THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLO by: Russell Freedman

Bibliography
Freedman, Russell. 2006. THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLO. Ill by Bagram Ibatoulline. New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine Books. ISBN 043952394X.

Plot Summary
This book is a biography of the life of Marco Polo. It begins with his death and how people felt he had lied about his adventures. It then goes on to chronicle his 24 year journey through Asia using the book originally transcribed by Rustichello and translated and adapted many times after that. It ends with discussion of whether Marco Polo was telling the truth and scholars that present information supporting both sides of the argument.

Critical Analysis
Russell Freedman begins his biography by telling the reader about the controversy surrounding Marco Polo's travels. This brings immediate interest to the biography and makes the reader want to learn about the controversy. The author then organizes the rest of the story in a way that is told by Marco Polo in his book THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD.

In Freedman's description of Marco's journey, he includes historically accurate information to lend credence to or give additional information about the things that happened. For example, Marco had stated that when traveling through the Taklimakan Desert spirits would call to them, and Freedman confirms this by saing that moder travelers confirm this statement. This information along with author's notes and art notes, give the text and illustrations accuracy.

The artwork in the book is a blend of original artwork by Bagram Ibatoulline and artwork from other versions of Marco Polo's book. It is interesting how Ibatoulline's work makes every effort to be historically accurate while the older illustrations show the Asian scenes in a European way (ie Kublai Khan looks like he is of French decent in the French illustrations). Along with the artowrk, the book itself adds to the Old World feel by having page numbers that look like wax seals and pages that look like parchment.

Review Excerpts
starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "The author's in-depth narrative style and historian's skepticism require more background knowledge and a longer attention span than Nick McCarty's MARCO POLO, but the effort will be richly rewarded."
starred review in BOOKLIST: "this is a glorious piece of bookmaking; readers will find it a pleasure to explore."
starred review in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "Freedman's impeccable research, historical fidelity and flair for engrossing narrative nonfiction combine with handsome bookmaking for a highly recommend biography."

Connections
*Compare this biography of Marco Polo with others and discuss the similarities and differences.
*Discuss the differences between a biography and an autobiography.
*Make a map of Marco Polo's journey and discuss his travel stories. Discuss why people were so amazed by these stories or though that he way lying. What do we know now that they didn't know then that can prove some of the stories are accurate?
*Look at biographies by this author and biographies written by another author (ie Adler) and compare and contrast their style.