In the Footsteps of Marco Polo

November 3, 2008
The harrowing route of Marco Polo's 13th-century trek from Venice to ancient Cathay over the traditional Silk Road to Kublai Khan's territories consumed 24 years of the famous explorer's life. Award-winning photographer Belliveau and sculptor/lecturer O'Donnell, a former marine, spent two years retracing the journey,, to “raverse the world's largest land mass and back, climb its highest mountains, cross its most desolate deserts and seas.” The curious, intrepid risk-takers forgo air travel to recreate the 25,000-mile experience, facing rolls of red tape, internecine politics, horrendous climates, language barriers, civil war and border authorities while traveling through what is now Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Tibet, China and Mongolia, among others. The authors have a remarkable ability to form relationships in varied cultures, as with a group of rough Afghan soldiers: “All had in common... losses so terrible that we had stopped asking questions about families.” Fascinatingly, many of the customs, locales and physical landscapes are identical, 700 years later, to Polo's descriptions. Alongside Belliveau and O'Donnell's enthusiastic narrative are marvelous full-color photos that bring the travelogue to vivid life.

November 1, 2008
Seven hundred years after the great Venetian traveler Marco Polo and his uncles returned to Venice from their journey to Kublai Khan's court in China in 1295, photographer Belliveau and artist O'Donnell decided to follow in Marco Polo's footstepsall 33,000 miles of them. (They claim no one else has ever traveled Polo's route in its entirety.) Their journey took two years. This companion to a PBS film documents their adventures. At times, their lives were at risk, e.g., in a shooting war in Afghanistan and crossing the Himalayas, where they almost crashed and froze. They discovered incredible beauty in the most hidden spots; everywhere they went, people they'd never met before helped them on their way. Marco Polo, in his own writings, may have exaggerated occasionallyWesterners reading of Polo's travels thought he lied because what he described seemed too extraordinary to be truebut these two men conclude that he was most often an exceptionally acute observer. The stunning photographs in this elegant book should please even the most casual reader, while the authors' unpretentious observations will satisfy those who want to know more about a still alien world. A travel/adventure book rather than a study of Marco Polo the man or a history of his travels, this volume deserves many readers. Warmly recommended.David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2009
Adult/High School-Following in the footsteps of arguably the greatest traveler in history is no easy task. In accessible, lively text, and with more than 200 striking photographs, Belliveau and O'Donnell make the enormity of the task abundantly clear. The determined explorers follow the long and arduous route Marco Polo took more than 700 years ago, becoming the first to retrace the entire distance on land and sea. The dangers were many: sand storms in the Taklamakan desert, subzero temperatures in the mountain passes of Tajikistan, horribly rough seas off the coast of Sumatra, and suspicious, gun-wielding soldiers at nearly every border and everywhere in Afghanistan. Marco Polo faced many of these same obstacles, but one he did not have to confront was the ridiculous complexity of postmodern bureaucracy. The greatest roadblock to the success of the authors' expedition proved to be the red tape and outright hostility involved in securing visas for travel in Afghanistan, China, India, and especially Iran. The two Americans resorted to some clever, and dangerous, maneuvers to sidestep overly zealous (and gun-toting) officials. In the end, their persistence was well worth the effort. Like Marco Polo in the 13th century, Belliveau and O'Donnell in 1994'95 witnessed amazing sights, met wonderfully gracious and helpful people, and learned countless valuable lessons. This lavish travelogue in the grand tradition of exotic exploration should find a place in all collections.Robert Saunderson, formerly at Berkeley Public Library, CA

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2008
Seven centuries after his journeys across Asia, there are still a few skeptics who doubt that Marco Polo reached China and served in the court of the Great Khan. The authors of this lush, stimulating, and often thrilling chronicle never doubted it, and their two-year expedition that traces his travels from Venice to China confirms it. Belliveau is a photographer and cameraman for PBS, and ODonnell is a sculptor and lecturer. Together, they have effectively combined the genre of popular history and travelogue; they illuminate the highlights of Polos travels and adventures and juxtapose them against their own experiences as they travel across fascinating and sometimes dangerous areas of Asia. The text is well written and highly informative, and it conveys a sense of wonder and excitement, enhanced by hundreds of excellent photographs that reveal the past and present diversity and richness of the cultures Polo encountered. For general readers, this excellent work and companion to the public-television film is a valuable introduction to the life and times of one of the worlds great adventurers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)