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Customer Reviews (2)

Great Polo adventure, once again!
My son was so happy to receive Faller's newest Polo adventure.He was so pleased to see characters already familiar to him from Polo's interactive website!A great "first comic" for preschoolers with vivid imaginations.

Fabulous kids book from France
"Polo And The Magic Flute"
by Regis Faller
(Roaring Brook Press, 2003)
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I'm not totally sure, but I think this was the first-ever picturebook featuring the ever-optimistic, cheerfully adventurous cartoon-figure dog named Polo, who travels the world and beyond always coming up with unique and inventive ways to get past every obstacle, all told in wordless but enchanting multi-panel comicbook form. This is the first time this particular volume has been in print in America: folks in Europe have been enjoying it for years now, and it follows the reprinting a couple of years earlier of the larger, longer Polo epics, "The Adventures of Polo" and "Polo And The Runaway Book."Kids who have already bathed in the glory of those books may find this shorter volume a little less mind-boggling, but it's still charming and sweet, and would be a perfect introduction to the character for families who haven't already gotten on the Polo bandwagon.

The story's pretty simple: while out on an adventure, Polo meets a serene, mystical panda bear who gives him a flute, and they travel together for a while, stopping at the panda's pagoda before making it back to Polo's house.Compared to the later books, this is a bit basic, but fun nonetheless. Highly recommended: I'm a big fan of the series!

This is great stuff, built on the European tradition of imaginative, well-crafted graphic art: if your kids are too young for "Tin-Tin" or "Asterix and Obelix," maybe you can get then started with this delightful series. Highly recommended! (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain children's book reviews) ... Read more

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Describes Marco Polo's travels through Asia, and discusses the people and cultures he encountered. ... Read more

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Newbery Honor–winning author Alan Armstrong’s latest book!

Eleven-year-old Mark's anthropologist father has disappeared in the Gobi desert while tracing Marco Polo’s ancient route from Venice to China. His mother decides they must go to Venice to petition the agency that sent Mark’s father to send out a search party. Anxious about his father and upset about spending Christmas away from home, Mark gets a bad asthma attack in the middle of the night. That’s when Doc Hornaday, an old friend of Mark’s father, makes a house call, along with a massive black Tibetan mastiff called Boss. To distract Mark from his wheezing and to pass the long Venetian night, the Doc starts to spin for Mark the tale of Marco Polo. Doc describes Marco’s travels and the boy finds himself falling under the spell of the story that has transfixed the world for centuries. Marco’s journey bolsters Mark’s courage and whets his appetite for risk and adventure, and for exposure to life in all its immense and fascinating variety. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A winning blend of fact, fiction and fantasy
In his award-winning debut novel, WHITTINGTON, Alan Armstrong told the historical story of London mayor Dick Whittington and his cat through the voice of one of that cat's descendants. In LOOKING FOR MARCO POLO, Armstrong again integrates history, fantasy and fiction, this time in the more exotic and evocative setting of Venice.

Eleven-year-old Mark's father is an anthropologist who loves adventure. While on an expedition to trace Marco Polo's route through the Gobi Desert, he disappears suddenly. Mark and his mom, as well as the research institute sponsoring the mission, are pretty sure that he is just accompanying some nomadic herders in search of elusive water. But they're not taking any chances, so they head to Venice --- where Mark's dad's journey began --- to try to get some answers.

While there, Mark has an asthma attack, which brings him in contact with his dad's old friend, Dr. Hornaday. Doc Hornaday helps calm Mark's breathing (and at least some of the fears about his dad) and, most importantly, introduces Mark to his gigantic Tibetan dog, Boss. When all the grownups are asleep, Mark discovers that Boss can talk...and that he's the direct descendant of Marco Polo's own enormous dog. Through a combination of storytelling, dreams and fantasy, Doc Hornaday and Boss help bring the stories of tricky, adventurous Marco Polo --- and the history of their beloved city of Venice --- to life.

Readers will enjoy exploring the alleys and canals of Venice with Mark and his new friends. Armstrong brings the fascinating city vividly to life and illustrates the changes that have befallen the city in the centuries between Marco Polo's times and our own. Careful readers will also appreciate the parallels between Mark's story and that of his historical predecessor, and they (like Mark himself) may even be inspired by history to take a journey, start an adventure, or just try something new.

Armstrong's novel is meticulously researched as evidenced by his extensive author's note, which clearly delineates the portions of Marco Polo's story that can be gleaned from the adventurer's own writings and other historical accounts and those that are pure imagination. For aspiring historians (or adventurers), Armstrong provides a comprehensive bibliography, and his author's notes make specific suggestions about the best historical accounts for young people.

Although some readers may find the historical vignettes a bit too much like a history lesson dropped into a novel, most will be sufficiently intrigued by Mark's unique situation to find themselves just as drawn into the tales of Marco Polo and Kublai Khan. Tim Jessell's warm and, at times, humorous black-and-white drawings also portray both the historical anecdotes and contemporary Venice in charming detail. LOOKING FOR MARCO POLO is a winning blend of fact, fiction and fantasy that liberates the past from dusty old textbooks and makes it relevant for today's young readers.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

Tells of pre-teen Mark, whose anthropologist father has vanished in the Gobi Desert
Alan Armstrong's LOOKING FOR MARCO POLO tells of pre-teen Mark, whose anthropologist father has vanished in the Gobi Desert. He and his mother must travel to Venice to gain help - and Mark finds his father's friend's story immerses him in many dangerous possibilities and brings him to travel the same road his father vanished on.

It's ok. It's a little slow
I have mixed feelings about this book. I like the concept well enough, but the execution is a bit dry. It was interesting to learn all of the history surrounding Marco Polo and Venice of that time period, but there wasn't much of a plot to move the story along. I need a little more than a story about a boy, Mark, who doesn't want to be in Venice during Christmas and misses his dad, reluctantly roaming the city to find out more history on Marco Polo. It was certainly a nice history lesson, but as a story overall, it's hard to get through.

[...] ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Voyages and travels; Mongols; Asia, Central; Asia; Travel / Essays ... Read more

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Many people say Marco Polo was the greatest explorer that ever lived, traveling 33,000 miles by land and sea from Venice, Italy, to modern-day Beijing, China. His famous book, The Travels of Marco Polo, indicates that he was a man of extraordinary bravery, brilliance, and strength. With his uncle and father, he traveled across Turkey, Armenia, the Middle East, the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, and the hot Taklimakan Desert before finally reaching China in 1275. Welcomed by the great emperor Kublai Khan, Marco Polo was amazed by the inventions, riches, and religious tolerance of the great Khan's kingdom, where Marco remained for the next 20 years.

A talented and charming storyteller in her own right, Demi recounts the remarkable tale of Marco Polo's journey. Inspired by the eastern culture of the 13th century, she painted the book with Chinese inks and gold overlays and used a mixture of Chinese and Indian embroidery and Italian, Arabian, and Persian designs of gold and ink on silk in the borders and frames for her artwork.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

beautiful illustrations
This was appealing to me as an adult and I selected it for a gift for a child. Have not heard yet how the recipient liked it.

Facinating and beautiful
Not only is this a absolutely beautiful book, (as all Demi books are!), the story was fascinating. I hadn't really read about Marco Polo, and got this from the library for my child. It was nice to read the biography of his early life and personal details, not just the story of his travels. I like how Demi presents the question of whether Polo, and his father and uncle, actually traveled to the places they claimed, fairly. There is apparently question about this, and, as the book says, even his own relatives and friends pressured him on his deathbed to admit he'd made up the stories. However, the things he reported lead one to think he must have been telling the truth about much of it, or how could he have known such wonders existed?
In any case, the story is riveting, and the illustrations gorgeous. We all enjoyed this book very much at our house, and I doubt we could find another version told so respectfully and delicately. The historical explanations that give both sides to the question of Marco Polo's claims made a lot of sense, and yet left the book unbiased, while somehow complete. You have to read it for yourself to see if you believe some, or all, of his fantastic adventures.

This gorgeous book about Marco Polo's quest to the far reaches of the world is mesmerizing!
Marco Polo was born in 1254 in the San Severo Parish in Venice, Italy.He didn't meet his father until he was fifteen years old because Niccolo was a trader who went to far away places.In 1271 Marco went along with his father and uncle Maffeo to China on the trip of a lifetime that not only he would remember, but one that would be remembered for centuries to come.Kublai Khan, who was a very tolerant man, wanted them to bring "the holy oil from the tomb of Jesus" and "one hundred Christian Men" when they returned to China.If Christianity was the true religion, he would then know it.Pope Gregory X sent two letters for Kulai Khan.

They collected the oil in Jerusalem, along with two monks who later became afraid and left to return home.The marvelous journey did not stop at Ayas because of the Mamluks bandits, they simply continued on.They visited the site where Noah's ark had landed on top of Mount Ararat, near the Black and Caspian seas they saw "fountains of oil springing from the ground and in the Tabriz they bartered for pearls. All the while Marco was writing in his journal.He wrote about Baghdad, Kerman, the Rudbar Plain and its Karunas bandits, the Persian Gulf, the Silk Route, the Desert of Emptiness, Tunocain and on and on as they traveled through many unusual lands and saw many strange things.In 1275 they finally reached China and Khan invited them to Xanadu where Marco was later asked to be his ambassador.It would be more than twenty-four years until the Polos returned home to Venice, a place where no one, not even their families, recognized them.

The art work in this book is mesmerizing and could stand alone without the text.The story of Marco Polo and his adventures was very well written and would be easy for even the most reluctant reader to make it to the end with ease.For the price you have to pay for this book you are receiving a bargain and shouldn't hesitate to snap up a copy.As Marco Polo told a priest, "I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed!"You won't believe how beautiful this book is! ... Read more

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When Little Bear finds Grandfather’s sea captain outfit in the attic, Grandfather shows him something even more exciting— Grandfather’s boat!

Customer Reviews (1)

Umm...
Maurice Sendak's charmingly cross-hatched bear family appears to have been replaced by an awkward brood of wookies.

I know there have been many intervening years of made-for-TV animation wrung from this series, but in book form it's hard to swallow this stark visual departure from the classic look. ... Read more

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Ages 8 to 14 years.Relive Italian voyager Marco Polo's adventures in China in 1275, including his legendary meeting with Kublai Khan, emperor of the powerful Mongol Empire. This exciting book separates fact from myth using excerpts from Polo's actual journals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

it's a &$#@% kiddie book
I was not aware that this was a children's book.Perhaps I should have been more careful in purchasing it.
bigkoala@verizon.net ... Read more

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The Polo Grounds is one of baseball’s most sacred ballparks. Built below Coogan’s Bluff in 1891, the bathtub-shaped stadium played host to iconic baseball moments, including Willie Mays’s famous catch in the 1954 World Series and Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard ’round the world.” The era before those moments holds a history all its own, when the New York Giants, Yankees, and the football Giants shared the park. The dawn of the 20th century through the 1920s is a rarely seen chapter in Polo Grounds history, and it is presented here for the first time in all of its photographic glory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

a grat read
i got to go to two games in 1962-63; i did not know its history.

The Historic Horseshoe on the Harlem
Having read several books on the history of the New York Giants I have always had a fascination with the Polo Grounds, or the Polio Grounds, as the Brooklyn Dodgers and their fans called it.I never saw it in person, but I did visit the site both in 1973 and 1978 when I organized a trip to New York City for Little leaguers during those years.The book begins with a wonderful Forward by Arnold Hano who wrote A Day in the Bleachers when he attended the game that Willie made his famous catch on Wertz in the '54 Series.The photos in the book take place primarily during World Series games between the Giants and their American League opponent.I especially enjoyed noticing what fans wore to baseball games during these long gone years.Bowler hats, neckties, and suit coats are the main attire.After all the Polo Grounds is not a flophouse.Author Chris Epting points out the menswear in the photos in addition to the advertising on the outfield walls.

I have often wondered whatever happened to the Eddie Grant memorial that resided in deep center field between the stairways to the clubhouse.It turns out that nobody knows what happened to it.On my visits in 1973 and 1978 I took photos of boys in front of the plaque where the approximate location of home plate was located.I didn't realize the actual location was twenty yards away.

There are more than enough action photos inside the ball yard, and I was happy to see the author added additional photos in a section near the end of the book outside the park.The John T. Brush staircase and the top of Coogan's Bluff where fans stood to gain a partial view of the field, and different angles showing various locations outside the park I found to be especially interesting.The Morris-Jumel Mansion located on Coogan's Bluff is the oldest house in Manhattan, and served as headquarters for both sides in the Revolutionary War.Ebbets Field in Brooklyn receives and deserves its share of interest, but I have always found the Polo Grounds located at the 155th Street subway stop in Manhattan to be equally fascinating.It was a dream come true for me to visit this site twice during the 1970s.If you are into baseball history this little number will be a very worthy addition to your library.

We need a sequel !
This book was one of those where I did not want to put it down. Great photos, a must have for NY baseball fans. Now, all I need is a sequel that will chronicle the post WWII era where mistakes and phony urban renewal projects doomed the historic Polo Grounds.
If you like old time baseball books, this is for you.

A Pictorial Time Machine
This book is an excellent collection of photographs of the Polo Grounds from the 1910s and 1920s.

It's really a great small coffee table book, i.e., you don't have to "read" it, just flip through the pictures and read the captions.

What fascinated me the most was the pictures of college football games played at the Polo Grounds during this time frame--including one of Jim Thorpe!



... Read more

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An exploration of the range of influence of Marco Polo's "Book" on the history of geography and exploration. Historian John Larner assesses the findings of modern scholarship and offers an account of Polo and his family, how and why the book came into being, and its reception over the centuries.Amazon.com Review
MarcoPolo is important not because he traveled extensively inAsia--other 13th-century Europeans did that--but because he wrote downhis experiences for others to read. In this excellent study, John Larnerof Glasgow University assesses the impact of Polo's Travels on theintellectual society of his day. The book's contribution to learningwas immense, giving medieval Europeans new information that foreverchanged their understanding of Europe's place in the world. Larneranalyzes different versions of the book, originally written in a Genoaprison and translated into many languages within Polo's lifetime. Heillustrates a number of fascinating early maps and analyzes Polo'sinfluence on later geographical and literary treatises. Though Polosays very little about himself, Larner finds clues to hispersonality. Polo left Venice when he was 17 and remained in Asiauntil he was 41; Europe must have seemed strange to him, even uncouth,after his decades of service to Kublai Khan, Mongol emperor of China,the richest and most sophisticated country in the world at thetime. Polo formed a strong affinity with the Mongolians, which mayexplain his failure to learn the Chinese language or mention Chinesecustoms such as tea-drinking or foot binding, occasionally suggestedas evidence that he never in fact visited China. Marco Polo and theDiscovery of the World demonstrates in straightforward languageand with satisfying detective work how the record of a man's travelsbecame one the most influential books of the millennium. --JohnStevenson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Marco Polo is Great
I think that this book helps a lot if you are trying to write a report on him. If I had enough money then I would probably buy the book. The one thing that it needs is more pictures. I like how it gives you just the right amount of information.

Quel Ver c�ha Faccia di Menzogna
"That Truth which has the Face of a Lie", (p.116),this is John Larner's theme as he reviews Polo's famous book, an account of the Venetian's twenty-four year voyage to the Khan's court in China and back again. Larner explains why Polo's book is an extraordinary achievement, notbecause it is a great diary, nor because Polo was a particularly perceptiveobserver, but simply because it was written at all when so little hard datawas coming from the East, and thus the broad influence it had on the West.

In one passage (p.85),that could usefully have come earlier, Larnerexplains, "...Who is Marco Polo?He is not an adventurer, a merchant, or aChristian missionary; he is rather a minor Mongolian civil servant whoduring his years in the East has been an observer or student of thetopography and human geography of Asia, of its customs and folklore, of,above all, the authority and court of the Great Khan, all seen from aMongol point of view.Then, having taken early retirement, he has soughtan audience for his memories.Marco left Venice in 1271 at the age ofseventeen.He returned in 1295, twenty-four years later, aged forty-one. Take these facts, together with a truly remarkable feature of the Book:that in describing the eastern world there is no evidence of cultureshock."

This is a book for scholars, for those who have read Polo's work. The endnotes and bibliography extend for almost fifty pages, revealing tothe novice the existence of an entire academic sub-stratum devoted to thestudy, debunking, and defense of Marco Polo.Larner analyses Polo's bookand its importance, rather than Polo himself or the importance of hisvoyage.Readers interested in a voyage almost unimaginable in today'ssmall, well-charted world should start with Polo's book itself, whose verysimplicity and dryness inspired Larner but may put off newcomers.

Severalyears after returning from the East,Polo dictated the book to a cellmatein a Genoese prison.Thereafter it was translated and copied dozens oftimes, with each subsequent interpreter adding his own biases atop Polo'ssimple prose.Illustrators drew fantastic creatures of the East that Polonever mentioned.As a result, many scholars grew convinced that Polo nevermade it past the Black Sea and the book was a pack of lies.Larner does acredible job debunking these ideas, although he tends to fall so in lovewith Marco that his own defenses can appearmanufactured, as on p.64 whenhe ascribes an obvious falsehood in Polo's book to his co-writer's attemptsto spice up the text.Perhaps Polo lied, or forgot, or the co-writermisheard, but we have no way to know; there is no evidence one way or theother, and this reader wondered whether Larner's attempts to excuse Polo indicated that he had surrendered his objectivity.On another occasion(p.102), he explains away Polo's virulent anti-Muslim prejudices bysuggesting these views are not really so extreme and, in any case, werepart of the contemporary worldview.

The book is a good one, not withoutflaws, but instructive, interesting, and eye-opening.The maps and colorillustrations are gorgeous, and Marco Polo himself is such a compellingfigure that it is simply interesting to read more about him than he revealsin his own words ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Polo and the Dragon (The Adventures of Polo)
Polo is a young dog who goes into adventures despite bad weather. In this story, he goes on a boating trip during a snowstorm and promptly gets stuck in the middle of the sea as the water turns into ice! What to do, what to do? He spots a treasure chest and finds a quill pen in it. The pen turns out to be magical because as he uses it to draw a door on the ice wall, the door becomes real. Polo opens the door and what does he see on the other side? Well, it depends on who is telling the story. Like in previous Polo adventures, //Polo and the Dragon// does not have any dialogue or text to tell the story. Instead, it has well-drawn pictures from which the story reader/teller can make up his own dialogues and come up with his own twists. This is one book that children from ages 3-8 years can read and come up with varying narrations. The reviewer especially recommends it for children learning to speak and those who like to talk a lot!

Reviewed by Donabel Beltran-Harms

Polo is my new fav
LOVE this book and all the Polo books.I've gone nuts and collected them all.
I won't even let my grandkids take them home, I want to keep them at my house.
I am a teacher, grandmother and book lover and Polo Books are the best (kids 3 to 10 will enjoy) ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about Marco Polo!
This is a fabulous edition of a well-loved book, especially for the scholar or Asian history enthusiast.The translation is taken from several of the earliest manuscripts, including important variations from each.However, the strength of the book is the extremely extensive annotation by Henry Yule, author of "Hobson-Jobson" and Henri Cordier.There are chapters which are one paragraph long that have six pages of footnotes.Yule leaves no stone unturned in his magnificent effort to provide not only explanatory material, but a vast amount of background.As an example, in the introductory biography when discussing Marco's capture by the Genoese while commanding a Venetian galley, Yule goes into a fascinating account of the development of oar-powered warships, including a discussion of the knotty topic of how rowers actually sat in biremes and triremes.Yule habitually also gives the differing opinions of other scholars as well as his own.If you love words and placenames, also, Yule is your man.His knowledge of etymology is immense, and he clarifies many, many terms very well indeed.My only criticism, though, is in this very area: it's obvious from some of the notes that his knowledge of Chinese was not as deep as it could have been for an editor of Polo's book. That, however, is a very minor complaint.You can really wallow in this book.Virgos will love it.I give it my highest recommendation.

The best presentation of Marco Polo's travels
Marco Polo appertains to an exeptionally small group of historical personalities widely known on all continents. Such knowledge in the firstplace is based on the passing from generation to generation tales ofadventurers and marvellous riches of the Asian World in the Middle Ages. Toevaluate in this way of Marco Polo's book is the result of a renaissanceinterpretation of above all a rational text. No matter how interesting,such an image has made that text to reader of all ages over the past seven centuries, it has concealed its values: understanding of the reality and connection of numerous people and their cultures present on theextended Euro-Asian area. Colonel Henry Yule, himself a great admirer of these infinite diversities; such asgeographical, climatic, ethnic,cultural and what elsenot, has unselfishly madeavailable his greatexperience of a scientist and researcher, talent and good will inverifiying thesaying of Marco Polo and presented it to the scientists andpublic. The summary of thisextremely complex, professional and meticulouswork is laid out on these 1680 pages (vols. 1 & 2). Numerous illustrations and detaileddescriptions of itinerariesand places from the Mediterranean to the Pacific and India, an area of abundant testimonies of great cultures; wheregreat armieshave roamed; obstinate missionaries and merchants, diplomatsandspies have operated and what we called The Silk Roads, introduce thereader into the great world of Marco Polo and are a valuable source ofinformation for everyone who intends to see these wordless testimonies andnumerous fascinating landscapes of vast desertsand their oasis, mountainranges and green valleys, where life runs slowly but with dignity as MarcoPolo has seen and described it. Marco Polo and his work have been in thefocus of many individual researchers and teams before and after Mr. HenryYule, giving valuable contributions. However, for the overall knowledge,vision and comprehension of Marco Polo and his achivements, the bookwritten by colonel Henry Yule "The Book of Marco Polo" hasmaintained the very top position won by its first presentation to thepublic in the distant year of 1871. ... Read more

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Describes the aquatic events of the Olympic Games and previews the athletic competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. ... Read more

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This book profiles over 30 of the most influential polo players from history. The players covered were selected for inclusion based on their overall impact on the game rather than their prowess on the field, although many covered are considered all-time greats. With contributions from many of the world's leading polo journalists, each chapter covers an individual player, and players include early pioneers, those who played during the "golden era" (the years between World War I and World War II), superstars, game-changers, and great contemporaries. Includes numerous photographs and a foreword by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Laffaye's "Profiles in Polo" a worthwhile contribution
Horace Laffaye is to be commended for taking up Chris Ashton's suggestion to compile this book and for drawing together the energies of the leading polo writers from around the world who have contributed profiles to it.

Historical entries on the six identified pioneers of the Game of Kings set the context of the book very effectively, with Roger Chatterton-Newman's contribution on Francis Herbert a delight of depth and detail.

Chris Ashton's tribute to Hanut Singh reminds the reader that "India was the very cradle of the game" and presents an entertaining picture of "the tiger" who played until the age of 72.

The two great Australian players, Bob Skene and Sinclair Hill, are given the prominence they richly deserve, as are the American, Tommy Hitchcock Jr, and Juan Carlos Harriott Jr from Argentina but it is a pity that another Aergentine player, Eduardo "Gordo" Moore, does not have an entry of his own.

Most of the great players are here and so too are those who have ensured that the game continues to be played at the highest level today: Kerry Packer and Gonzalo Pieres, Marcos Uranga, John Oxley, Lord Cowdray, Michael Rattray and Claire Tomlinson, who could arguably be credited with the fact that many more women play polo today than ever before.

As to its content, the book is excellent and should be in the library of every polo enthusiast. Its production, however, lets it down. It is not a cheap book but spelling mistakes (Bob Skene's name is printed as "Skeene" at the top of each page of his entry) and the poor quality of photographic reproduction (particularly the colour plates) diminish its overall quality. ... Read more

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302 pages ... Read more

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A straightforward novelisation of a classic story
The Doctor Who serial "Marco Polo" is novelised by its original writer, John Lucarotti.He chooses to follow the obvious path: a direct translation of a television story to the written word.

The story is based on a simple premise: the TARDIS materialises in the Himalayas and the travellers meet up with Marco Polo and his caravan.Marco wants to return to Venice, but Kublai Khan won't allow him.He thinks that, if he presents the mysterious TARDIS to the great Kahn he may be allowed to return home.

So, a reasonably large proportion of the story involves the Doctor, and to a lesser extent Susan, Ian and Barbara, trying to regain possession of their ship.However, it is also concerned with Marco Polo and two of his travelling companions: Ping-Cho, a young girl engaged to be married to a man she has never met at the Khan's court, and the warlord Tegana, servant of the Khan Nogai, an enemy of Kublai Khan supposedly on a peace mission.

In the original format of Doctor Who, the stories were meant to contain a substantial educative component.This one does, delighting in a variety of moderately obscure facts, perhaps the most interesting of which surround the Hashashins (or Assassins, as we would say), a political force who gain power through terror and the threat of assassination.

The story is, in essence, a road trip for the travellers who eventually end up in the court of the great Khan, where the Doctor endeavours to regain the TARDIS in a game of backgammon.But on the way, there are a variety of adventures and odd happenings.

I suspect that this story would have worked better in its original form, but sadly the BBC have destroyed all tapes of the serial this book is based upon.It makes a reasonably engaging, if almost entirely unchallenging, read. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Very good!
Very good history book about Polo in India and India in Polo all over the World.

Polo in India - as the title says
When you love polo, you should never forget from where it's coming. From Asia. So it's quite interesting to read something about polo in India and the history.
A lot of old and some new fotos. It's about a part of polo history.
I would say a nice coffee-table-book. So why not? ... Read more

Product Description
A Stunning Graphic Novel that can reach the most reluctant reader.Each book contains: Compelling Fiction Historical facts An Actual timelineTime line Graphic Novels are for interest levels 6-12 and reading levels 5-8. ... Read more