travel & exploration, Asia, India, gems

A scholarly edition of the medieval travel narrative attributed to Sir John Mandeville, bringing together several textual versions for comparison. Volume I presents the Egerton text in modernized English, preceded by Letts’s introduction and an essay by E.G.R.Taylor on medieval cosmographical ideas. Volume II contains the French Paris text with an English translation, the shorter Bodleian version, and supplementary passages from German and Latin versions and related sources. The narrative moves from pilgrimage routes and sacred sites in the Holy Land to accounts of distant Asian kingdoms, combining geographical information, descriptions of customs and religions, and fabulous peoples and natural wonders. For gemological history, it preserves influential traditions concerning precious stones, notably diamonds said to grow, reproduce, and derive nourishment from heavenly dew, together with beliefs in their protective powers. Such passages document medieval lapidary lore and European perceptions of Asian wealth. The edition’s comparative texts and historical apparatus make it useful for studying how geographical knowledge, borrowed accounts, religious traditions, and marvels were assembled and transmitted.