Product Description

In 1322 Sir John Mandeville left England on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Thirty-four years later, he returned, claiming to have visited not only Jerusalem, but India, China, Java, Sumatra and Borneo as well.

His book about that voyage, THE TRAVELS, was heralded as the most important book of the Middle Ages as Mandeville claimed his voyage proved it was possible to circumnavigate the globe.
In the nineteenth century sceptics questioned his voyage, and even doubted he had left England.
THE RIDDLE AND THE KNIGHT sets out to discover whether Mandeville really could have made his voyage or whether, as is claimed, THE TRAVELS was a work of imaginative fiction. Bestselling historian Giles Milton unearths clues about the journey and reveals that THE TRAVELS is built upon a series of riddles which have, until now, remained unsolved.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #157320 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Evening Standard
'Like Giles Milton's previous book, ... Big Chief Elizabeth is a cracking read, a successful attempt at popular history'

Review
‘Milton is a great storyteller ... he sets about filling in the historical gaps with relish, using his considerable imagination to conjure mood from dry parchment’ (Sunday Express )

'Grippingly told true adventure story' (Daily Mail )

'Milton has a terrific eye for the kind of detail that can bring the past vividly to life'. (The Spectator )

PRAISE FOR GILES MILTON'S PREVIOUS BOOKS

'BIG CHIEF ELIZABETH is a cracking read, a successful attempt at popular history' (Evening Standard )

'Milton ... draws a vivid picture of the terrible hardships the settlers endured' (The Times )

'Milton knits together the most vivid anecdotes and descriptions from a very colourful literature of exploration and colonization, and anyone wanting easy access to them has it here'. (The Times Literary Supplement )

‘BIG CHIEF ELIZABETH has it all: gallant English seadogs, coiffured courtiers, exotic locations, and lots of fights - with pirates, with Spaniards, with Indians.’ (Sunday Telegraph )

‘A wonderfully colourful story told with pace and verve’ (Sunday Telegraph )

Sunday Telegraph
‘A wonderfully colourful story told with pace and verve’

Customer Reviews

Gripping tour of old eastern world
Bizarre reviews from the people who are down on this book - this is a wonderful read! Brilliant the way Milton has managed to get into places that others haven't, his description of his time at St Catherine's, Sinai, for example, is a revelation, and nobody reading this book could have doubts that Mandeville should be taken much more seriously than in the last hundred years. Milton appears to be able to get into places, and people's lives, in ways that others don't, and whilst this is a series of travellers tales, it very cleverly follows, and casts light on, Mandeville's life and travels. I found it particularly informative (and very moving) when describing the early church and it's numerous splits, schismatics and heresies, and their relationship with Islam; the way Milton sought out, and had conversations with, last survivors of these early times is just wonderful. At it's best, a really breathtaking book.

Charlatan or Visionary?
John Mandeville's writing of 1370 proved pivotal in the flurry of exploration that followed in the wake of 1492. His assertion that the world was a globe (flying in the face of accepted dogma) and that it was possible to travel by sea to the Far East, was THE incentive that drove the expeditions of hundreds of explorers and merchants.
Later, the book was ridiculed as hokum, but Giles Milton felt there were enough grains of truth in the manuscript to warrant more research, which he does in his usual comprehensive manner.

The result is a very readable unravelling of the mystery, shrouded as it was by the interfering pens of earlier 'editors'. Given the extent of the tinkering, we may never know the truth behind the 'Travels', but Mr milton uncovers enough evidence to show that Mandeville almost certainly DID travel to the Levant, but casts doubt on the veracity of his claims to have travelled to the Far East. The latter is understandably not well-researched, given the ambiguity of the literary data and lack of physical evidence, so only 4 stars.

However, in South America 300 years later, Drake describes strange people with almost identical characteristics to Mandeville's 'imaginary' creatures - are we being swayed by modern interpretations of medieval descriptions? We may never know, but this uncertainty and the nuggets of truth unearthed by Mr Milton's research in the Middle-East prompted me to order a copy of the 'Travels', so I could judge for myself whether Mandeville was an early Munchausen or a true visionary.

A worthwhile read to stimulate your imagination.

An interesting and often funny book
In response to existing reviews, I found this book both interesting and amusing. I have not read John Mandevilles account of his travels, but having read Giles Miltons book, I will certainly look out for it. The book itself contains many interesting and informative sections - I found the one on Jerusalem particularly good, descriptive and thought-provoking. The author involves the reader both in his quest to retrace Sir Johns steps and in his motivation to do so. I was inspired to read this book by Giles Miltons Nathaniel's Nutmeg and Big Chief Elizabeth which I also enjoyed - it did not disappoint ! If you enjoyed these books, try the Riddle and the Knight also. Giles Milton has an easy to read style which interests and entertains.