I don't normally register my books until I've read them in case I want to put them into my Permanent Collection which I don't register at all! But today I've decided to mark up a few that have been hanging around my TBR piles for a while in the hope that it'll inspire me to move them further up the priority list and get them moving :-)

From the back cover: "In 1322, Sir John Mandeville left England on a thirty-four year pilgrimage. He returned and wrote a book claiming it was possible to circumnavigate the globe.
"For centuries none doubted Sir John, many regarding him, not Chaucer, as the father of English literature. In the nineteenth century sceptics questioned his voyage, and suspected he never left England at all. The Riddle and the Knight investigates if Mandeville really made his voyage or whether his book The Travels was a work of imaginative fiction.
"Bestselling historian Giles Milton unearths clues about the journey and reveals that The Travels is built upon a series of riddles which have, until now, remained unsolved."

Looks fascinating to me!

This is an interesting and easy-to-read investigation into the life and tales of John Mandeville, Knight and Traveller. I enjoyed the author's accounts of his own visit to the Middle East, perhaps even more than the stories of the Middle and Far East in the Middle Ages. This book won't set the world on fire, and I probably won't remember any of the details for long, but I'm pleased I've read it!

I'm really looking forward to taking this to my first Meet Up for months!

Picked up at the York BC Meetup.

[DIFFERENT COVER ART]

Looks interesting...!

borrowed, read and returned by my girlfriend... who rather enjoyed it I believe!

Well, I finally got around to reading this (almost a decade after I picked it up) - and very good it was too. It's a combination of historical investigation, historical & literary speculation and contemporary travelogue - and, whilst it's written to be accessible for a general audience, it doesn't forgo historical and journalistic detail... which makes for a rich imaginative tapestry for the reader.

I have two problems with it, however - problems which stopped it getting a full 10/10...

Firstly (and rather peculiarly, I grant you), the author has an irrational fat-phobia. On several occasions, offensive and disparaging references are made to overweight people that are absolutely unnecessary and utterly irrelevant to anything. A good editor would have edited these out - but, as it is, they remain. Quite bizarre.

Secondly - and more significantly - my reading experience was rather spoilt by the blurb on the book's back cover. As this is the second time in short succession that such a thing has happened to me, I was rather annoyed ! Basically, the back-cover blurb claims "Bestselling historian Giles Milton [...] reveals that 'The Travels' is built upon a series of riddles which have, until now, remained unsolved". Er - no it isn't and no he doesn't... ! I know this is trying to market the book to Dan Brown fans, but it also significantly misrepresents the contents of the book. I think it was written by someone who never read the book and misunderstood the speculative conclusions (such as they are) that the author actually comes to.

Other than these couple of short-comings, I can recommend the book unreservedly !

I'm planning to release it at this Tuesday evening's 'Authors-Beginning-With-G'-themed BC Meetup being held at The Brigantes in York from 7pm onwards... ('G' is for Giles)

releasing, as promised...

Attended York meetup at Brigantes last night. We met family during the day and for the first time ever managed to be in York on the right day, so we just had to stay. I really fancied this book and then I saw the the Nu-Knees label inside. Straight into the bag before I could change my mind!

We'll probably never know the whole truth about Sir John Mandeville but I guess that applies to all history. The fact remains that his book inspired Marco Polo, Columbus et al, to explore the world, and I thank him for that. This was a thoroughly enjoyable, and quick read. Might tempt me to read one of the author's other books which has lain on my shelves for too long - Nathaniel's Nutmeg.

I added this one to even up the packaging. This is not a reflection on what I thought of the book. :)

What a lovely and welcome surprise along with its friends. I'm not sure that I would ever have picked it up myself but will certainly give it a go. Thanks for sharing.

Milton's enthusiasm for Sir John and his writing shines through, his solution seems well argued and plausible yet somehow I was left feeling rather confused as how to regard this particular book. Should I take it as a piece of historical research or as a modern day travelogue? Overall an interesting read if not a particularly riveting one but one that all the same am grateful that I was offered the chance to read.

Going across the pond as a BookMooch. Enjoy!

If you've found this book and you're new to this, welcome to bookcrossing! I hope you enjoy looking around the bookcrossing site. If you decide to join bookcrossing (it's free, so no reason not to if you're interested!) please feel free to list me (Tanamo) as the member who referred you. Even if you don't join I'd appreciate it if you'd leave a quick journal note so I can see where the book ended up - you can do it anonymously if you wish.

I'll read anything by Giles Milton and I expect to enjoy this one as well.

Ordered this from Paperbackswap.com to bring to a friend in Portsmouth UK! So it has made its way from the UK to USA and back in two years.

Ordered this from Paperbackswap.com to bring to a friend in Portsmouth UK! So it has made its way from the UK to USA and back in two years.