In the Thirteenth Century, Mediterranean Europe was in a passionate ferment—restlessly reaching out for new lands, new achievements, new exploits. And Marco Polo, the Venetian, was its brightest symbol of adventure. The author has chosen a real person to be his hero, scrupulously following the known facts of his career. But to the flat and clouded portrait left behind by history, he has given full-blooded, full-dimensioned life. Here is an intimate record of the hardships that beset him, the deadly hatred that pursued him, the passionate devotion that brought him triumphant to the palace of the Khan. From the father who scorned and denied Marco Polo, to the unbelievably lovely slave girl who shared the tumult of his heart, Edison Marshall has filled this exciting romance with utterly real human beings. And such is the magic of his pen, to share the personal adventures of Marco Polo and his caravan as they journey perilously to the fabulous lands of Kublai Khan.