The Travels by Marco Polo

[Drunk Monk]

For reasons CF & LCF know, and the rest of the wulin will soon understand, I read this previously overlooked book, a shameful oversight in my study of China. It's a pretty amusing read actually. Each chapter discusses various cities in a somewhat formulaic report: what they trade (salt, silk, various produce and textiles), what they worship (Christian, Mahomet, or idolaters - the idolaters are Buddhists and Polo recounts the tale of Buddha but totally messes up the enlightenment part), whether they tithe to the Great Khan (Polo's discussions of Kublai are the most overt demonstration of kiss-assery ever), what kind of money they use, and some other odd details. It's those odd details that are most amusing as most of them are the sexual habits of the rules, many of whom have amassed massive harems, like 300+ wives and consorts. But there are also detailed discussions of wife sharing and all sorts of female subjugation. There are also some encounters with mythic beasts - Polo's description of a real unicorn is surprising. I'm glad to have read it so I can speak intelligently about it in December, which I will surely be called upon to do.