# Best translations of Marco Polo and Ibn Battouta?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-translations-of-marco-polo-and-ibn-battouta/144608>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 23, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-translations-of-marco-polo-and-ibn-battouta/144608 "2002-12-23T22:18:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-translations-of-marco-polo-and-ibn-battouta/144608/1 "2002-12-23T22:18:30Z")

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After reading the third volume of Larry Gonick’s _Cartoon History of the Universe,_ I’m interested in reading the travel writings of Marco Polo and Ibn Battouta. Do any Dopers have opinions on the best available translations for either or both of these works?

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-translations-of-marco-polo-and-ibn-battouta/144608/2 "2002-12-23T23:51:07Z")

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Don’t know, but AFAIK, _all_ editions of Marco Polo’s supposed writings (actually written by a chap named Rusticello, IIRC) are translations. There are no surviving orginal manuscripts–and the surviving translations–of course–often contradict one another.

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**Author:** ![Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@Dreaming\_of\_Maria\_Callas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dreaming_of_Maria_Callas)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-translations-of-marco-polo-and-ibn-battouta/144608/3 "2002-12-24T16:39:03Z")

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Most scholars of Ibn Battuta’s travels would not recommend to the layman reading his original work (the _Rihla_), as it is incredible contradictory and sketchy. Ross E. Dunn, a U of C professor who has done a lot over the last 25 years to make history interesting and accessible, wrote a book which covers Ibn Battuta’s travels, and interjects historical detail of the Middle East and Asia at the time which helps one understand the context better. It’s called [The Adventures of Ibn Battuta:](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0520067436/cm_aya_asin.title/102-7326411-6198526?v=glance&s=music): a Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century.

I liked reading Dunn’s book because he uses Ibn Battuta’s travel to show some little known facts about Europe - Asia relations in the 14th century. I had no idea that European traders regularly came as far east as Habriz in modern-day Iran.

The only thing I found annoying is how much of a jerk Battuta was. Over the 24 years of his travels, he married many women, got them pregnant, and divorced them when he wanted to continue on his way.

UnuMondo