We should be inclined to consider Sir Marco Polo as one of the greatest travellers the world has ever seen.  It is true he was not a man of genius; that he was not, like Columbus, inspired by a lofty enthusiasm; that he displayed no commanding superiority of character.  But when we remember the vast compass of his journeys, and the circumstances under which they were carried out; when we remember, too, how close an observer he was, and how rigidly accurate, and his plenitude of energy and perseverance — we feel that he is, beyond all cavil or question, entitled to be recognized as the king of mediæval travelers…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Augustus St John was born on 24 September 1795, in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales as the son of Gelly John and Rachel William. He married Eliza Caroline Agar Hansard in 1819, in St Anne's Church, Soho, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 2 daughters. He lived in Chiswick, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom in 1841 and Marylebone, London, England, United Kingdom in 1851. He died on 22 September 1875, in London, England, United Kingdom, at the age of 79..