sometimes takes some perseverance. So glad we did, the ending brought happy tears!

[Raluca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not even sure what I am rating this book on..what I clearly take from this experience is that I should really do some research before I order books. After having seen Netflix's rendition of Marco Polo's adventures I was most interested to learn more about the real events, but by what this book shows, it is no wonder that the producers went in a direction of fantasy. Having read a bit on the internet about Polo's memoirs and understanding that they might be a bit harder to digest, I took this book in the hopes that it would provide more of an interpretation or a commentary on the recount of Polo's adventures..sad was I to find that it is but a summarization that might as well become a fairy tale, for no doubt the book was intended to be read by children. Alas, I felt like seeing the Disney movies of the Brother's Grimm tales, when I was told the real and ugly version in my infancy. Not really the same, is it? Looks like I will have to continue my searches with the histories about the Khan dynasty and piece together what I have learned.

[Grace Pickle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grace gave this 2 stars but I'm pretty sure it's because it was a school book and she pretty much never admits to liking any school books.

[Danielle Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. I had no idea who Marco Polo was and I learned a lot.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Began in Term 2 of Yr 3 and FINALLY finished here at the beginning of Yr 4 reading aloud & narrating. We did it as an exercise of perseverance but would have quit around Ch 10 otherwise. We enjoyed following Marco’s travels with maps at the beginning but the second half is bogged down with diversions and flowery descriptions that made reading aloud feel so sloggy. Towle is not my favorite author.

[Kate Boehmke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. We started out really loving this book and then it began to drag to the point we were all a little relieved when it was over. It seemed a bit dry though the subject matter should have been entertaining.

[Maggie Allyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spelling!

It was a great account of Marco Polo, but it has so many spelling errors. It left us often guessing the word they meant to put there. Needs serious editing therefore.

[Skyler Chaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book.

[Lmichelleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

My elementary aged children (10, 8, and 6) listened to me read this book aloud for our geography studies together this year. Though relating the cities and countries in this story to modern day places was sometimes a bit challenging, the tale itself was told in an engaging way that had us all glad to be along for the adventure. Mr. Towle helped create for us pictures of places we have never been, images to hold on to for life! Though it took us a long time to read through, this book became a special part of our family culture together. I look forward to reading this again with my youngest child when it is his turn!

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's obviously an incredible story and it sounds like the guy lived an absolutely amazing life and his multi-decade journey is the stuff of legends. But despite the author's best efforts to make this interesting, reading it began to feel like a chore trying to get through description after description of this city and that city. I was reading this to my kids and had to edit out a fair amount of racist and sexist content, which is not surprising for a book this old. My 9 year old's review: "It's very long but we finished it."

[Tim Deaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very readable biography of Marco Polo

When I first downloaded the book, I wasn't sure what I was in for. I'd heard of Marco Polo all my life (I'm 71), but not much more. It turns out that the author (Towle) sat down in 1880 and, working from Polo's own book and then-current scholarship, created a very interesting and readable biography of the man and his travels. And how much MORE his travels covered besides the court of Genghis Khan - I had no idea.

[Donal Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read, but pretty superficial, not going in-depth into the character(s), or really developing the narrative. Nothing came to life in this book. It was, simply, a very average and menial account of Marco Polo's travels.

[Lukas Slavik · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a very good book, though a travelogue that is centuries old is simply not up to date.. also it would be cool if there are some illustrations

[Lisa Rosenow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book that I read together with Oliver and Harriet this year. We all enjoyed it and learned a lot about Marco Polo's travels

[camilo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and simple

It's a good book to read while you commute. It'll take you to far lands and amazing person's. I highly recommend it.

[LeAnna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The descriptions were quite interesting and it was reading this while in China, but it is nevertheless a little dry.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with two of my kids (8, 10) for school this year. We all feel like we know Marco Polo now!

[Stevie Kinzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this for our year 3 reading.

[Rebecca]

School with the kids

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic retelling, but enjoyable too.

[Linda Gaenicke]

A man who brought us Asia and also gained respect of those people.

No one should miss reading this book. What history.
Hard to believe all that he did in his lifetime. Don't pass up.

[Kevin J. Keenon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful description of Marco Polos life and adventures.

[Ami McNay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like Komroffs version better.

[Amanda Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud to S & A for AOY3

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so interesting and enjoyable! The kids didn’t want it to end.