{"product_id":"9780980207606","title":"Marco Polo Odyssey: In the Footsteps of a Merchant Who Changed the World","description":"The Marco Polo Odyssey tracks the fantastic journey of an intrepid adventurer who spent ten years following the 13,000 mile overland route of Marco Polo from Venice to Israel, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand finally crossing China to Beijing. It is an account of an exhilarating voyage of discovery and the three expeditions it took author Harry Rutstein to finally fulfill his dream. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing every means of travel available-including camels, farm tractors, horses and goatskin rafts-author Harry Rutstein became the first person known to have retraced Marco Polo's footsteps. This book\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003echronicles his extraordinary adventures and authenticates the 13th century journey of the great explorer. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMarco Polo's travels and subsequent bestselling book sparked the expansion of the mercantile empires of medieval Europe and gave birth to the modern age of globalization.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExcerpts of Marco Polo's book, Description of the World, are woven into Harry's narrative, which add depth and perspective to his colorful and humorous stories of travel along the now-abandoned Silk Road. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe interwoven historical commentaries, geographical and cultural descriptions confirm just how little has changed in 700 years in many parts of Asia. 137 photographs and nine maps provide a visual travelogue of their own. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe keys to Harry Rutstein's success on his odyssey were an unrelenting perseverance and lots of good luck. The Marco Polo Odyssey is flesh-and-blood history and a rousing good story of adventure and achievement.  ","brand":"Bennett \u0026 Hastings Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47020764266736,"sku":"9780980207606","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780980207606_p0.jpg?v=1763882066","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780980207606","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}