In 1271 Marco Polo set out on a journey to China to meet the Mongol Emperor Kublaï Khan. He returned with stories that would take a lifetime to tell. Featuring exotic creatures, strange customs, extraordinary legends, and political intrigues, The Travels of Marco Polo reveals the fantastical treasures of the East in the words of the legendary medieval explorer. Conjuring up a forgotten world filled with mystery where wonder lurks around every...

East and Southeast Asia has long been a powerful player in the world trading system. Whether it's spices like pepper, textiles, rubber, or microprocessors, this region has much to offer the world, including its amazing cultures. Home to many ethnic groups and some of the world's biggest and smallest countries, the region has produced a unique array of cultural traditions. This book's accessible narrative helps readers understand how geographic features,...

Explores the life and many cultures of South Asia, examining their creative expression, religions, and holidays.

This informative but concise history of China and Southeast Asia is perfect for travelers, students, teachers, and businesspeople. Portable and attractively designed, it includes color illustrations, maps, and a brief history of the region. Explored are relations between China and Southeast Asia across two millennia; patterns of diplomacy, commercial networks, and migration; and how these have varied over time. With a focus on modern history, this...

There's no shortage of fun facts to know about Asia. With dozens of countries and an area of more than 17 million square miles (44-million square kilometers), it's home to more people than any other continent on Earth. Plus, it boasts both the highest and lowest points on the planet! Using eye-catching photographs, informative graphic elements, and engaging text, this book guides readers on a fact-filled journey through the largest continent in the...

"In the late 8th to early 7th century BC, Scythian steppe warriors conquered Central Eurasia and peripheral regions in Iran and China, revolutionizing the local cultures. A nomadic herding people who lived with their cats in felt-tent homes on wheels, the Scythians spread their complex, mobile, highly innovative culture into the frontiers of Southeast Europe, the Near East, Central Asia, South Asia, and East Asia. They produced the world's first "global"...

Nicholas Roerich was fond of saying, "Blessed be the obstacles--through them we grow." He was well qualified to know, for obstacles were a constant in his life. A superficial glance at his life would reveal only creativity and adventure, far more than is generally allotted to any one person in a lifetime. But beneath that surface lay ever-present difficulty. It is hard to know why certain people are given greater portions of trouble than others....

Rosalind Lang has suffered the worst possible fate for a national spy: she's been exposed. With the media storm camped outside her apartment for the infamous Lady Fortune, she's barely left her bedroom in weeks, plotting her next course of action after Orion was taken and his memories of Rosalind wiped. Though their marriage might have been a sham, his absence hurts her more than any physical wound. She won't rest until she gets him back. But with...

Asia is the world's largest continent, both in land area and in population. But did you know that in India alone, people speak more than 1,000 languages? Or that not everyone agrees about which countries should be considered part of Asia? Learn more about the diverse continent of Asia, from its people and countries to its landforms, economy, and more.

What do kites, writing, gunpowder, and the number zero have in common? They all have histories in Asia, the world's largest continent.