The Book of Marvels and Travels

• A lively new translation of Sir John Mandeville's Book of Marvels and Travels, the classic and highly entertaining medieval account of a journey from Europe to the Holy Land and beyond, and the many marvellous and monstrous peoples and animals living there.
• The new translation by Anthony Bale emphasizes readability and accessibility, preserving Mandeville's forceful and sometime playful narrative voice.
• The Introduction considers questions of authorship and origins, the early travel narrative, Crusading and religious difference, fantasy and the European Age of Discovery and Mandeville's pervasive popularity and influence.
• Helpful notes on historical context and insights into medieval culture and attitudes.
• Includes a note on medieval measurements, three maps, an index of places and a general index.

Readership: Readers of classic literature, travel literature, medieval history, medieval religion, myths and legends; students of medieval literature and history, travel narratives, race and religion.

John Mandeville

Anthony Bale studied at the universities of Oxford and York and at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has published widely on various medieval topics, including Anglo-Jewish history, the poetry of Chaucer and Lydgate, the cult of St Edmund and fifteenth-century literature. His most recent book is Feeling Persecuted: Christians, Jews and Images of Violence in the Middle Ages (Reaktion, 2010).