Description: A treasury of far-travelled voices and vanished routes. Travellers crossed vast unknown lands. Cathay and the Way Thither, Volume II gathers medieval notices of China assembled by Sir Henry Yule and brings into focus the accounts associated with Odoric of Pordenone alongside Yule's preliminary essay on intercourse between China and the Western nations prior to the discovery of the Cape Route. As a historical exploration anthology and primary source collection, it assembles medieval travel narratives and early China accounts that map silk road history and the dynamics of east-west cultural exchange across 14th-century Asia. Lively enough for curious readers yet rigorous in its documentation, the volume clarifies the connections between medieval Europe and China and offers useful context for Marco Polo era studies. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike. The book's literary and historical significance is plain: Yule's compilation gathers the fragments, letters and chronicles that shaped European understanding of Cathay and provides an enduring reference for scholars. An excellent academic research resource and history students reference, it supports comparative study, citation and close reading across disciplines. Ideal for casual readers and classic-literature collectors, the edition functions both as an accessible companion and a specialist reference for enquiries into Odoric of Pordenone journeys, silk road history and the wider story of cultural exchange between East and West. Long used in scholarly conversation, these pages illuminate the practicalities of long-distance travel, mercantile networks and the religious and cultural encounters that framed 14th-century Asia. Whether consulted on a reading list, shelved among primary source collections, or read for pleasure, this volume rewards curiosity with direct access to the voices that first mapped Cathay for Europe.
