MARCO POLO From Venice to Xanadu

Explorer and trader Marco Polo and his relatives brought back coal, eyeglasses, and other Eastern advances to Venice. His legend further increased with a prison stay, during which he told stories of his exotic experiences with the Mongol leader Kublai Khan. Laurence Bergreen uses historical accounts to trace not just Polo's journeys, but the events taking place in the world in which the trader lived. Paul Boehmer's reading is understated, yet it suggests the views and emotions of the explorer and others who were part of his world. Boehmer creates a sense of wonder about the Mongol culture, the sort of wonder that Polo himself must have created for those who listened to his stories. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]