Hackett Publishing

"William of Rubruck was a Franciscan friar who wrote the first great travel book about Asia.  In 1253–55 he made the journey from the Holy Land to the court of the Great Khan Möngke at Qaraqorum in Mongolia and back again. . . . William was interested in all that he saw. . . . His account is particularly vivid because he related to the individual people he met.
    "This is the first annotated translation to be made from the definitive Latin text published by A. Van den Wyngaert in 1929, and Peter Jackson and David Morgan are to be congratulated on producing an exemplary edition. The historical introduction is comprehensive and succinct, the translation excellent and idiomatic, while the notes clarify the text and explain why important variant readings have been chosen."
     —Bernard Hamilton, Times Literary Supplement

"In short, the Jackson-Morgan work captures the excitement and illuminates the background of Rubruck's journey."
     —Morris Rossabi, The Journal of Asian Studies

"[A] gem . . . Jackson's emendations are judicious, his translation reads well. . . . The exemplary work of Peter Jackson and David Morgan will remain indispensable to all interested in the wealth of information contained in Rubruck's report."
     —Denis Sinor, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

"This is a book which should please both specialist and casual reader. The story is a wonderful one. The translation and ample scholarship are there but do not overwhelm."
     —Theodore Nicholas Foss, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient


Peter Jackson is Professor of Medieval History, Keele University, UK.

David Morgan is Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison.


Also Available:

Genghis Khan and Mongol Rule

Daily Life in the Mongol Empire