A highly abridged version of the account of the greatest world travellor of them all, who is said to have covered some 75,000 miles in the 14th century, from his home in Morocco to the far east in China. The editor, Mackintosh-Smith, says that he has edited out three-fifths of the original, the cuts being more heavy in the borrowed detaails of the holy sites and rites of Mecca and the Ummayyad mosqques, and the fulsome praise of Ibn Battutah's patrons. Of great interest are the accounts of medieval India of Mohammad Tughlaq (the one who trashed the currency and emptied out Delhi in a fit of pique against the critics in the capital), and of China of the last of the Yuan (Mongol) emperors; also such exotic places as the Maldives and an island of amazons in Southeast Asia (still not identified). One wonders what has been lost in editing, tempting a dip into the original. ( )

A facinating incite in to the world of the 1300's from the viewpoint of a contemporary traveler. I would not recommend this for younger readers, as some of the customs and practices of the time were quite disturbing. The narrative could be very dry in places, and required a determination to work through. My final conclusion though, is that this book is a good read for the mature history buff, and I am glad to have it in my library. ( )