The Travels of Marco Polo; Collecting Middle Ages Style

As I languish in isolation from a modern plague, I couldn't help but compare this time to the ancient and medieval plagues that stalked the world.  They didn't stop Marco Polo and his family from their 26 year adventure to the east and the court of Kublai Khan.

In  reading The Travels of Marco Polo, I realized that they were inherently collectors, first.  the descriptions of gems and jewels, silks, brocades and other treasures are meant to inspire wonder, but are also carefully catalogued.

I'm reading the 1934 Heritage Press edition, edited by Komroff and Fyodorovitch Lapshin.  It is a gorgeous book in itself.

Public Domain, Marco Polo