Giles Milton: The Riddle and the Knight

By MARGIE THOMSON

"So I say truly," wrote Sir John Mandeville in the late 1350s, "that a man could go all round the world, above and below, and return to his own country, provided he had his health, good company, and a ship. And all the way he would find men, lands, islands, cities and towns."

Prophetic words, and the question of how Mandeville formed his opinions has been debated since.

Did he really experience all the extraordinary adventures he wrote about in his book The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, or did he make it all up?

Whatever, the fact remains that he was tremendously influential on both European global exploration and English literature in the coming centuries, and his book probably helped to ensure Christopher Columbus financial backing, and also his discovery of America.

Popular historian Milton specialises in story-telling and in bringing the rascals of history to vivid life, while articulating questions and answers in a way that makes history seem like a series of satisfyingly solvable riddles. This is no exception.

Sceptre

$24.95