Customer Reviews (1)

Compact Guide to Polo
The Polo Primer, as the name suggests, is an introductory guide to polo.It traces the game's history, from its origins in ancient military training to the games of modern times.Equipment, horse selection, learning the strokes, playing as a team, and how to get involved with polo are all covered.My rating of a 9 was based on the length (around 100 pages); I would have preferred a more detailed work.However, a lengthy volume might put off many new comers, whereas this book is the right size for the person deciding whether or not to get into polo ... Read more

Book Description
It was perhaps the first book to achieve best-seller status before the invention of the printing press-it was certainly the most controversial. Did Venetian trader and explorer MARCO POLO (1254-1324) actually reach the court of Kublai Khan, serve the emperor as his emissary, and journey the distant lands of Cathay for 17 years, as he relates in his Travels of Marco Polo? The question still hasn't quite been settled today... but whether Polo experienced firsthand the wonders of ancient China, retold tales he heard from Arab travelers along the Silk Road, or simply invented half his stories, this remains a delightful read for fans of history, adventure, and medieval literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

You are going where?
I believe I got what I paid for.There were much better books of great detail, but they cost much more.I would suggest saving your money until you can buy a much more comprehensive book.The reading and information provided in the book was light and was gone over very fast.I question some of the facts contained there in. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the thirteenth-century Venetian explorer whose book about his travels across Asia and work for Kubla Khan helped to launch the Age of Exploration. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Polo Player must have...
Great as a gift for polo players and other horsemen as well.Fantastic photos and game plays.A BIG book, too. ... Read more

Product Description
Chosen as one of the ten best adventure books of all time by National Geographic Adventure. An adventure narrative reissue from the original 1926 edition. Marco Polo chronicles the thirteenth-century Venice, his birthplace, to Asia. Marco Polo tells of the foreign peoples he meets as he travels by foot, horse, and boat through places including Persia, the land of the Tartars, Tibet, India, and, most important, China. There he stays at the court of Kublai Khan, venturing to the capital of Beijing and to Shangtu, made immortal in Coleridge's poem "Xanadu." This is a gripping look at a legendary place and time. Black & white illustrations by Jon Corbino. Translated by William Marsden. Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Well it worked!
I was bankrupt in 1994 but before moving from Los Angeles to the Silicon Valley I bought a copy of this book and went to her seminar. I never looked back. None of the reviews mentions the affirmations in the back of the book. They are the best I've ever seen. I just recorded them, played them in my "on it's last leg" vehicle and moved to San Francisco Bay area with a determination to change and raise my standards just like her book suggests. I took her advice and insisted on moving in a rich Palo Alto neighborhood (only rented a little room but in a million dollar neighborhood 3 houses from Steven Jobs house). In less than a month I met the women that I eventually married two years latter. Now I live in a 4 bedroom home, drive a Lexus (she has one too) and money is no longer an issue.

And what if I had listened to some of these 1 star negative review people listed below? I would have missed out on the love of my life! I never could have imagined love could be this good and I've spiritually grown in ways I never could have imagined.

I sent Ginnie a Christmas card that first Christmas we were married in 1997 and she replied that first year; "I am SO proud of you and your lovely bride". I continue to send her a card each year signed, "From a grateful student". Many times the picture of us is taken in places we have traveled in Europe that year; in front of the Eiffel Tower; On a goldola another year from Italy etc.

I changed my name from Danny to Daniel (an option she gives in the book). INSTANTLY I felt like a new person. Now the only one who still calls me 'Danny' is my sister ;).

Forget this golddigger stuff; raise your standards! 'rich' for you can be a house with a picket fence or an estate as she points out. Her chapter of "Temples of the Rich" took me to the Episcopal church in Beverly Hills; I met the a fellow there who is now my best friend. No, I did not find my bride there, but he was the one who suggested I move to the Silicon where he had recently moved to and THAT'S where I met her. And HE was my best man at our wedding! So it was all directly related to the things I did in her book.

Again, do not underestimate the affirmations. I swear that had a big part in the whole process. Here's one:

I, (You,) (He,) Daniel Leo Simpson am now ready and joyously accept the great and glorious good that is entering in my life.

Say that and several others (I did them all) as suggested for 21 days; just keep saying them. You'll start to change even if you don't realize it....

After we were married my clunker car went kaput; I was taking the thing to San Francisco to sell (I got $300 for it!) and while cleaning out the glove box found the tape I had made of those affirmations. What an incredible feeling to then a few weeks latter be playing them again but this time in a Lexus LS-400!

You can do this too. But you must make a DECISION to do so.

BEST BOOK I EVER READ
The book actually changed my self-perception. It was referred to me by a psychiatrist who said the book was good Cognitive psychology for a positive relationship with myself and money and relationships. The message I got from Ginie Sayles in this book is that whether or not I decide to marry somebody with money is not the only point - one point is that if I meet somebody with money, I will feel equal - and now that I have read the book and put it into practice, I finally do feel equal. I really needed this.

BEST BOOK I EVER READ
The book actually changed my self-perception. It was referred to me by a psychiatrist who said the book was good Cognitive psychology for a positive relationship with myself and money and relationships. The message I got from Ginie Sayles in this book is that whether or not I decide to marry somebody with money is not the only point - one point is that if I meet somebody with money, I will feel equal - and now that I have read the book and put it into practice, I finally do feel equal. I really needed this.

The CLASSIC On Marrying Money
I have read this book 4 times now cover to cover and believe me- IT WORKS!!!It is the best book I have EVER read and the most useful- NUF SAID! THANKS GINIE!

Best book I ever read - I love her writing
Writes from the heart the way she speaks in seminars - warm-hearted and caring. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Marco Polo is important not because he traveled extensively in Asia--other 13th-century Europeans did that--but because he wrote down his experiences for others to read. In this excellent study, John Larner of Glasgow University assesses the impact of Polo'sTravels on the intellectual society of his day. The book's contribution to learning was immense, giving medieval Europeans new information that forever changed their understanding of Europe's place in the world. Larner analyzes different versions of the book, originally written in a Genoa prison and translated into many languages within Polo's lifetime. He illustrates a number of fascinating early maps and analyzes Polo's influence on later geographical and literary treatises. Though Polo says very little about himself, Larner finds clues to his personality. Polo left Venice when he was 17 and remained in Asia until 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 the time. Polo formed a strong affinity with the Mongolians, which may explain his failure to learn the Chinese language or mention Chinese customs such as tea-drinking or foot binding, occasionally suggested as evidence that he never in fact visited China. Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World demonstrates in straightforward language and with satisfying detective work how the record of a man's travels became one the most influential books of the millennium. --John StevensonBook Description
No mere travel account, the book that Marco Polo wrote after manyyears in Asia became one of the most influential of the millennium. Historian JohnLarner here explores for the first time the full range of influence of Polo's Book on thehistory of geography and exploration, showing why the Book came into being and how itplayed a key role in the development of European overseas expansion. ... 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 cýha 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

Customer Reviews (1)

Junior World Explorers Series - Marco Polo
This is an excellent series that teaches history to the 8-12year old child.The book is excellently written, 96 pages with blackand white sketches along the way.

...we are very impressed at thecontent and reading style of this series.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Marco Polo (1254-1324) was born in either Venice or Korcula in what is now Croatia. The son of a merchant family, he left Europe on a trading mission with his father and uncle. The man who arrived back in Italy a generation later in 1295 was unrecognizable, but soon accepted as Marco by his relatives when he showed them the jewels he had brought back from the east. Captured in a later battle, he was briefly imprisoned, and dictated his memoirs to his cellmate Rustichello, a novelist who may have embellished the original text with some asides of his own. The result was A Description of the World, better known as Travels, a detailed account of Polo's wandering, much of which seems to parallel the expeditions of Mongol armies, in China, Burma and Indonesia.Some have argued that his claims were largely falsified; that he merely stayed for a while in Western Asia, and assembled his book with stories he had heard from others. The records of the Chinese Yuan dynasty do not mention a Marco Polo at all (and they should), and there are some suspicious omissions from Polo's text no tea, no foot-binding, no mention of Chinese printing, or even of the Great Wall. Did Polo even go to China? This new biography will try to answer some of the questions connected with the perpetually fascinating adventurer of the 13th century. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Exotic Friends Living Worlds Apart.
THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO AND POLO is a beautiful lavishly illustrated story about a monkey named Marco and a penguin named Polo.Polo penguin awakes one morning to see smoke billowing over the horizon.The smoke turns out to come from a cruise ship that drops off a monkey name Marco. Marco carries a camera and has come to explore the most exotic country he could find.Polo Penguin shows him around, but things are too cold for Marco and he wants to return home.Marco tells Polo that his home is always warm and Polo becomes intrigued with the idea of a place that is always warm and sets off to visit Marco's home. An international animal cultural exchange takes place. The two quickly become friends, but are troubled by the fact that neither one enjoys the climate of the other's home.The final pages illustrate and describe what is done to reach a compromise.

THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO AND POLO is a beautifully illustrated book. Even if children don't like the story, they will love looking at the pictures and the book is worth purchasing for those alone. However, the story is slightly charming and will amuse young children.

One of my favorites
I like this book because it has beautiful illustrations, that show animals and places in the jungle and Antarctica. I like the story, because Marco and Polo do interesting things and they stay friends.

A Great Book!
This is a great book for children & adults alike.It has incredible pictures, humor and a little adventure.The message I got from it, was one of enduring friendship, despite differences.
I use it in my school library, reading it to classes who have been learning about habitats.Kids love it, and it is a pleasure to read aloud.

An illustrator
Impressive illustrations that anyone will appreciate. A very
nice story to go along with it. The person who has "an issue with the story's underlying message" in the book is oviously reading too far into it and should try to learn to enjoy it for what it is-an entertaining well written and beautifully
illustrated children's book. I highly recommend it.

Beautful illustrations but questionable message
My child and I both enjoy the lush illustrations in this book, but I have an issue with the story's underlying message.Although both Marco and Polo love to travel together and become good friends, they ultimately decide that the should each go back home and reside "where they belong".To me, the book implicitly advocates segregation, even though it exists here between a penguin and a monkey. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (4)

A superior sort of airport book
I was flying out of Narita when I saw this in the airport bookstore.I almost didn't buy it as it's a bit bigger and heavier than the paperbacks I usually like to read while travelling.That would have been a mistake.

First, the negatives: the writing is dry and lacking narrative drive.We're talking a path of tragedy here for the Japanese nation but it reads more like a shopping list.I don't know what the editor did, but he wasn't aiming for clarity.Further, the long list of Japanese names doesn't mean much for a Westerner, but then this book isn't aimed at the gaijin.

On the positive side, this gives such novel insights into the Japanese decision making process over the period, both in politics and the military, that it's well worth wading through the dryness.For instance, the prime minister wasn't told about the heavy losses at Midway for a month!!!

When the criminals never confess, the victims could never forgive.
The media has been ignoring it, the government avoiding it, and the right wing denying it.Individual WWII veteran who confessed his experience in war had been sue and trial in court (e.g. The famous To Shiro case, 1997).But finally, the most influential News media in Japan has come fore and done its duty, as a responsible media should - reporting the truth.The book is a bit dry but never the less, informative.

We need openness, sincerity, and courage to heal old wounds.Hope to see more of that coming from the Japanese government.

A sincere effort made by the Japanese
This book is a comprehensive review of the war from 1931-1945 by the Japanese--in fact the first attempt made by the Japanese to clarify who was responsible for the war. It is important to note that this was done by one of the "conservative" newspapers, when the "historical issues" complicate the international relations in East Asia. Japanese people have tended to regard the war either as self-defense or aggression, but this attitude is too naive to understand the cruel reality of international politics. Of course this book is not a perfect historical analysis but it provides us with a better historical interpretation and lessons for the future.

Informative but Difficult Reading
This book would probably mean a lot more if the reader is from Japan.The writing is a bit stilted, being translated into English from a Japanese newspaper series, and it's really tough to follow who's who, considering the unfamiliar Japanese names.It also presents historic events with little detail.The primary effort here is to assess the behaviors/decisions of key Japanese political and military leaders, and to determine who, among them, was responsible for the wars and devastation Japan experienced during the 1931-1945 period.It does not deal with the rectitude of American actions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Better Books Out There
This book takes what many would consider a mid level drug dealer and the search for him across the world - hence the "Marco Polo" tag.Well the villain here is not that bad so it is hard to get excited about the chase. He is no choirboy to be sure, but he is not a Pablo Escobar either.The detail of the police tactics used is interesting. The disappointing thing to me was the detail of how disjointed law enforcement is in the western world, nobody wants to work with any other countries? The book is ok and you can probably guess what happens in the end. If you are interested in this type of story, Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden is far better and more up to date. ... Read more